Congratulations to these eight coaches and their teams for reaching the pinnacle of Indiana high school basketball in the 2024-25 season. Here are brief biographies of each championship coach.
BOYS
Class 4A: Sherron Wilkerson led Jeffersonville to a 24-5 record that included 67-66 overtime victory over Fishers for the Class 4A state championship. Earlier, his Red Devils won the Hoosier Hills Conference, Seymour Sectional, Southridge Regional and New Castle Semi-State. Wilkerson has a 57-22 record in three seasons at Jeffersonville with three HHC titles, two sectional trophies, two regional crowns and one semi-state title in addition to the state crown. He is 96-98 in eight seasons as a varsity head coach with previous stops at Indianapolis Herron, Shawe Memorial, Madison and Logansport. Wilkerson is a 1993 graduate of Jeffersonville, where he totaled 1,140 career points, led the team to the 1993 state championship and was named an Indiana All-Star and a McDonald’s All-American. He played parts of two seasons at Indiana University, one season at the University of Rio Grande in Ohio and completed his bachelor’s degree at IU-Southeast in 2005. He also played professional basketball for about eight years in Sweden, Germany, Latvia, Turkey, Brazil, Italy and Israel. Wilkerson began his coaching career as a Rock Creek Academy assistant from 2005-07, was Herron head coach in 2009-10, an IU-Southeast assistant from 2010-12, a Lamar University assistant from 2012-14 and a Jeffersonville assistant from 2015-18. He then was head coach at Shawe Memorial in 2018-19, Madison from 2019-21 and Logansport in 2021-22 before accepting the Jeffersonville position starting in 2022-23. He currently is in his fourth year as an educator at Jeffersonville.
Class 3A: Eric Gaff guided South Bend Saint Joseph to a 27-3 campaign that included a 56-52 victory over Indianapolis Attucks for the Class 3A state championship. Earlier, the Huskies captured a share of the Northern Indiana Conference and won the Plymouth Sectional, South Bend Washington Regional and Logansport Semi-State. Gaff is 71-39 in four seasons at SBSJ with two sectionals, two regionals, two semi-states and a 2024 Class 3A state runner-up finish in addition to the 2025 state title. Gaff is a 2005 graduate of Concord High School, where he played four years of basketball. He matriculated to Grace College, playing four years of basketball, helping the team to the NAIA Division II final eight, collecting NAIA first-team All-America honors and earning a bachelor’s degree in health and physical education in 2009. After college, he played professionally for 10 seasons in Australia. Gaff started his coaching career as an assistant for three seasons at Concord and two seasons at Saint Joseph before becoming the Huskies’ head coach starting in 2021-22. He currently is in his seventh year as a health and physical education teacher at Saint Joseph.
Class 2A: Eli Henson led Manchester to a 26-2 season that included a 59-54 victory over University for the Class 2A state championship. Along the way, the Squires shared the Three Rivers Conference title and won the Wabash Sectional, Logansport Regional and Michigan City Semi-State. Henson is 193-193 in 14 seasons as a head coach, including 63-56 in five seasons at North White (with one sectional), 46-48 in four seasons at Whitko and 84-35 in five seasons at Manchester. Henson was voted the 2025 IBCA District 1 Coach of the Year and served as the assistant coach for the 2025 Junior All-Stars. Henson is a 2004 graduate of Elwood High School, where he was basketball standout and totaled 1,131 career points. He played for Lees-McRae College in North Carolina for one season, then transferred to Anderson University as a student only, earning a bachelor’s degree in physical education in 2009. He later earned a master’s degree in special education from Ball State in 2014. Henson began his coaching career in 2007-09 as a volunteer assistant at North Miami. He later was an assistant coach in 2010-11 at North White, then started his head coaching career at North White in 2011-12. He currently is in his first year as a teacher and boys’ basketball coach at Tippecanoe Valley High School.
Class A: Tom Bradley guided Orleans to a 25-4 season that included the Class A state championship with a 64-55 decision over Clinton Prairie. In the process, his Bulldogs won the Loogootee Sectional, Seymour Regional and Seymour Semi-State. In 26 seasons at Orleans, his alma mater, Bradley has a 425-211 record with 10 sectional titles, two regional crowns and one semi-state trophy in addition to the 2025 Class A state title. His teams also have won 13 Patoka Lake Conference championships. Bradley is a 1979 graduate of Orleans, where he played four years of basketball, four years of baseball, two years of golf and won the school’s Kiwanis Athletic Award as a senior. He went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in 1983 and a master’s degree in 1987, both from Indiana University. Bradley started his coaching career as a boys’ basketball assistant at Southwestern (Shelby) from 1983-85. He then was a Paoli boys’ assistant coach from 1985-97 and the Paoli girls’ head coach – compiling a 30-13 record – from 1997-99. He was voted an IBCA District 3 Coach of the Year in 2007, and he is a four-time HBCA District 4 Coach of the Year. He was the Junior All-Stars head coach in 2007 and an Indiana All-Star assistant coach in 2012.
GIRLS
Class 4A: Stephen Thomas directed Lawrence North to a 19-8 campaign that included a 65-59 decision over Warsaw for the Class 4A state championship. In the process, the Wildcats also won the Lawrence North Sectional, the Decatur Central Regional and Southport Semi-State. In three seasons as a head coach, Thomas has compiled a 56-24 record with two sectional titles, two regional crowns and one semi-state trophy in addition to the state title. His team also shared the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference crown in 2023. Thomas is a 2007 graduate of Cathedral High School, where he was a standout basketball player and totaled 1,259 career points. He then played two seasons at the University of Dayton and two seasons at IUPUI, earning a bachelor’s degree in education in 2012. Thomas coached eighth-grade girls at Belzer Middle School from 2016-18, then assisted the Lawrence North girls from 2018-22 before becoming the Wildcats’ head coach for the 2022-23 season. He currently is in his 11th year as an alternative learning director in Lawrence Township.
Class 3A: Eric Thornton guided Norwell to a 23-6 season that included a 53-44 victory over Greensburg for the Class 3A state crown. Along the way, the Knights won the Norwell Sectional, Bellmont Regional and Huntington North Semi-State. In 28 seasons at Norwell, his teams are 475-198 with 13 sectional titles, four regional crowns, two semi-state trophies and a 2024 state runner-up finish in addition to the 2025 state title. His teams also have won 12 conference crowns (six Northeast Hoosier, six Northeast 8). Thornton was voted an IBCA district Coach of the Year in 2012 and 2024. He served as Junior All-Star head coach in 2012 and Indiana All-Stars head coach in 2014. He is a 1987 graduate of Churubusco High School, where he competed in basketball and golf. He went on to Ball State, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business education in 1992. He later earned a master’s degree in secondary education from Indiana University in 2009. Thornton was a boys’ basketball volunteer assistant at Warsaw in 1991-92, then was a girls’ assistant at Plymouth for five seasons before taking over the Norwell girls starting in 1997-98. He now is in his 29th year as a business teacher at Norwell.
Class 2A: Hollie Anson-Eaves directed South Knox to a 28-2 record that included a 55-33 victory over Rensselaer Central for the Class 2A state championship. During the season, the Spartans also won the Corydon Central Invitational, Blue Chip Conference, North Knox Sectional, Charlestown Regional and Jasper Semi-State. In 11 seasons, Anson-Eaves has a record of 177-110 with previous sectional titles in 2017 and 2019. She was voted the 2025 IBCA District 3 Coach of the Year, 2025 HBCA District 1 Coach of the Year and served as head coach for the South Team in the 2025 Indiana All-Star Futures Game. Anson-Eaves is a 2007 graduate of South Knox, where she was team MVP, team captain and honorable mention all-conference in basketball while also competing in softball. She went on to Brescia University in Kentucky, where she was a scorer, shooter and defensive stopper as a three-year captain and four-year player after redshirting in 2007-08. She earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and special education from Brescia in 2012 and now is in her 13th year as a director for Country Fun Daycare.
Class A: Matt Vick led Borden to a 23-5 season that included a 49-40 victory over Lafayette Central Catholic for the Class A state title. Earlier, his Braves won the Southern Athletic Conference, Borden Sectional, West Washington Regional and Shelbyville Semi-State. He has an eight-year record of 106-84. Vick is a 2006 graduate of Borden, where he played four years each of basketball, baseball and tennis. He earned a bachelor’s degree in secondary education from Indiana University-Southeast in 2011. Vick began his coaching career as a Henryville girls’ assistant from 2012-14. He then was a Borden boys’ assistant from 2014-17 and became the Borden girls’ head coach starting in the 2017-18 season. Vick now is in his 15th year as a math teacher at Borden.
