Two of Hancock County’s finest will be in action tonight, as hoops stars Shelby Oldham and Ryan Curry compete in the 10th Annual Hoosiers’ Reunion All-Star Classic at Knightstown’s Historic Hoosier Gym.
For Oldham, a former Greenfield-Central point guard, the showcase game will serve as a final tuneup before beginning a collegiate career at Trine University this fall.
The Cougars’ all-time assists leader (377) will play at 6 p.m. in the first game of Friday’s doubleheader with and against some of the state’s best seniors. She will be participating as a member of the Hickory Huskers girls squad playing under New Castle coach Corie West.
While Oldham prepares to embark on a new journey in her basketball career, Curry will be finalizing his.
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For the two-time Hancock County Player of the Year, competing in Friday’s classic will mean an end to his basketball career.
The Dragons’ third all-time leading scorer (1,106 points) will attend Indiana University this fall with no intentions of pursuing a basketball future beyond intramurals.
Before he walks off the court for the last time, Curry talked about what it means to play in the all-star game and reflected on his illustrious career.
Friday is your final game as a high school athlete. Has that sunk in yet?
No. Not yet. I’m sure it will next year right around when basketball season starts. When it does, I’m sure I’ll be pretty sad. But right now, I’m pretty excited to play with these guys. A lot of them are my friends. It will be nice to get out there one last time.
Is there anyone in particular you’re looking forward to playing with or against?
Yeah. I’m really close friends with Trevor Waite (Tri-West graduate and Indiana Wesleyan commit), so I’m excited to see him and play against him. … I’m also friends with Ryan Cline (Carmel graduate and Purdue commit), so it will be fun to play with him.
It’s been a few months since New Palestine’s season ended. Are you still in basketball shape?
It’s going to be kind of tough to get up and down the court (laughs). I’ve been lifting some and running a little, but I will definitely have some rust to shake off.
When you look back on your basketball career, what are you most proud of?
You know, getting to 1,000 points was pretty cool, but scoring 46 points in one game and breaking a school record (Curry went 16-of-28 from the floor in a Feb. 6 win against Shelbyville last season), I never thought I’d be ever to do that. It was incredible.
You will be the only player at the Hoosiers’ Reunion Classic not intending to play collegiate basketball. How do you feel about that, and do you have any regrets about deciding not to play in college?
It’s little strange knowing I’ll be the only one there not playing, but I know I won’t feel out of place. I believe I should be there. I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished.
I still feel good with my decision not to play. I’ve been around basketball my whole life. It’s been fun, but I think it’s time to get away from it now before I get burned out. … I’ll be happy playing intramural ball.
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Hoosiers’ Reunion All-Star Classic
When: Girls game, 6 p.m.; boys game 8 p.m., today
Where: The Historic Hoosier Gym at Knightstown High School
Admission: To purchase a reserved ticket (there only 665 seats available), call (317) 925-8200.
Rosters:
Hickory Huskers girls
Coach: Corie West, New Castle
Kennedy Archer, 5-10, Franklin Central (Coastal Carolina)
Avery Chezem, 5-7, Covington (Siena)
Dejah Cyrus, 5-10, Marion (Marian)
Peyton Fallis, 5-10, Heritage Christian (IPFW)
Victoria Gaines, 6-1, Merrillville (Michigan State)
Adriana Murphy, 5-4, Fishers (Southeast Missouri State)
Shelby Oldham, 5-5, Greenfield-Central (Trine)
Mikayla Rowan, 6-1, Northview (Southern Indiana)
Tori Schickel, 6-2, Evansville Mater Dei (Butler)
Allison Schofield, 5-10, Heritage Christian (Valparaiso)
Taylor Stephen, 5-2, Connersville (Wisconsin-Parkside)
Deja Wimby, 5-9, Fort Wayne Snider (Western Michigan)
Terhune Tigers girls
Coach: John Boyer, Knightstown
Jenna Allen, 6-3, Bedford North Lawrence (Michigan State)
Alexa Bailey, 5-7, Bedford North Lawrence (Butler)
Sarah Cook, 5-10, Rushville (IU-East)
Sarah Corbin, 5-9, Mooresville (Marian)
Samantha Dewey, 5-6, Triton Central (Xavier)
Josie Fisher, 5-6, Homestead (IPFW)
Jordan Hankins, 5-10, Lawrence North (Northwestern)
Katie Key, 5-5, Frankton (Indiana Wesleyan)
Dominique McBryde, 6-2, Bedford North Lawrence (Purdue)
Brooke Saylor, 5-10, Eastbrook (Huntington)
McKenzy Telfair, 5-11, Cardinal Ritter (Indiana State)
Regan Wentland, 6-1, Center Grove (Indiana State)
Hickory Huskers boys
Coach: Daniel Cox, New Castle
Malik Bennett, 5-10, Southport (undecided)
Devin Cannady, 6-0, Mishawaka Marian (Princeton)
Austin Compton, 6-1, Frankton (St. Francis)
Abe Haler, 6-4, New Castle (Anderson)
Bryce Moore, 6-2, Park Tudor (Western Michigan)
Nate Niehoff, 6-4, Rushville (IU-East)
Joel Okafor, 5-11, Richmond (Bradley)
Jaelan Sanford, 6-3, Evansville Reitz (Toledo)
Tahjai Teague, 6-8, Pike (Ball State)
Trevor Waite, 6-2, Tri-West (Indiana Wesleyan)
Ryan Welage, 6-8, Greensburg (San Jose State)
Dylan Windler, 6-7, Perry Meridian (Belmont)
Terhune Tigers boys
Coach: Bob Allen, Knightstown
Pat Bacon, 6-1, Lawrence North (Tampa)
Michael Benkert, 6-4, Center Grove (Belmont)
Ryan Cline, 6-5, Carmel (Purdue)
Ryan Curry, 6-2, New Palestine (Indiana for school)
Hyron Edwards, 6-0, East Chicago Central (Trinity Valley C.C.)
Brennan Gillis, 6-6, Ben Davis (Northern Kentucky)
Drew Hackett, 6-2, Munster (Illinois-Chicago)
Matt Holba, 6-6, Guerin Catholic (Lehigh)
Jimmy King, 6-3, Roncalli (UIndy)
Sean McDermott, 6-5, Pendleton Heights (Butler)
Derrik Smits, 7-0, Zionsville (Valparaiso)
Blake Walsman, 6-6, Batesville (Cincinnati Christian)
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