By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – The resurfaced hardwood, sparkling inside BNL Fieldhouse, reflected a change. Bedford North Lawrence worked through Monday’s first official practice session for the 2026-27 basketball season with the focus and swagger of veterans, rather than the wide-eyed uncertainty of adjustment.
There was purpose during the workout, intensity behind the smiles for the Stars. With a second-year head coach who’s now comfortable with his position, with an experienced team coming back from a 16-win campaign, with a new postseason assignment, there’s reasons for the excitement level. It’s basketball, after all, and this is Indiana. It’s no coincidence that autumn’s first frost arrived with the first bounce. Change is in the air.
Chase Spreen welcomed 15 athletes (a number that will grow once all the fall sports seasons conclude) to the inaugural session. His first year was definitely a learn-on-the-fly journey. What’s different now? He called it “smoothness” as the returning Stars flowed seamlessly through the various drills.
“We have a lot of returning experience that’s familiar with the terminology, and the expectations as far as the urgency and tempo we’re wanting to play with,” Spreen said. “That will make the early weeks much smoother. They will play a lot of basketball, rather than learn from teaching and instruction, the first few weeks of the season.“
There’s also some tweaks in the system. BNL basketball will not alter the foundation of its success, that’s one of the reasons for all the banners in the rafters. But even the old can learn a new trick once in a while.
“It‘s about getting them accustomed to what we want to do, both offensively and defensively, versus what we did last year,” Spreen said. “It’s not an overhaul, just a little bit of an adjustment. The process is getting them more comfortable in executing what we want to do. Once they get more comfortable, that’s when they start picking up in efficiency. We expect them to pick things up in tempo.
”We’re going about things a little different, as far as how we’re installing things.”
The faces are familiar. Returning starters will include four-year veteran Miley Sherrill, returning scoring leader Sammie Nusbuam, and senior guard Jordynn Blann. There’s a scoring void with the graduation of Trinidy Bailey, but Elahdy Ray and Caroline Sheldon have plenty of past playing time as they prepare to tackle added roles.
The biggest alteration will be the sectional. BNL has dropped down to Class 3A, which means a new set of rivals with Edgewood, Indian Creek, Northview and Owen Valley in Sectional 28. The goal of winning that trophy will not change.
“It will be interesting,” Spreen said. “It’s still a very competitive sectional. From a talent standpoint, there are a couple of very good teams, that we will have to play well to win. But that doesn’t change our expectations. We have the expectation of winning it every year, and things beyond that. It will be a new experience.”
BNL’s quick countdown to the opener will include the annual intrasquad scrimmage (on Oct. 29) and the IHSAA-sanctioned scirmmage with Columbus North (at home on Nov. 3). The Stars will open the regular season at home against Sullivan on Nov. 5.
