High school basketball Preseason Fab 15: No. 7 Carmel

From now until the beginning of the high school boys basketball season we'll be counting down the Preseason Fab 15, a ranking of the top teams in Central Indiana. We started with No. 8 Lawrence Central, No. 9 Fishers, No. 10 Tech, No. 11 Ben Davis, No. 12 Hamilton Southeastern, No. 13 Martinsville, No. 14 Mt. Vernon and No. 15 Pendleton Heights. Next on our list:

No. 7 – Carmel

It feels like the beginning of a new era at Carmel.

For the first time in several years, there isn't returner with established credentials like a Ryan Cline, Keegan Culp, Zach McRoberts, Michael Volovic, Sam Curts or Ben Gardner.

"It's kind of a new feeling," said sixth-year coach Scott Heady. "We've always had a couple guys coming back who averaged double figures. We just don't have that guy who has been around and established. I do think we have nine or 10 guys who can play and contribute. We'll have more depth."

Carmel is coming off a 23-3 season and its fourth consecutive Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference championship. But the Greyhounds will have to replace one of the top players in program history in Cline, an Indiana All-Star who is now a freshman at Purdue. Cline was also second on the team in rebounds (5.0) and led the way in assists (3.7), while shooting 87-for-198 from the 3-point line.

Also gone to graduation is Culp, who was the team's second-leading scorer (11.0 ppg) and shot 49 percent from the 3-point line (64-for-130). Cline and Culp accounted for 60 percent of Carmel's scoring last season.

"It's going to have to be more of a collective effort this year," Heady said.

The most experienced returners is 6-5 senior Preston Flamion, who was third on the team in scoring (8.7 ppg) and rebounding (4.8) last season. Heady said Flamion, who shot 58 percent from the field last season, is poised for a breakout season.

"We're looking for big things from Preston," said Heady, who is 102-24 at the school and eclipsed the 300-win mark for his career last season. "He's gotten stronger. He's improved defensively. He can play inside and outside and could get 20 points on a given night because he can score in different ways. He's our top returner, no question."

Trent Richardson, a 6-7, 220-pound senior who recently committed to Hillsdale College, is also expected to fill a bigger role. Richardson averaged 3.6 points and 3.4 rebounds as a junior as he started most of the season in the post but saw his minutes cut when Carmel went to a smaller lineup.

"He's going to be our guy to start in the center spot," Heady said. "He's a guy who can be a double-figure scorer and get five, six, seven rebounds a game. He's as strong as he's been and as healthy as he's been. I think he's going to have a good year."

Another senior who has been slowed by a myriad of injuries throughout his career is 6-2 guard Sam Oliphant. Heady said Oliphant, who averaged 1.9 points last season, is shooting as well as anybody on the team.

"I'm so happy he's finally healthy and playing with confidence," Heady said. "The next step is to do it when the lights are on and I think he will. He's a guy who could knock down threes consistently for us."

Sterling Brown, a 5-11 junior, started half the season last year and averaged 2.7 points and 1.8 rebounds. Heady said Brown, who is receiving Division I interest, is one of the team's most improved players coming into the season.

"I probably should have brought him along a little slower last year," Heady said. "He's playing with a lot more confidence. He's a much-improved shooter over last year and he's playing with a lot of confidence."

Ethan Merriweather, a 6-foot junior, also has experience. Merriweather (3.9 ppg, 1.4 assists, 1.0 steals) brings athleticism and energy to the lineup. Other juniors are 6-6 Britt Beery and 6-7 Kurt Rafdal, who were both primarily junior varsity players last season. P.J. Baron, a 6-4 junior, and Alex Falender, a 5-9 junior, could also see playing time, along with 6-foot sophomore Cole Jenkins.

Merriweather, Beery and Rafdal are on the football team, meaning three of Carmel's 10-player rotation may not officially join the team for a couple weeks.

"We feel like we can be pretty good again defensively," Heady said. "We should be a good rebounding team again and collectively we should be a good shooting team again, but we have to take great shots. There are a lot more unknowns but we still feel good about this team. I like this group of guys. By the end of the year I think we can be really good."

Why Carmel could be higher: It's Carmel. The Greyhounds haven't won fewer than 21 games in a season since 2010-11, Heady's first year. Flamion is a nice player who should blossom as a senior and there is a good mix of size and guards around him.

Why Carmel could be lower: There's bound to be some sort of drop off when a player of Cline's caliber graduates. Cline and Culp's offensive production leaves a lot to replace.

Circle the date: Dec. 11, vs. North Central. Carmel lost to North Central early last season, one of just two regular-season losses (Brownsburg the other).