By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – “In 49 other states, it’s just basketball, but this is Indiana.” That’s a quote from Pacers coach Rick Carlisle, a statement that highlights the historic, quasi-religious, ultra-passionate obsession with the great game. Believe any different? Check the trophy case, the banners, the driver’s license and the zip code. In the 47421, it’s not “just basketball.” Nobody calms down when the blood pressure goes up as a shot goes up.
Indiana communities, unlike any other place on the map, still identify with the success of the high school programs. Pride knows no age limit. Everyone linked to the team, whether by family connections or alma-mater attachments, revels in the victories and suffers through the setbacks.
Bedford North Lawrence’s tradition, over 50 years of memorable joys for triumph and tears for tough losses, is reflected in the championships, captured in the team photos on the walls of BNL Fieldhouse, kept alive by the stories from past glory. Each generation dons that jersey with dreams of maintaining the standards or reaching new heights.
For the first time in many years, BNL faced a restructuring project in 2025-26. New coach, hired late in the offseason process. Replace over 70 percent of its graduated firepower and return only one starter. Plug in roster holes with athletes who had not played in multiple seasons. The result was predicted by difficult circumstances and unbiased observers.
The Stars finished 6-17, and nobody – from within the program or without – was happy about that new address.
Before investigating the reasons, after taking a breath to look back on the season, there are positives to note and negatives to pinpoint. Even during the dark moments, there were rays of light.
”Every season has its ups and downs,” BNL coach Jackson Ryan said. “Sometimes it’s more ups, sometimes it’s more downs. It’s obvious there were huge hurdles and hardships we had to face, so many question marks. When you go through the gauntlet we faced, playing the 38th hardest schedule in the state (according to the Sagarin computer), there was a ton of adversity. We knew it would be hard, we knew there would be trial and error..
”We were trying to put a product on the court that we were proud of, as a program and community, and sometimes I know we fell short of that goal. But I also know there were some great moments that we shared as a team. We will cherish those moments.”
Start with the good. BNL recorded a road victory over Bloomfield, ranked No.1 in Class A at the time. The Stars conquered South Ripley in the first game of the Southridge tournament, and both those teams won 18 games this season. BNL also continued its mastery of Mitchell, clipped Floyd Central in a last-minute thriller, and blew out Martinsville.
Senior wing Dax Short was the scoring leader at 14.7 points per game, and there was support from senior Gibson Crane (6.7), junior Parker Kern (7.8) and sophomore Easton Moore (6.7). No matter the record, BNL showed no signs of giving in. There was no quit, when that could have been easy.
“They were sticking with it, staying together, showing up every day and trying to do what was asked,” Ryan said. “When the deck is stacked against you, what will you do? At times we really competed. Our margin for error against most of the teams on the schedule, with better players than what we were, having to find ways to win with less tall talent on some nights, was a tough thing. I will miss this group’s physicality, they weren’t afraid to mix it up. That’s something we will have to duplicate next year.”
Now for the negatives. BNL’s six wins are the fewest in program history. The Stars averaged only 48.3 points per game (the fewest ever, after the 1982 squad totaled 49.9) and allowed 63.6 (the most ever, with the 2017 team giving up 62.6). BNL shot only 42 percent while the opponents converted 50 percent of their shots. BNL averaged 15.5 turnovers, a total that jumped to 21.2 over the last seven games. The Stars were vanquished by the mercy rule seven times. Those are the statistical facts.
That points to fundamental flaws in the basics of ballhandling, shooting and defending. That means, from top to bottom, from the coaching staff decisions of style and execution to the last freshman in the program, improvement is necessary. It starts immediately with individual progress in terms of skill and approach.
“In meeting with our players, we are challenging them to develop and grow on their own,” Ryan said. “We encourage everyone to be multi-sport athletes. Go play a spring sport or fall sport. But when you’re not doing that, get a basketball in your hands. That drastically needs to change.
“We need basketball players. You can’t build a program when you have to recruit in the hallways. That’s not a knock on our guys this year, I’m very grateful for guys coming out to play for us. But for us to be successful, we have to develop well-rounded players, who fundamentally understand the game and see the game. From March to October, it’s about the individual getting better. From November into March, it’s about us coming together as a team.”
The future is murky, because BNL will shift to Class 3A next season and its sectional assignment will not be announced until May. BNL will remain in the Hoosier Hills Conference.
“Change is a big word, with going to 3A,” Ryan said. “Change with our schedule. If we’re going to be a 3A program, we need to play those guys. So there will be a major overhaul to our schedule in the regular season.
”And there is potential. When you look down the pipeline, it gets a little better and better every year. There’s a lot of excitement. There was a ton of growth from start to finish this year with our JV kids. The work we are putting in right now will pay dividends.”
