There are going to be plenty of new faces in new roles for the Brownstown Central boys basketball team this season.
Braves’ coach David Benter has had plenty of inexperience lead his teams in the past, but the 2019-20 campaign may have a lot of growing pains with players stepping into new positions.
Benter, entering his 23rd year at BCHS, returns just one varsity starter and just a few players that logged any varsity minutes a season ago.
There will, however, be plenty of seniors for Benter to work with including Isaiah Wineinger, who is the lone returning starter for the Braves.
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But a bunch of new faces isn’t going to keep the Braves from trying to achieve their goals.
In the 22 previous seasons under Benter, the Braves have won outright or shared the Mid-Southern Conference title in eight of the past 10 seasons and have finished above. 500 in 18 consecutive years. They’ve won the league 11 times since 2004.
They went 18-6 a year ago, were 9-0 in MSC play and were one of just three teams to hand last season’s Class 3A state champions, Silver Creek, a loss.
Other seniors for the Braves include Clayton Barger, Eli Brown, Clay Chastain, Jalen Tiemeyer and the 2019 Jackson County football Player of the Year Derek Thompson.
They’ll be looking to replace last year’s class that included Isaac Johnson, Seth Borden, Michael Boshears, Ethan Wischmeier, Braden Neal and Matthew Garland.
Juniors on the roster that could fight for playing time include cross country star Nathan Koch, Lucas Hines and Lucas McKinney.
Kiernan Tiemeyer, Levi Stahl and Carter Waskom round out the roster as the squad’s three sophomores.
The Braves open up their season tonight against Mid-Southern Conference rival Salem before heading east on U.S. 50 for a Friday night showdown with county rival Seymour on Friday.
Both games are set for a 7:30 p.m. tip.
Brownstown Central will host MSC foes Scottsburg and North Harrison before the new year begins before hitting the road in mid-January for a date with the Dragons.