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Indianapolis Star
30-05-2025
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Preps Insider: 'First-time' transfer is here, high rate(?) of coaching changes, other moves
I need a catchy name for this style of article/column/Insider. This is not necessarily a mailbag – maybe more of a human, word of mouth discussion group than the usual electronic reader feedback style. I need somewhere to unload some thoughts, notes, information, etc., that are maybe not fully formed but things that have been on my mind, and/or news relevant to readers. So, for lack of a better idea, let's call this 'Fourth and long.' Or not. It's a working title. The new Indiana High School Athletic Association 'first time' transfer rule will go into effect June 1. I am aware of roughly 8-10 basketball players just in Central Indiana who will be using the rule to transfer to a new school. Of more interest to me than each individual transfer is how the new rule will impact how coaches use June. This is a key month for football and basketball as players are able to practice with their high school teams, go to camps and play in events (like the Charlie Hughes Shootout at the end of the month). One local football coach told me he told his assistant coaches that there will be no depth charts in the summer. Interesting. It makes sense, though. Why potentially run kids off by burying them on the depth chart? As a coach, you might like that athlete's potential. But a player going into their sophomore or junior year – or maybe more specifically their parents – might see that as a sign to bounce to a different school. And I am not sitting at my computer thinking that is a bad thing, necessarily. Every case is different, right? But it is going to be interesting how this plays out as it relates to the management styles of coaches who are trying to keep kids (or, on the other hand, sending a message that they might want them to transfer). As usual, the players you see on teams in June might not be the same once the school year starts in August (or late July, in some cases). My quick 2 cents: After these first few weeks and months, I think the first-time transfer will ultimately be a more black-and-white rule that kids and parents will come to understand and know what they are getting into. There will be less gray area than the old rule, where 'the best interests' of the athlete transferring were often left to be decided by schools who would either benefit or lose out on the transfer decision. I think it is a little misleading to think of this as the transfer portal of college sports. The freedom only applies to the first transfer, not a clean slate every year like in college, though certainly some of that is filtering down from there. But this change was pushed by the state legislature, which wants school choice to apply to athletics as well. We will see how it all unfolds. I was asked recently during a radio interview why there seems to be so many high school basketball coaching changes during this cycle. Anecdotally, there does seem to be a lot. In boys' basketball in Central Indiana, we have changes at Danville, Greenfield-Central, Greenwood Christian, Guerin Catholic, Hamilton Southeastern, Tindley, Martinsville, Pendleton Heights, Speedway and Western Boone. But after checking with the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association, the coaching changes – so far – are down overall, believe it or not. Currently, there have been 130 total changes (77 boys, 53 girls) for this coaching cycle (there will almost assuredly be more). How those numbers compare over the last several years: 2024: 171 (79 boys, 92 girls) 2023: 198 (105 boys, 93 girls) 2022: 176 (77 boys, 99 girls) 2021: 158 (96 boys, 62 girls) 2020: 179 (86 boys, 93 girls) I remember the 2023 season being a massive year for changes, which it was. But in the big picture, it is interesting that these big numbers are consistent since 2020. There are currently 406 IHSAA member schools. In some of those years, nearly one quarter of the schools in the IHSAA are changing boys or girls coaches. The highest number before 2023 was 197 changes in 2014. Before that, the highest mark was 188 in 2007. Since 2000 (when there were 125 changes), the number has trended upward. If you have spent any time around the Danville boys' basketball program in the past 2 ½ decades, you probably recognize Mark Artman. Artman, 58, joined the staff at Danville when Brian Barber was hired as coach in 1999. And for the next 26 years, Artman worked with Barber to make Danville one of the most consistent basketball programs in the state, winning 462 games, 12 sectional titles and four regional crowns. The only losing season was an 11-12 mark in 2011-12. Artman was hired as Barber's replacement earlier this month. Barber was 462-168 overall in his time at Danville and won 501 games overall before resigning after the season 'to pursue other career interests.' 'I really enjoyed what we had here and we definitely worked well together,' Artman said. 'Brian was really great about making it easy to work with him. He always wanted to hear from me or Rick Foster, who has been here the whole time too. We learned how to coach with each other. That was something coaches at other schools would talk about. They couldn't believe how long we'd been together.' This is the first head coaching job for Artman since he spent two seasons at Fort Wayne Bishop Luers from 1995-97. The Lebanon native also coached at Lebanon and LaVille. Artman said Foster and Matt Stewart, another longtime assistant and former player at Danville, will stay on the staff. 'I know what I'm getting from those guys,' he said. Artman said it is difficult to say how things will be different moving one seat over on the Danville bench. He did fill in as head coach when Barber was hospitalized following hernia surgery. It was a relatively seamless transition because Artman already had a major role. 'When one person tries to do everything, none of it is very good,' Barber said in 2017. 'You're going to miss something. I try to tell young coaches that the key to this is to surround yourself with good people. Good things will happen.' Artman said he 'didn't always have the same ideas' as Barber, which made for a good working relationship. 'We always bounced ideas off each other,' he said. 'I think that's the way it will continue to be. I've always been kind of a basketball crazy guy, so hopefully I can just keep it going as long as I have my health.' At one time, Corey Smith was committed to a Big Ten program. The former Brownsburg star ended up taking a different route, decommitting from Minnesota and playing his freshman year at Tulsa. But Smith said the opportunity to play in the Big Ten came back around and he committed to Purdue last month. 'I really like what they have going,' Smith said of Purdue. 'Really from the head coach to everybody on staff, including coach (Cornell) Ford, the wide receivers coach. The offensive coordinator (Josh Henson) came from USC and we ran a lot of his offense.' Smith, who caught 76 passes for 1,597 yards and 14 touchdowns in his three seasons at Brownsburg, said 'definitely could have had a better season' at Tulsa. 'I feel like I didn't get much run as I wanted to,' he said. 'I got some real experience, though. It took a little bit just matching the physicality of all of the other players. I gained more weight to be more physical.' Smith caught 12 passes for 179 yards and two TDs at Tulsa as a freshman. Coach Kevin Wilson was fired in late November with the team on its way to a 3-9 season. Wilson, the former IU coach, was 7-16 in two seasons at Tulsa. New coach Tre Lamb was hired in December from East Tennessee State. Smith said he felt like was Tulsa's best receiver in spring practices, but sensed with the coaching transition it might be a good time for a change. He said Indiana, Syracuse, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Louisville were among the schools he talked to after entering the portal. Purdue has also added receivers David Washington (Utah), Michael Jackson (Georgia) and Nitro Tuggle (Georgia) in the transfer portal. Smith said he has added about 15 pounds of weight to his 6-foot-1 frame. 'I definitely feel like I got some good playing time (at Tulsa) that would have been harder at a Big Ten school as a freshman,' he said. 'I think getting into that environment, I kind of got a feel for it. Being an hour from home and having family and friends close by will be nice. I'm trying to represent Brownsburg.'
Indianapolis Star
05-05-2025
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
IHSAA first-time transfer rule adopted; girls' flag football passed as emerging sport
As expected, the Indiana High School Athletic Association board of directors formally adopted a first-time transfer proposal at its annual meeting on Monday afternoon. The new rule, which was pushed by state legislators to align with the school choice model for all students and will allow a transfer regardless of the athletic motivation, will go into effect June 1. In short: *Students whose first transfer is from IHSAA school to IHSAA school will maintain full eligibility if it occurs during their first six semesters of high school. *Second and subsequent transfers and transfers from non-IHSAA schools will be handled in a similar fashion to the way they have been in previous years. *Students whose second transfer involves a return to the IHSAA school where they established their initial promotion eligibility will retain full eligibility within 365 days of their enrollment date at the previous school. NFL DRAFT GRADES: Recap all NFL Draft picks, grades and analysis for all 32 teams. The IHSAA adopted the basic framework for the first-time transfer rule in February. Girls flag football added as emerging sport In other major news from the board of directors meeting, girls' flag football was added as an emerging sport by a vote of 17-1. It will join girls' lacrosse, which was approved last August, as an emerging sport for the 2025-26 school year. Becoming an emerging sport puts those sports on track to become officially recognized as girls' wrestling and boys' volleyball did this year. For a sport to become officially recognized and an IHSAA state tournament be sponsored, 50% of the membership must be participating in the sport. Girls' flag football has significant backing from the NFL. The Colts have made a $1 million investment locally in girls' flag football. Other proposals A proposal to have cooperative programs between smaller schools was voted down by a vote of 12-6. The co-op proposal would have allowed two member schools to cooperatively sponsor interscholastic activities if one school had fewer than 300 students and the partner school had fewer than 750 students. A proposal to classify tennis as a team sport was tabled for further discussion at a later date. A proposal to change the language on undue influence to read as a transfer student having 'worked directly with a coach, manager, trainer, volunteer or employee' at the receiving school at the time of the transfer was tabled to the June meeting. Overall, 11 of the proposals were approved, three failed to receive enough support and two were tabled for further discussion.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
IHSAA to vote on team consolidations for small high schools
HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT)- Small high schools in Indiana could soon be allowed to team up to form athletic teams. Veterans return home from Honor Flight The Indiana High School Athletic Association board of directors will vote on the proposal today in Indianapolis. The proposal would allow two member schools to join together if they have an enrollment too small to field a team alone. The amendment states that one or both of the schools would have to be short on students to create a team, and participating schools must have 300 students or fewer. The proposal would also allow schools to team up if a school lacks the necessary facilities for a sport. If passed, the changes would go into effect during the 2026-2027 school year. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Indianapolis Star
22-04-2025
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Moneyball comes to IHSAA track and field: Inside these students' sports analytics project
Park Tudor students are analyzing IHSAA track and field data in a computer science class. The students and teacher Ryan Ritz are figuring out to make IHSAA track and field the best it can be. They post findings to @trackinsights on Instagram. INDIANAPOLIS — Park Tudor track and field coach Ryan Ritz wanted fair varsity standards for years. He and his fellow coaches typically developed the times and marks themselves, but it was imperfect — always easier to letter in some events than others. A 2023 Indiana High School Athletic Association mandate changed how Ritz, also a computer science teacher at Park Tudor, approached varsity standards. The IHSAA asked coaches to make all meet results available on the platform DirectAthletics. Ritz's son Cason, then a junior, started exploring the data, trying to figure out how his 4x800 relay time stacked up to others across Indiana. "That got me thinking, 'It would also be interesting if we could utilize this software to help generate varsity standards for our track and field program,'" Ritz said. "What we were able to do with this program was figure out what the 50th percentile was for each event across all the sectionals, and then utilize that number as our varsity standards." One problem solved. A new world of information unlocked. Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle. Ritz's analysis of the data involved many of the same skills he was teaching his data science students. He started using the IHSAA data in that class last year, noticing students were engaged because of the real-life applications. He took it a step further in his computer science seminar class this school year, centering the course around it — finding the data, cleaning it, sorting it and using it for analysis. His seven students post findings to an Instagram account called Track Insights, followed by many in the IHSAA track and field community. Their work has become a chance to examine long-debated questions. What happens if the state meet's scoring is changed? Are small schools at a disadvantage? What could improve IHSAA track and field? Recent Instagram posts have highlighted whether there's a correlation between a school's size and state meet team placement, the top candidates to win the 2025 IHSAA track and field championship and what sprinters were fastest among all sectionals last season. It was an arduous, semester-long process just to get to this point. The raw data was on the internet but unorganized. The students needed it collected in a way where athletes were connected to their school, times and specific meets. Several challenges arose. Senior Emily Wang said they discovered an athlete with the last name Null, which in the programming language SQL means something doesn't exist and drops it from the database. When students searched his name, it would return nothing because it was as though they put in a zero. They put the athlete's names in quotations as a fix, she said. Students also had to figure out how to organize names of athletes with two last names and those connected by a hyphen, junior Justin Li said. "I thought that was really cool," Li said. "This isn't synthetic. This is a very natural way to learn about data science." The group worked into winter break to make sure the data was usable by the spring. It's been full speed ahead since. Among the first analysis they conducted: examining the percentage of relays per class that qualified for state. Track and field is a one-class sport, so they used football classes (A-6A) to determine schools' classes. They found no A or 2A schools qualified relays to state in girls track and field over the past two seasons. The percentage of large school relays went up dramatically from sectionals to regionals to state, Ritz said. "Everyone would understand those numbers in terms of why that's the case," Ritz said. "But, when you see it graphed out, it's more apparent — the disparity between a 1A and 6A school." The group is in the early stages of what Ritz envisions as a years-long project. But they've already found one outlier when it comes to small schools' challenges qualifying relays to the state meet: Bishop Chatard. The 3A school sent 10 relays to state from 2023-24 — the second-most of any school in the state. Chatard coach Sean McGinley has stayed in touch with Ritz about the project. He's felt having a good team at the state level requires 20-25 talented athletes. What Ritz's class has found backs that theory, McGinley said. "But you, as a smaller school, can still find ways to be successful," McGinley said. "To have 20-25 kids is a lot, but maybe find different relays or events each year that we feel can have a lot of success at the state level." 'Changed my life for the better.' Why Shelbyville track and field grows as school shrinks McGinley is among several Indiana track and field coaches engaging with the project. The Instagram account features an email where followers can send requests. Followers have asked them to find the fastest sectionals and analyze pole vaulting. Ritz also took several students to an Indiana Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches conference in February, where they connected with coaches and others in the track community. They heard comments about how frustrating it was to be a small school stuck in a competitive regional. Others told them how cool their work was. Several approached them saying, "Some of the data that you guys are showing says stuff that we've talked about or debated for years. Now we have the actual numbers and data to prove our side." "What really surprised me is how many track coaches, particularly small school track coaches, resonated with this data and how many of them were actually interested," Li said. "It surprised me in the moment, but it makes sense now because track is all about numbers." Another request from coaches: understanding the impact of the state meet's scoring. Track and field only counts the top nine finishers toward state meet scoring — different from a sport like swimming and diving, where 16 athletes from the final and consolation final count toward a team's score. This method drives up the score for schools with a handful of standout athletes versus programs with many well-rounded athletes. Students examined what would happen if they awarded points for places 1-20 at the state meet (only for events without preliminary heats) and doubled the relay points. It wouldn't have changed the leaderboard of the 2024 IHSAA track and field championship too much. Fishers, Hamilton Southeastern and Bloomington North would have remained the top boys teams. Warren Central still would've won the girls title. But the Brownsburg girls would've shot to second under the different scoring, up from fifth. Coaches who spoke to IndyStar aren't interested in a multi-class system. Neither is the IHSAA, track and field commissioner Jane Schott said. But she said she wouldn't have predicted what Park Tudor has found in terms of large schools' relay dominance. Questions of fairness — from how sectionals and regionals are organized to changes to scoring — are central to Park Tudor's research. But Ritz also acknowledged fair is a "moving target," particularly with sectionals as they trend up and down over the years. "We compared the sectionals to see how they stack up against one another," Ritz said. "What you see, which is not too surprising, is some sectionals are going to be more dominant than others. It might be by event group. ... It's never perfect. It's never going to be perfect. But coaches would feel, if you're in a tough sectional, you're at a disadvantage." The data has changed how track and field coaches view the state of the sport in Indiana. It's also resonated with Ritz's students, some of whom run track and field. Pretty much all want to go into computer or data science programs. Several mentioned how interesting it's been to see their work have real world applications. Li runs track and noticed he's viewed meets through a more analytical viewpoint. At the Hoosier State Relays, informally known as indoor state, he watched Bishop Chatard excel in the small school division and run times that would've secured top finishes in the large school division. Li thought about Chatard as an anomaly among schools, then reflected on how small and large school divisions would work in outdoor track. Several questions have come up in class that initially didn't have answers, like "How does one map all of the high schools in Indiana?" Ritz and the class weren't sure. But student Aashiv Jain explored the topic, conducted independent research and created a map — an awesome accomplishment, Ritz said. The goal is to make IHSAA track and field the best it can be, Ritz said. There will be more certainty about how to do that as the project continues. One idea they have in mind now: automating the process of qualifying from sectionals to regionals, then regionals to state. Currently, it takes days to figure out which athletes have advanced because the process is done by hand and involves figuring out at-large bids alongside automatic qualifiers. Student Owen Warner is working on automating that in Ritz's class. The IHSAA has several of its own data analysis systems, Schott said, but always looks for input from member schools. She doesn't have any specific needs in mind now, but said the IHSAA will keep its options open. There are more conclusions to be drawn, more data to be studied. It's all a learning process, one marked by curiosity and enthusiasm. "Whenever you see that, you know as a teacher you've inspired students and that's what this is all about: inspiring them in the work that they're doing and being able to broaden their horizons," Ritz said.
Indianapolis Star
21-04-2025
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
It's not just new transfer rule. More IHSAA changes up for vote, including co-op teams
The first-time transfer proposal is not the only bylaw change the Indiana High School Athletic Association board of directors will consider at its annual meeting May 5. A look at some of the more interesting proposals up for vote: Provisional membership There is a proposal to raise the standard of what it means to be a provisional IHSAA member to 'a minimum of five students participating in an individual sport for each gender during the sport season.' Previously, a provisional member (a school in transition to become a full member) might have had only one male and one female athlete in a sport like cross-country or swimming and still reach the standard. GEO Next Generation, Mooresville Christian and Seven Oaks Classical were provisional members for the 2024-25 school year. Emerging sports process There is a proposal to raise the member schools currently sponsoring a program in an emerging sport from 20 member schools to 50 and the number of letters of commitment submitted from member schools that either sponsor or intend to sponsor a program from 10 to 25 to designate a sport as an emerging sport. Most recently, girls wrestling and boys volleyball went through the emerging sport process become fully recognized sports in 2024. Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle. Also, if after five years from the date of designation as an emerging sport, the sport has not met the criteria to move forward as a recognized sport, the sport will be subject to annual review by the board of directors to determine whether it should continue to hold emerging sport status. If it loses emerging sport status, a new request must be submitted, and all the procedures and requirements must be met as it were an initial application. Girls lacrosse and girls flag football are currently recognized as emerging sports. Classification of tennis The Indiana High School Tennis Coaches Association submitted a proposal to run its tournament as an individual tournament but class the team aspect of the tournament. 'I think it leads to a bigger question we're going to have to answer,' IHSAA commissioner Paul Neidig said. 'That is really for all of our individual sports, if we class those or not. I think (tennis) would like to have both — still have the benefits of the individual sport but have a team concept.' Cooperative agreements This is one of the more intriguing proposals, submitted by Union principal Ryan Chiddister. This proposal would allow two member schools to cooperatively sponsor a sport. The IHSAA board of directors could approve the establishment of a cooperative agreement if both member schools can demonstrate a need, including: Insufficient enrollment numbers; Insufficient staff; Lack of a program at one or both schools; Lack of facilities. The stipulation is only a school with an enrollment of fewer than 300 can form a cooperative agreement, provided the combined enrollment of the participating member schools does not exceed 750. If the combined enrollment exceeds the limit, the application will be denied. The co-op would only apply to team sports and would run concurrently with the two-year reclassification cycle for team sports. If this proposal passes, the soonest a co-op team could participate is the fall of 2026. The schools in the co-op must be proximate or adjacent to form an agreement. An example of this could be two smaller schools in the same district that do not offer soccer but wanted to form a team. Several states in the Midwest do offer co-op opportunities. Participation in single gender sports teams This was adopted as a temporary regulation in November, prior to the first girls wrestling tournament. 'When a sport is opened to two gender groups, prior participants can elect to participate in either gendered tournament.' A 'prior participation' means the individual competed at the tournament level before it was opened to two-gender groups. Oxygen and intravenous fluid use in contests prohibited Neidig submitted this proposal on behalf of the Sports Medicine Advisory Committee. This proposal would allow IV fluids to be administered only in emergency situations to prevent or treat cardiovascular collapse, severe heat-induced illness, severe hypertension and shock, or other life-threatening conditions that would benefit from intravascular fluid treatment. Leasing of facilities for practice or contests This proposal would allow member schools to lease facilities for practices or contests provided the IHSAA has a copy of the lease agreement, the agreement states the facility is being used by the school's teams and a few other stipulations, including: School and non-school teams may not be combined for any activities at the leased facility; The school's coaching staff must provide all instruction and coaching; There are a few other stipulations here, including the IHSAA reserving the right to reject any facility lease agreement it believes does not comply with the spirit of the rule. Participation If a student uses a member school's gym, playing field or other school facility without a coach present, it shall not constitute a violation by the member school of limited contact program. This proposal would apply to team and individual sports. Eligibility and transfer This is the first-time transfer proposal that was adopted as a temporary regulation in February. Here is how the proposal is written: 'a. Students who transfer between member schools for the first time during the first six semesters after their initial high school enrollment will have full eligibility, provided: The transfer occurs on or before the start of practice date of the sports season in which the transfer occurs and … The transfer is not the result of undue influence. b. Students who transfer during the first six semesters, having had the opportunity to participate in three seasons of eligibility of a sport, will be subject to a 30-day non-competition period or half the maximum number of contests, whichever is less, in each sport in which they participated during or after their third year of eligibility, during the 365 days preceding the transfer.' After a second transfer, the student would be subject to the IHSAA transfer rules as currently applied — limited, full or ineligible. Students whose second transfer involves a return to the member school where they established initial eligibility will retain full eligibility. Students who transfer after the start of practice will have to sit out 30 days or half of the maximum number of contacts, whichever is less. Senior transfers will be handled as transfers are currently determined, though an exception has been added to the original proposal. When a student's parents make a bona fide change of residence to a new district, the student may transfer and attempt to obtain full eligibility at any public, private or charter school which does not serve the student's area of residence but is located within a 20-mile radius of the new residence of the parent/guardian when the bona fide change of residence involved a move of more than 75 miles, and is the student's first time enrolling in the school. There is a proposal for eligibility when a student transfers from a non-member school to a member school without a change of residence. Past link This proposal would establish past link to mean a transfer student would have had to work directly with a coach, manager, trainer, volunteer or employee who was a coach, manager, trainer, volunteer or employee at the receiving school during a 12-month period prior to the student's enrollment or 90 days after.
