IBCA E-Newsletter

The IBCA offers financial support for the families of selected IBCA scholarship winners each year.

In 2026, the IBCA recognized 40 students with scholarship awards – two Junior Mannies Scholarship, 34 Marion Crawley Scholarships, two Pat Aikman Character and Leadership Awards and two Steve & Jeanie Witty Scholarships.

The IBCA was able to award each honoree a stipend of $500. If funds allow, the IBCA may be able to increase the amount awarded to each recipient in future years.

IBCA Junior Mannies, Marion Crawley, Pat Aikman and Steve & Jeanie Witty scholarships were awarded last spring to deserving young people who helped perpetuate our great game of basketball in Indiana. These are students who help make coaching a great profession.

Mannies, a former IBCA job placement director, posted a 309-301 record in 29 seasons as a boys' basketball coach at Delphi, Mississinewa, Lewis Cass and Elwood. He later served as athletic director at Danville and as the IBCA Job Placement Director from 1977-83.

Crawley was a former four-time boys’ basketball state championship coach – two with the Washington Hatchets and two with the Lafayette Jeff Bronchos – who amassed 644 career wins. He later became the first executive director of the IBCA, serving in that role from 1970-74. He then served as the IBCA assistant executive director from 1974 until he passed away in 1982.

Aikman was the Indiana All-Star games director from 1988 to 2007 and the IBCA Coordinator of Special Projects from 2008 to 2010.

Steve Witty posted a 266-68 record and was a two-time boys' basketball state champion coach at Ben Davis, then served from 2002 to 2022 as IBCA executive director. Jeanie Witty, his late wife, was a registered nurse who upon retirement became Steve's administrative assistant. Jeanie passed away in April 2023 after serving the IBCA for 18 years.

• The Mannies Scholarship is presented to students who have a physical handicap but have contributed to their respective school's athletic program.
• Criteria for the Crawley Scholarship include achievement in basketball, achievement in academics, participation in extracurricular activities and service to one's school and community.
• Criteria for the Aikman Scholarship include achievements and contributions in basketball, scholastic achievement, extra-curricular activities, and service to school and community. Also, those considered for the Aikman Scholarship are students who plan to enter the fields of journalism, sports management, athletic training or physical therapy.
• Criteria for the Witty Scholarship include achievements and contributions in basketball, scholastic achievement, extra-curricular activities, and service to school and community. The Witty Scholarship awards go to student-athletes who are the child of a current-year IBCA-member coach who plans to pursue a career in education/coaching or a something in a medical field such as a physician, physician's assistant, nurse or medical technician.

The deadline to nominate seniors for 2026-27 season awards is Feb. 16, 2027.

Through the years, the IBCA has awarded about $840,000 in scholarships to our young people. The following 40 students were announced as scholarship recipients for 2026.

JUNIOR MANNIES AWARDS (2)

Student	School	Coach	Role
Noah Cupp	Brownsburg	Steve Lynch	student manager
Jacob Emerick	Manchester	Pat Lepper	student manager

MARION CRAWLEY AWARDS (34)

Student	School	Coach	Role
Precious Anuka	Indianapolis Cathedral	Lisa Finn	girls' player
Bailey Bonde	Trinity Lutheran	Matt Trimnell	girls' player
Sydney Bonds	Carmel	Jessica Darmelio	girls' player
Lillian Burks	North Harrsion	Dakota Brooks	girls' player
Alyssa Clay	Indianapolis Cardinal Ritter	Derrick Williams	student manager
Kenna Conrad	Columbus North	Brett White	girls' player
Nya Dame	Princeton	Travis Connor	girls' player
Meredith Deaton	West Washington	Kristin Messmore	girls' player
Caleb Ferguson	Columbus North	Paul Ferguson	boys' player
Izabel Ford	New Washington	Kirsti Holloway	girls' player
Norah Haverkos	Oldenburg Academy	David Disbro	girls' player
Landyn Keiser	Centerville	Brian Keiser	boys' player
Kash Kendall	Jasper	John Goebel	boys' player
Addie Maiben	Maconaquah	Ray Davis	girls' player
Damien Maldonado	Gary West Side	Christopher Buggs	boys' player
Mylee McQueary	Madison	Adam Dennis	girls' player
Cecil Newton	Southwestern (Shelby)	Chris Ingels	boys' player
Lane Pendleton	Brownstown Central	Dave Benter	boys' player
Maddox Rees	Connersville	David McCollough	boys' player
Anna Roberson	Knightstown	Dusty Magee	girls' player
Kira Ropes	Maconaquah	Ray Davis	student manager
Addison Smith	Eastern (Pekin)	Taylor Drury	girls' player
Ethan Smith	Greensburg	Collin Rigney	boys' player
Lance Smith	Evansville North	Jason Roach	boys' player
Tate Smith	Floyd Central	Michael C. McBride	boys' player
Chance Spencer	Sheridan	Bill Bowen	boys' player
Lilly Spindler	Gibson Southern	Kyle Brasher	student manager
Macy Spindler	Gibson Southern	Kyle Brasher	student manager
Grace Swank	Central Noble	Sam Malcolm	girls' player
Victoria Wadsworth	Edgewood	Matt Wadsworth	cheerleader
Brady Webber	Mt. Vernon (Fortville)	Joe Bradburn	boys' player
Ella Welsh	White River Valley	April Settles	girls' player
Wyatt Wilczynski	LaPorte	Adam Neace	trainer/statistician
Ella Williams	Washington	Gretchen Miles	girls' player

PAT AIKMAN AWARDS (2)

Student	School	Coach	Role
Grace Behny	Knightstown	Dusty Magee	girls’ player
Jack Guerre	Mt. Vernon (Fortville)	Joe Bradburn	boys’ player

STEVE & JEANIE WITTY AWARDS (2)

Student	School	Coach	Role
Lincoln Garrett	Batesville	Aaron Garrett	boys’ player
Leah Shappell	Leo	Carrie Shappell	girls’ player