Ryan Bales
Plymouth - District 1
Ryan Bales has compiled a 37-10 record in two seasons at Plymouth, including a 21-4 record with a sectional championship in 2012-13.
In eight seasons as a head coach, Bales has compiled a 121-62 record with three sectional championships and one regional crown.
A 1995 graduate of North Judson-San Pierre High School, Bales played collegiately at Bethel College and helped the Pilots capture two NAIA national championships. He graduated from Bethel in 2000.
Bales served as an assistant coach for Mike Lightfoot at Bethel for one season before moving to Noblesville as an assistant to Dave McCollough for five seasons.
He became the head coach at Caston for one season, then followed as head coach at North Judson for five seasons before moving to Plymouth in the fall of 2011.
Bales’ was chosen to coach in the Indiana East-West All-Star Game in 2010, and he was coach of the South Bend Tribune Area All-Star Team in 2011. He also has been chosen to serve as an assistant coach for the 2013 IndyStar.com Indiana Junior All-Stars.
Over the last five seasons, Bales’ teams have compiled a 94-25 record.
Bales and his wife, Kristin, have three sons: Nolan (8), Mason (6) and Cameron (3).
Mike Hackett
Munster - District 1
Mike Hackett recently competed his 13th season as boys basketball coach at Munster, where he also serves as a health and physical education teacher.
In his tenure with the Mustangs, Hackett’s teams have compiled a 252-57 record for an .816 winning percentage, the highest winning percentage in the state among active coaches.
His teams have won 10 conference championships (four in the Lake Athletic Conference, and the last six seasons in a row in the Northwest Crossroads Conference) and have amassed a 36-0 record in the NCC. The Mustangs also won three LAC Tournament championships.
In the postseason, Hackett’s teams have won four sectionals (2009, 2010, 2011 and 2013) and two regionals (2009 and 2011).
Hackett has been named conference coach of the year on nine occasions and previously was selected IBCA District 1 Coach of the Year in 2003 and 2011. He was selected the Coach of the Year by The Times of Northwest Indiana in 2008, was the Coach of the Year by the Gary Post-Tribune in 2009, was the NFHS State Coach of the Year in 2011 and served as the Indiana All-Star boys head coach in 2011.
Hackett’s 2010-11 squad went 20-0 in the regular season and was ranked No. 1 in the final AP and IBCA polls. His 2012-13 squad was 22-0 in the regular season and was ranked No. 2 in the final AP poll and No. 1 in the final IBCA poll.
Hackett served as an IBCA District 1 representative from 2008-2011 and is currently completing his second year of a three-year term as the IBCA president-elect. He will serve as IBCA president from 2014-17.
Hackett began his teaching and coaching career as an assistant coach at Kankakee Valley from 1987-90, then moved to Merrillville and served as an assistant from 1990-2000 before becoming head coach at Munster.
A 1983 graduate of Michigan City Elston and a 1987 graduate of Franklin College, Hackett earned a master’s degree in 1994 from Indiana University.
Hackett and his wife, Vicki, have two sons who attend Munster: Drew, a sophomore, and Luke, a freshman.
Brad Dickey
Tipton - District 2
Brad Dickey and his Tipton teams are currently 92-14 in the past four years. His overall boys' coaching record is 128-67 in eight years.
Dickey became varsity coach at Tipton in 2009-10. With the Blue Devils, his squads have been four-time undefeated Hoosier Conference champions and three-time regional champions (2011, 2012, 2013). Previously, Dickey was the varsity coach for four seasons at Edgewood, where his teams won one sectional and captured one Western Indiana Conference championship. He was named WIC Coach of the Year in 2000. He also has been chosen to serve as an assistant coach for the 2013 IndyStar.com Indiana Junior All-Stars.
A 1988 graduate of Tipton, Dickey scored more than 1,000 points as a player and helped the Blue Devils to two sectional championships. He played college basketball at the University of Indianapolis and became a UIndy assistant coach for Royce Waltman for two seasons. He then was an assistant coach at Perry Meridian for four seasons before taking the boys’ head coaching position at Edgewood.
In 2002, Dickey returned to his alma mater and served as Tipton’s varsity girls basketball coach for two seasons. He then became a Tipton boys basketball assistant in 2007 for two seasons before becoming the Blue Devils’ boys head coach in the fall of 2009.
Dickey and his wife, Carrie, have four children: Kilah (24), Greg (19), Damon (10) and Kalyn (8).
Steve Lynch
Mt. Vernon (Fortville) - District 2
Steve Lynch just completed his seventh season at Mt. Vernon, compiling a 103-52 record during his tenure with the Marauders.
Lynch’s teams at Mt. Vernon have won four Hancock County Championships, two Hoosier Heritage Conference championships, two sectional championships one regional championship and were the 2009 City Securities Hall of Fame Champions.
This year’s Marauders finished the season ranked No. 1 in the final Class 3A poll, ending with a 24-2 record after claiming sectional and regional crowns.
Lynch previously was honored as an IBCA District 2 Coach of the Year in 2010. He also was Indy East Coach of the Year and Hancock County Coach of the Year in 2010. In addition, he has been Hoosier Heritage Conference Coach of the Year in 2009, 2010 and 2013.
A 1987 graduate of Tippecanoe Valley, Lynch played college basketball at Manchester College and graduated from that school in 1992. He began his coaching career from 1991-95 with the Spartans, then was an assistant for one season at Whitko before returning to the college game. He was an assistant for nine seasons at Southwest Missouri State and one year at Ball State before becoming head coach at Mt. Vernon.
Lynch and his wife, Amy, have two children: Abby (10) and J.D. (7).
Brent Chitty
Columbus East - District 3
Brent Chitty recently completed his third season as coach at Columbus East High School and his 27th year of coaching basketball at the high school level. His 2012-13 team posted a 14-7 record. His career record in 19 seasons as a head coach is 223-189.
A graduate of Bloomington South High School and Indiana University, Chitty began his coaching career as an assistant at Bloomington North High School in 1985 working under Tom McKinney. After eight years with the Cougars he became head coach at Owen Valley High School. In three years at Owen Valley, the Patriots compiled a 43-20 record and won two Western Indiana Conference championships.
In 1997, Chitty was named head coach at Evansville Central High School, and he guided the Bears to two Southern Indiana Athletic Conference championships, one sectional championship (2004) and a 142-139 record over 13 seasons.
Chitty, who has served as an IBCA district representative, was selected as a coach for the East team in the 2012 HBCA East-West All-Star Game. He also has been chosen to serve as head coach for the 2013 IndyStar.com Indiana Junior All-Stars.
As a player, Chitty played for Hall of Fame coach Bill Springer at Bloomington South and at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Chitty and his wife, Kristen, have two children: Taylor (19) and Parker (15).
Bryan Speer
Evansville Harrison - District 3
Bryan Speer has been the boys basketball coach at Evansville Harrison for six seasons, compiling a 96-40 record with the Warriors.
During his tenure, Speer’s teams have won three Southern Indiana Athletic Conference and three sectional championships. His teams have won five Evansville City titles and he was selected Evansville Metro Coach of the Year in 2009.
He has coached one Indiana All-Star in Kendal Brown-Surles, who now is playing at Southern Illinois. Two other former players also play college basketball, Cole Schafer at Bellarmine and Frank Patton III at DePauw.
Speer coached a junior all-star team in the Indiana Class All-Star Classic in New Castle in 2012.
A 1992 graduate of Evansville Harrison, Speer played at Harrison for coach Will Wyman. Speer graduated from the University of Evansville in 2000 and has coached at various levels for approaching two decades. Included in that tenure is nine years as an assistant at Harrison, two years as an assistant at Evansville North and the past six seasons as head coach at Harrison.
Speer and his wife, Beth, have three children: Eli (7), Ty (4) and Cate (3).
