Hawks utilize summer basketball to prepare for upcoming winter season

LITCHFIELD – Each year, Carrollton’s boys’ basketball team hits the ground running.

In recent years, the Hawks have had just a few days to practice before opening the season with the success of the football team. The Hawks have advanced far in the football playoffs in recent years, including an IHSA Class 1A second place in the state in 2014.

“Guys like me always see the value in it,” Carrollton coach Jeff Krumwiede said of summer basketball. “The main thing is it allows us to hit the ground running in November. Those stepping into expanded roles hit the ground running. We graduated seven seniors and we have a lot of guys who were in the sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-man roles last year. The summer takes care of that initial transition time for the kids and they are more comfortable as the season rolls around.”

Krumwiede said it is a great time for coaches to evaluate personnel and make decisions and figure out the type of game play that fits the team.

“It is a great advantage to those of us who do summer basketball,” he said. “Some of the incoming freshmen have very little knowledge how to do things at the high school level and they get a month-long period of instruction and initiation into high school basketball. They are able to see the speed of game changes. Thirty years ago freshmen didn’t even know what the coach’s voice sounded like until the first day of practice in November.”

Carrollton lost its first four games in summer play against some talented opponents, including teams from Gallatin, Ky., and Milan, Ind. Milan was the town the movie “Hoosiers” story was based on, Krumwiede said.

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The 1954 Milan High School Indians were the Indiana state high school basketball champions in 1954. With an enrollment of only 161, Milan was the smallest school ever to win a single-class state basketball title in Indiana. The team and town are the inspiration for the 1986 film Hoosiers. The team finished its regular season 19–2 and sported a 28–2 overall record.

The Hawks have come roaring back with several victories, including two this past Monday night in Litchfield and stand 10-5 at this point in the summer, so the winning momentum has shifted. Krumwiede said Jerrett Smith has been injured this summer with a knee repair and others have been traveling, so the entire team has rarely been together for play. He said the players being out has allowed others to function in their roles, which is a good thing for depth in the season.

Jacob Stendeback has been traveling in Europe, but with his height and athletic talent, he should be one of the Hawks’ better players. He is slated to be a tight end in football in the fall for the football Hawks.

Matthew Campbell has been getting the ball inside and playing strong defense over the summer, Krmuwiede said.

Jeremy Watson should be one of the leaders on the team in November and he has shined transitioning to the point guard spot filling in for Luke Gillingham, who recently graduated.

Coach Krumwiede said the Hawks have had a balanced scoring attack over the summer with the high scorer on average being nine points a game, spread over multiple players.

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