Congratulations to the 2015-16 Bob King Award winners as Boys' Coaches of the Year.
T.J. Lux
District 1 - Merrillville
T.J. Lux is honored as an IBCA District 1 Coach of the Year after guiding Merrillville to a 22-2 record in 2015-16. He has an 82-38 mark in five seasons with the Pirates, including two sectional titles, one regional crown and two Duneland Conference championships.
Lux has been named an assistant coach for the 2016 Indiana Junior All-Stars.
Lux was a standout player at Merrillville, helping the team to a state runner-up finish as a senior in 1995 while winning the IHSAA Trester Award. He was chosen an Indiana All-Star later that year and went on to be a standout player at Northern Illinois University, finishing his career as the Huskies’ all-time leader in points and rebounds. He also was a three-time Academic All-American and the 2000 Academic All-American of the Year while playing for NIU.
After college, Lux played professionally in France, earning a variety of MVP and All-Star honors for Reims and Dijon.
Lux was an assistant to former Merrillville coach Jim East for three seasons prior to being named the Pirates’ head coach in the spring of 2011.
Lux and his wife, Mary, have three sons – A.J. (11), Jack (8) and Troy (4).
Doug Ogle
District 1 - Warsaw
Doug Ogle guided Warsaw to a 25-2 season, including sectional, regional and Northern Lakes Conference championships.
The coach is 218-101 in 14 seasons as the Tigers’ head coach, and his teams have won five NLC titles, five sectional crowns, two regional titles and one semistate championship. His 2009-10 team was Class 4A state runner-up.
Odle has been part of the Warsaw program for 31 seasons. He coached the Warsaw eighth-grade team for one season, was the Warsaw varsity assistant for one season and then guided the Warsaw JV for 15 years before succeeding Al Rhodes as the Tigers’ head coach in the spring of 2002.
A 1980 graduate of Clinton Central High School, Odle attended Purdue University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. He later obtained a master’s degree in secondary school administration from Indiana University.
Odle and his wife, Melissa, have three daughters – Courtney (27), Cendall (25) and Creigh (23) – and one grandson.
Jimmie Howell
District 2 - Lapel
Jimmie Howell is an IBCA District 2 Coach of the Year after leading Lapel to a 26-4 record, including the Class 2A state championship.
Howell has been the Bulldogs’ coach for 12 seasons, directing the squad to a 203-88 record, including a Class A state title in 2005. He has a career record of 565-254 as a varsity boys’ basketball coach for 35 seasons with earlier stops at Mt. Vernon (Fortville), Muncie South and Brownsburg. Howell also coached the Mt. Vernon girls, simultaneously with the boys, for four seasons.
A 1972 graduate of Lapel, Howell was a three-year starter, two-year co-captain and two-year co-MVP at Charleston Southern (S.C.). He began his coaching career as an assistant at Frankton for four seasons. He followed with 14 seasons at Mt. Vernon (221-102), three seasons at Muncie South (50-21) and six seasons at Brownsburg (91-43) before returning to Lapel as coach and athletic director.
Over the years, Howell’s teams have won 29 championships (conference, county, sectional, regional, semistate and state). Included in that total are 11 sectional titles, four regional titles, two semistate titles and two state titles. He also has been cited as a Coach of the Year on 18 occasions. Those honors include the 1985 IBCA Boys District 4 Coach of the Year and the 1991 IBCA Girls District 4 Coach of the Year. In 1993, he was named one of the nation’s top 15 high school coaches by HoopScoop magazine.
Howell earned his master’s degree from Ball State in 1981 and was elected to the IHSAA Board of Directors in 2012. He is the current president of the IHSAA board.
Howell and his wife, Angie, have three adult children – Jennifer, Courtney and J.R. – and three grandsons.
David McCollough
District 3 - Shenandoah
David McCollough recently completed his 32nd season as a varsity boys’ basketball coach, compiling a 486-236 record over the years. His inaugaral season at Shenandoah included the best start in school history, a Henry County championship and culminated in a 21-3 record.
While head coach at North Judson-San Pierre for 11 years (1983-94), McCollough’s teams won 157 games. He followed with 20 seasons at Noblesville (1994-2014), where his teams won 308 games during his time with the Millers.
A graduate of Manchester University and Indiana University, McCollough’s teams have captured eight sectional championships, a regional championship at Noblesville in 1997 and 10 conference championships. He has been the Indiana All-Star coach (in 2000), involved in the IBCA poll and overall has 20 years of service to the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association. He also coached a Mr. Basketball in Tom Coverdale (1998).
He was the IBCA District 3 Coach of the Year in 1997 and an IBCA District 2 Coach of the Year in 2007.
McCollough’s elementary travel teams through his varsity teams run the basics of the motion offense and rely on man-to-man defensive principles.
McCollough and his wife, Bren, have four children: Kelsey, a Ball State graduate and elementary teacher at Frankfort Schools; Kirk, an IU Kelley School of Business graduate; Kiley, a Wittenberg University business graduate; and 13-year old Kaden.
Matt Britton
District 3 - Bloomfield
Matt Britton is an IBCA District 3 Coach of the Year after guiding Bloomfield to a 26-4 season and a Class A state runner-up finish.
Britton, a 1996 Bloomfield graduate, is 74-47 in five seasons as coach at his alma mater. He has a 10-year record of 156-95, including one season at West Washington (6-15), three seasons at Effingham (Ill.) St. Anthony (65-21) and one season at South Spencer (11-12).
This season, the Cardinals claimed the first No. 1 ranking in The Associated Press’ Class A poll in school history, went 7-0 to capture the Southwestern Indiana Athletic Conference championship, posted their first undefeated home season since 1987-88 and their first 20-win regular season since 1960-61.
Britton has been selected as head coach of the 2016 Indiana Junior All-Stars.
After helping Bloomfield win two sectionals and a regional as a player, Britton played two seasons at the University of Indianapolis where the Greyhounds won a Great Lakes Valley Conference championship in 1997. He then transferred to Eastern Illinois, where he played two seasons and helped the Panthers win the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament in 2001 and play in the 2001 NCAA Tournament. He was the GLVC Newcomer of the Year in 2007, the OVC Newcomer of the Year in 2001 and OVC Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2001.
Britton, who played basketball, baseball and tennis in high school, teaches science and history at Bloomfield.
Britton and his wife, Dana, have two children – Trinity (10) and Haley(8).
Jim Shannon
District 3 - New Albany
Jim Shannon is honored as an IBCA District 3 Coach of the Year after direction New Albany to a 27-1 record, including a Class 4A state championship.
In 18 seasons with the Bulldogs, Shannon’s teams are 331-97 with 10 sectional titles, two regional titles, one semistate title and one state crown. In 32 seasons as a head coach, he has compiled a 496-236 record with 13 sectionals, two regionals, one semistate and one state title.
Shannon is a 1978 graduate of Anderson, where he earned three varsity letters. He attended Ball State, where he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in government, U.S. history and physical education.
He began his coaching career while a college student as an assistant at Anderson (1980-84). He became a head coach for three seasons at North Decatur (1984-87) and followed with six years at South Dearborn (1987-93) and five years at Lebanon (1993-98) before becoming the New Albany coach (1998-present).
Shannon, who teaches U.S. history at New Albany, was named IBCA District 5 Coach of the Year in 2002 and an IBCA District 3 Coach of the Year in 2008.
Shannon and his wife, Tammy, have two adult children – Spencer and Ally – and two grandchildren.
