HS basketball Fab 15: No. 15 Noblesville
We begin our look at the top high school basketball teams in Central Indiana with the No. 15 team in our Preseason Fab 15:
If something seems a little, um, different at first about the Noblesville basketball program, there’s a good reason for it: John Kiser is gone.
Kiser, now a freshman at Valparaiso, was a the Millers’ top player, a do-it-all 6-5 forward who averaged 21.2 points and 6.9 rebounds as a senior last year on a team that went 14-9 and lost in double-overtime to Carmel in the sectional.
“It’s tough because he did a little of everything,” senior Max Flinchum said of Kiser’s graduation. “He rebounded, he scored. Everybody else is going to have to step up and do a lot more.”
The good news is that third-year Noblesville coach Brian McCauley believes he has several players capable of doing so. Included in that group is Flinchum, a 6-foot guard who averaged 11.6 points a game last year as a junior. Flinchum scored 20 points or more in four games last season, including a 36-point outing against Howe. He did most of his damage from the 3-point line, hitting 42 percent (55-for-132) from the arc.
“My wheelhouse is scoring, so hopefully I can do well with that this year,” Flinchum said. “From a team standpoint, we haven’t won a sectional game in six years (since 2010). We feel like we’re close. I think we’re one of the top three teams in our sectional and our conference (Hoosier Crossroads Conference) this year.”
Along with Kiser, Noblesville also graduated Ryan Ogden (4.9 ppg) and Brandon Barthel (0.5 ppg) from last year’s team.
In addition to Flinchum, the Millers return 6-2 senior Corby Mertens (9.2 ppg), 6-1 senior McGwire Plumer (4.6 ppg, 4.3 assists), 6-3 senior Nolan Ginther (2.6 ppg, 2.5 rebounds) and 5-7 senior Nick Mills (1.7 ppg) as key pieces from last year’s team.
“I’m excited about our group returning,” McCauley said. “They are hungry and had a great summer. They understand that (Kiser) did a great job of leading us and being the guy we’d look to last year. Now it’s their turn and their opportunity. I think the seniors understand that they have to be assertive and aggressive and lead the right way. The senior group is excited about that.”
Rico Duncan, a 5-9 guard who played primarily on the junior varsity last year, is another senior who should play a bigger role this year. Ryan Barnes, a 6-3 junior and quarterback on the football team, is a newcomer who should contribute after he returns from a football injury. A promising sophomore class includes guards Xavier Hines, Grant Gremel and Eagan Keever-Hill and forward Zach Johnson.
Going into his third year since coming from Kokomo, McCauley said the team has a better idea of the daily expectations of the program.
“But when you’re dealing with high school students, or people in general, you have to fight every day for your culture. If you don’t fight for it every day, it can go just like that. That’s what the good programs do. You have to demand it every day if it’s your third or 33rd year.”
Noblesville will miss Kiser’s size. But both Flinchum and McCauley singled out Ginther, a tight end on the football team, as a player who should be improved from a year ago.
“He’s a guy who took about two shots a game last year,” Flinchum said. “He’s gotten a lot better. I think he could average eight or 10 points a game.”
The competition in Sectional 8 doesn’t ease up this year. Carmel and Hamilton Southeastern are expected to once again be among the top teams in the state and Guerin Catholic, Westfield and Fishers are all competitive teams. Anderson should also be improved.
“It’s a work in progress,” McCauley said. “We have to take care of the ball. We have to take great shots. We’re going to have to be a great defensive team. He had a solid summer and did a lot of great things. The guys showed a lot of improvement. But it’s going to be a challenging year, just like it is for everybody around here.”
Why Noblesville could be higher: The Millers should be one of the area’s better shooting teams. Flinchum can shoot the 3 and so can Mertens (37-for-68 last year). The Millers should be able to spread the floor and score.
Why Noblesville could be lower: Any time you lose a 21-point per game scorer like Kiser, there will be a transition. Rebounding could be an issue.
Circle the date: Dec. 9. Noblesville hosts Carmel in an early-season test against a sectional rival. The Millers have lost six in a row to the Greyhounds.
Call IndyStar reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649.