Top Team Preview: Brownsburg

As surprise 4A State Champions last season, the Brownsburg Bulldogs are once again in the upper echelon of Indianapolis area teams. A tournament run, culminating in a 40-39 upset win over Marion in last years' title tilt, brought basketball to the forefront in predominantly baseball-focused community. In his fifth year at the helm of the Bulldogs, Coach Joshua Kendrick will have to replace quite a bit from last year. Gone are 6'7" wing Gordon Hayward (Butler) and 6'8" post Julian Mavunga (Miami-OH). Losing two tall, high scoring, D1 caliber players would take a toll on any team, but Coach Kendrick has a lot to look forward to with what's returning.

Brownsburg is a true team, where all the components have to contribute in order to be a success. The Bulldogs are led by an experienced backcourt duo in 6'1" Austin Fish and 5'11" JD Cosby. The two senior guards are both solid ball handlers and deep threats. Fish is the better slasher of the two. They had 9 and 10 points, respectively, in their season opening loss to Carmel. Two relative newcomers also will expected to be big time contributors for the Bulldogs to have a quality season. The first is 6'1" sophomore guard Torrey Nibbs. Nibbs is an excellent athlete who excels at attacking the basket on the drive and finishing around the rim. He also is a good rebounder for his size, since he is so bouncy an athlete. His outside shot needs improvement, but as a tenth grader, he has ample time to work on that. Another new face is 6'10" junior center Enique Mason. Mason did not play much last year, sitting behind Mavunga, but his size will be greatly needed this year. There is only one other player on the team taller than 6'3". Mason has a nice standstill set shot and he alters plenty of shots with his size. He must become more aggressive in the post on offense, establishing position and making a quality move that will get him buckets or on the free throw stripe. He must also improve at attacking the offensive and defensive glass with passion and purpose. Both he and Nibbs had 15 points in the season opener, and Coach Kendrick has to hope that kind of output will continue and even improve.

Brownsburg will have a challenge repeating last years' success with their losses to graduation. They still field a very good team that is currently ranked #11 in the 4A class. If the Bulldogs get the same consistency out of Fish and Cosby, and if the Nibbs and Mason can continue their development, they will be a tough out come tourney time.