Published: March 30, 2008 12:46 am            

Leaving a void

The announcement last week that Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame coach Basil Mawbey is retiring after 37 seasons on the hardwood marked the end of an era for prep basketball at Lewis Cass High School, the area and Indiana as a whole.

Mawbey spent the last eight seasons of his incredible career coaching the Kings. From the time he took over the program in 2000, Mawbey compiled a record of 147-42. That included 48 straight regular-season wins from 2001 to 2003, five sectional titles and, most notably, the IHSAA Class 2A State Boys Basketball Championship in 2003.

The 57-48 victory over Forest Park was remarkably 20 years almost to the day after Mawbey’s first state championship in 1983 with Connersville where, with a 144-31 record, he is still the winningest coach in the program’s history.

When he won it all in 2003, Mawbey was one of just 18 coaches in Indiana history to have won multiple titles, but he was the first coach to have done so in both a single-class and multi-class format — something only two others have managed since.

In 2002, the year before he and the Kings cut down the nets at Conseco Fieldhouse, Mawbey was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame. His defensive-minded style, known throughout the state as “Basilball,” has allowed his teams to come away victorious, even in years when the talent level wasn’t as high.

Mawbey has been at the helm for 32 straight winning seasons, including 14 seasons with 20 wins or more. He has also captured 24 sectional championships, won 11 regional titles and made four Final Four appearances.

He earned the distinction of District Coach of the Year three times from the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association, and throughout his coaching career, which has included stops at six Indiana high schools, including Kokomo, Mawbey has amassed an incredible 645-246 record.

Mawbey’s numerous contributions don’t end at the varsity level as he spent seven years coaching freshmen and junior varsity teams at several schools, including Caston and Logansport. He has also spent many days during the offseason teaching youth camps where his lessons have sparked the careers of many outstanding players.

Though the 65-year-old coach has not ruled out a return to the sidelines one day, his retirement will leave a void that will not easily be filled.

– Pharos-Tribune, Logansport, and Kokomo Tribune

        

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