Congratulations to the 2015 state championship coaches.
Boys
Class 4A: Chris Johnson, Homestead. Johnson led the Spartans to a 29-2 mark that included a 91-90 overtime triumph over Evansville Reitz for the Class 4A state championship. Johnson is 328-155 in 21 seasons as a varsity coach, including a 248-122 mark in 16 season at Homestead. He previously went 79-33 in five years at Fort Wayne Dwenger. His teams have won six sectionals, three regionals, one semistate and one state title. Johnson is a 1983 graduate of Brookville High School and a 1988 graduate of Ball State Univeresity. He played basketball and tennis in high school.
Class 3A: Pete Smith, Guerin Catholic. Smith’s Golden Eagles went 22-8 and topped Griffith 62-56 in the state title game. Smith is 163-70 in 11 seasons at Guerin Catholic, and he has a 347-223 record in 24 seasons as a high school head coach. He previously coached at Manchester, Noblesville, Penn and Carmel. His teams have won seven sectionals, three regionals, two semistates and two state championships. Smith is a graduate of Rochester High School and Bethel College. He competed in basketball and tennis in high school and college.
Class 2A: Kyle Cox, Park Tudor. Cox directed the Panthers to a 26-2 record and a second consecutive Class 2A crown with a 73-46 victory over Frankton. In two seasons, Cox has a 50-6 record with two sectional, two regional, two semistate and two state titles. He is a 2002 graduate of Blue River Valley High School and a 2006 graduate of Ball State University. Cox was an assistant coach for two years at BRV, one year at Winchester and four years at Park Tudor before becoming the Panthers’ head coach. Cox participated in the State Finals as a player in 2001 and also as an assistant coach in 2010, 2011 and 2012.
Class A: Bryan Hughes, Barr-Reeve. Hughes guided his Vikings to a 27-2 record in 2014-15, including the Class A title with a 65-50 win over Marquette Catholic. Hughes has a 524-192 record in 30 seasons as a varsity coach, including 13 conference, 14 sectional, five regional and five semistate crowns. In 23 seasons at Barr-Reeve, he is 411-144. He also went 39-28 at North Vermillion and 74-21 at Fountain Central. Hughes is a 1978 graduate of Covington High School and a 1982 graduate of the University of Indianapolis. He played basketball, football, baseball and tennis in high school and was a three-year basketball letterman and two-year captain at Indianapolis.
Girls
Class 4A: Pat McKee, Columbus North. McKee’s teams at Columbus North have compiled a 118-16 record in five seasons, including a 28-1 mark in 2014-15 and a 62-56 victory over Homestead for the 4A state title. The Bull Dogs finished the season ranked fifth in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 national poll as well as ninth in espnW national poll, 15th in USA Today Super 25, 15th in Blue Star Basketball national poll and ninth in the SwishAppeal.com consensus national poll. McKee’s teams have won four Conference Indiana titles as well as four sectionals, two regionals and two semistates. He is a graduate of Christian Brothers College High School in St. Louis and the University of Missouri.
Class 3A: Charles Mair, Princeton. Mair guided Princeton to a 30-1 record, including a 72-44 decision over Tippecanoe Valley for the 3A championship. In four seasons at Princeton, Mair has an 84-16 record. Prior to last season, his Tigers went 14-8, 19-6 and 21-1. In 34 seasons as a girls' basketball head coach, including 30 years at North Posey, he is 423-277. Mair, a 1971 graduate of Owensville High School (now part of Gibson Southern), coached at North Posey from 1978-2008. He is a 1975 graduate of Kentucky Wesleyan College, where he played one season of basketball and three seasons of baseball, and earned a master's degree from the University of Evansville in 1980.
Class 2A: Rick Risinger, Heritage Christian. Risinger has coached the Eagles for 10 seasons, including a 28-2 mark in 2014-15 and a 73-53 win over Fort Wayne Canterbury for the 2A state crown. He has a career record of 231-39, including previous 2A state titles in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2014. Risinger was an Indiana All-Star player in 1969 for Richmond High School, then played four years of basketball at Purdue. He became coach at Heritage Christian in 2005 and the Eagles have won eight sectionals, seven regionals, six semistate and six state titles during his tenure.
Class A: Craig DeVault, Lafayette Central Catholic. DeVault directed the Knights to a 24-6 effort in 2014-15, including a 52-44 triumph over Barr-Reeve for the Class A title. DeVault’s teams are 60-22 in three seasons and have captured three sectionals, three regionals, one semistate title and one state crown. DeVault is a 1990 graduate of Lafayette Central Catholic, where he competed in basketball, baseball and tennis. He attended Danville Area (Ill.) Community College, playing one year of basketball, and Purdue University.
