HS boys basketball Preseason Fab 15: No. 13 Park Tudor

We continue our countdown of the top high school boys basketball teams in Central Indiana with No. 13. Check out our previous stories on No. 14 Tindley and No. 15 Noblesville. 

In more ways than one, Park Tudor is going to look a whole lot different this season.

Under first-year coach Michael Shelton, the Panthers will play a different style. And with the transfer of 6-11 senior Jaren Jackson Jr. to LaLumiere, it might appear at first that Park Tudor is playing with a hole in the middle.

“Obviously, our strength is on the perimeter for sure,” said Shelton, who came to Park Tudor after coaching at Williston Northampton, a prep school in Massachusetts. “I think it’s pretty self-explanatory that we don’t have the size we did with Jaren. That’s kind of a question mark for us. Obviously with a smaller team we want to play in transition and play quickly.”

Park Tudor is coming off a 20-5 season and Class 3A sectional championship. But the program – and the school – was rocked by the sudden resignation of coach Kyle Cox in December. In July, Cox was sentenced to a 14-year prison term for carrying on an inappropriate relationship with a 15-year-old girl for several months.

Shelton, a native of Jeffersonville, was hired in May and immediately began working to rebuild Park Tudor’s reputation.

“I think the first couple months is definitely a challenge,” he said. “You’re trying to change the culture and getting the little things down with the way we want to carry ourselves in the community. We’ve already done a number of volunteer efforts to get the kids to understand what we value on a day-to-day basis. But we’ve definitely started a new chapter.”

The good news for Shelton is that Park Tudor brings back several key players, despite the loss of Jackson Jr., a Michigan State recruit. At the top the list is 5-10 senior guard Kobe Webster (14.5 ppg, 3.7 assists, 3.3 rebounds). Webster, who has an offer from Western Illinois and interest from Ivy League schools like Brown and Dartmouth, shot 36 percent from the 3-point line last year (54-for-148).

“I was a leader last year and I think that role increases even more this year,” said Webster, who will wait to sign until the spring. “I’ve been on those teams that won championships so I know what it takes. I’m just trying to bring those guys with me and show them what it’s going to take.”

Shelton said he quickly developed a “fantastic” relationship with Webster and expects him to have a big year.

“What I can say about Kobe is that he’s great kid on and off the court,” Shelton said. “He has all the assets. To be frank, he’s one of those kids who is really overlooked right now. I think he’s going to make a lot of noise. My goal for him is, ‘Why don’t you get in that Mr. Basketball conversation?’ He could take a situation where Jaren left and expectations from the outside changed, but he could be the catalyst to change it back the other way. He’s taken that challenge head-on.”

Joining Webster in the backcourt are 6-foot senior Isaiah Rice (10.8 ppg, 3.4 assists) and 5-10 sophomore Isiah Moore (9.8 ppg, 49 percent 3-point shooter). Shelton calls Moore “one of the best sophomores in the state” and said Rice will take on more of a leadership role.

“I think we’ll play kind of like Kentucky (last year),” Rice said. “We have three guards who can create off the dribble. That’s definitely a strength of ours that we can develop further this year.”

Brent Brimmage, a 6-3 senior, averaged 4.6 points and 2.6 rebounds last year. Sam Dattilo, a 6-4 senior, averaged 2.4 points in 11 games last season. Other players expected to be in the regular rotation are 6-1 senior Trace Arbuckle (1.6 ppg in 12 games), 6-2 junior Aidan Baker and 6-4 freshman Kadaphi Honaker.

“I feel like the guys think this is their opportunity to show they were more of a team than just Jaren,” Shelton said. “Regardless of that, we have to better ourselves. How are we competing every day? How are we stretching ourselves to be the best basketball players we can be? If we do that, we are going to be very successful.”

Shelton’s motto is “Get 1 percent better every day.”

“We don’t have a 6-10 powerhouse anymore so we have to work with what we’ve got,” Webster said. “Every day, coach tells us to get 1 percent better. Making progress and doing our jobs, that’s what we’re looking forward to.”

Rice, who shot 51 percent from the 3-point line last year (37-for-73), expects Webster to have a big season.

“He has that fire to him that he’s never going to stop,” Rice said. “Having to go up against him every day, he’s a nuisance. Some days I’m about to go ballistic because it’s hard to stop him. I expect him to do great things.”

Why Park Tudor could be higher: The guards stack up against the best in the area. Rice, Moore and Webster can all shoot the 3.

Why Park Tudor could be lower: Size is the obvious concern. There’s no easy answer to replacing Jackson.

Circle the date: Nov. 29, Lawrence North. Eager to see what the Panthers will like against top competition? Here’s an early chance to find out.

Call IndyStar reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649.