HANCOCK COUNTY — The 15th Annual Indiana Basketball All-Star Classic is a preview of what to expect in the 2023-24 boys and girls high school basketball seasons.
With a change of format this year, all players participating were underclassmen this past season.
In previous years the classic had included games of graduating seniors and contests that featured standout returning players.
Two of Hancock County’s top girls basketball players are among those scheduled to participate in this year’s event.
Eastern Hancock rising-senior Ruby White and Greenfield-Central rising-junior Chaney Brown are slated to play during the busy two-day event at Anderson University’s O.C. Lewis Gymnasium, located inside the Kardatzke Wellness Center.
Brown is playing in the classic for the second straight year.
There are four games each today and Saturday. Today’s boys games are for graduating classes of 2024, 2025 and 2026. The girls games are Saturday. Each day there will be two games of rising-seniors and two games of combined rosters for the rising-juniors and rising-sophomores.
No Hancock County boys are listed on the latest rosters.
For both days, game times are 10:30 a.m., 1 p.m., 4 p.m., and 6:30 p.m.
White will play in Saturday’s 10:30 a.m. contest.
“I’m thrilled and feel like it’s such an honor,” White said of being an all-star selection. “I’m not aware of a lot of people from Eastern Hancock that have had this experience so I’m just over the moon.”
White is a 6-foot, 1-inch post player and one of the key contributors on an outstanding 2022-23 Royals team.
Eastern Hancock won a school record 23 games and picked up sectional and regional titles along the way. The regional championship was the first in school history.
White averaged 8.4 points per game, 6.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocked shots. She averages 12.2 points per game during the postseason and was named honorable mention all-state by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association.
“All of the players I will be playing with and against are talented girls. It’s going to be an excellent experience for my own growth and theirs, as well,” White said.
White will be playing on a team that will include an opponent during the regular season, Madelyn Poynter, of Class 2A state runner-up Lapel.
Brown is coming off a strong season, too. The 5-9 guard averaged 14.3 points, 6 rebounds and 2.3 steals for the 14-10 Cougars. The winning record was Greenfield-Central’s first since the 2016-17 season.
She was also an IBCA honorable mention all-state selection and, like White, came on even stronger late in the season. She averaged 16.3 points per game in the team’s final four regular season games, but was unable to play, due to an injury, in the team’s sectional opener against Pendleton Heights.
Brown is listed on one of the rosters that will play in the 6:30 p.m. contest. She is on a team that includes a pair of Hoosier Heritage Conference rivals, Kaycie Warfel from Pendleton Heights and Lily Sylvester of Yorktown.
Brown won her game last year, 66-50, over a team that included another rival, Mt. Vernon’s Ellery Minch.
In her game a year ago, Brown had seven points, three rebounds, one assist and one steal.
