FORTVILLE — There’s a new coach, but the players should be pretty familiar.
Mt. Vernon, under first-year head coach Joe Bradburn, returns the majority of its contributors on last year’s 16-9 club that reached the Muncie Central Sectional championship game.
Four starters return and all are still underclassmen.
There’s a lot of excitement about a team with experience and still a lot of youth.
“This is the most skilled and most depth I’ve had in my career,” Bradburn said. “We’ve got some gaps we have to fill and some positions we have to figure out, but in competitiveness and skill level, the depth, it’s the most I’ve had.”
That’s quite a statement for a coach with 3o1 wins and entering his 25th season as an Indiana high school head coach.
Bradburn is 301-234 for his career with stops at Yorktown, DeKalb, Huntington North and Greenwood. He’s won a pair of sectionals and, at Yorktown, won a semi-state.
Most recently, Bradburn spent the last six seasons at Greenwood where his team’s compiled a 77-64 mark and won a sectional.
Three of last year’s returning starters are still sophomores, though Bradburn and the Marauders will have to wait a while for one to join the fray.
Luke Ertel is expected to be out until late January recovering from a foot injury suffered during football season.
As a freshman, the 6-2 guard averaged 13 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.3 steals per game.
“You’re going to miss a Luke Ertel, he’s a tough competitor and very skilled,” Bradburn said. “This is an overall group and they all compete and play well together. We have other guys ready to go and getting stronger until Luke gets back.”
Julien Smith, Ertel’s classmate and running mate at guard, was last year’s leading scorer. Smith averaged 13.1 points per game to go with 3.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.2 steals.
Bradburn said Smith is always in the gym.
“I don’t know if I’m come across a player more dedicated to his craft than Julien Smith,” Bradburn said.
Rounding out the returning starters are 6-6 sophomore R’mani Wells and 6-2 junior Tanner Teschendorf.
Wells has gotten bigger and stronger after averaging 4.8 points and 3.3 rebounds as a frosh.
Teschendorf averaged 6.7 points and 3.1 rebounds.
Brady Fitzgerald is the team’s only senior. The 6-4 forward was one of the first off the bench last season. He averaged 2.2 points.
Bradburn has a few others that saw limited varsity time while being big contributors on last year’s junior varsity team.
That group includes Aden Daugherty (6-3, junior), Elijah Parra (6-0, sophomore), Charlie Cross (5-9, junior) and Tyler Davis (6-6, junior).
The Marauders will miss three seniors from last year’s 16-win team. Eli Bridenthal, now a Division I pitcher at Xavier University, was a three-year varsity veteran and scored 10.6 points and grabbed 5.1 rebounds last season. Sharp-shooting big-man Adam Hackett took advantage of his one varsity season, averaging 8.6 points and hitting 40 3-pointers. Conner Schank was also part of the varsity rotation.
“I really have enjoyed this fall,” Bradburn added. “I’ve had more players engaged with the focus and intent to get better than I’ve had in my career overall, from a fall standpoint. We have a lot of motivated players that want to compete.
“You can tell they have a passion for basketball. Our players are really excited and they expect to succeed. They compete in practice every day. (The coaching staff) has given them different challenges in the fall and they have embraced everything we’ve done so far.”
Mt. Vernon opens the season tonight at Lawrence Central.
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2023-24 Mt. Vernon Boys Basketball Schedule
Date;Opponent;Time
Nov. 21;at Lawrence Central;7:30 p.m.
Dec. 1;vs. Southport;7:30 p.m.
Dec. 2;at Fishers;7:30 p.m.
Dec. 8;at Pendleton Heights;7:30 p.m.
Dec. 15;vs. Shelbyville;7:30 p.m.
Dec. 19;at New Castle;7:30 p.m.
Dec. 22;vs Plainfield (Kokomo);2:30 p.m.
Dec. 23;at Phil Cox Memorial Tournament (Kokomo);TBD
Dec. 29;vs. Columbus East;6:30 p.m.
Jan. 2;at Westfield;7:30 p.m.
Jan. 5;at Greenfield-Central;7:30 p.m.
Jan. 11;at Avon;7:30 p.m.
Jan. 12;vs. Marion;7:30 p.m.
Jan. 20;vs. Hamilton Southeastern;7:30 p.m.
Jan. 26;at Connersville;7:30 p.m.
Jan. 27;vs. Delta;7:30 p.m.
Feb. 1;vs. Noblesville;7:30 p.m.
Feb. 6;vs. Mooresville;7:30 p.m.
Feb. 10;at Pike;7:30 p.m.
Feb. 16;vs. New Palestine;7:30 p.m.
Feb. 23;at Yorktown;7:30 p.m.
