IBCA E-Newsletter

Girls' Coaches of the Year

Dori Downing

District 1 - Calumet

A native of northern Indiana, Dori graduated from Munster H.S. where she played basketball and ran track. She played basketball at Purdue's Calumet campus.

Dori began her coaching career at E.C. Central as the Junior Varsity coach from 1990 to 1996. At Calumet the past 12 seasons, her teams won divisional championships in 2002 and 2003, won four sectional titles and she was a Junior All-Star coach in 2004.

This past season, her team set school records for most wins (20) and the longest winning streak (11). Calumet won their sectional and finished the season 20-5 after being eliminated in the regional.

Kem Zolman

District 1 - Wawasee High School

After five years as boys' Junior High coach at his alma mater, Churubusco, Kem added two more years' seasoning at Bloomington South then joined the Wawasee boys' team as JV and varsity assistant for 10 years. For the past decade he's guided the Wawasee girls' team including his Miss Basketball daughter Shanna, to a combined 163-68 record and a 2008 semi-state showdown. He's tutored four sectional championship teams, two regional champs and was state runner-up last year. The Lady Warriors have had three perfect conference seasons and were Hall of Fame Classic runners-up in 2002. Kem has been conference coach of the year three times.

Brad Bowsman

District 2 - Twin Lakes High School

A pre-algebra teacher at Twin Lakes for eight years, Brad has the X factor well defined when it comes to coaching the Indians' girls team the past five seasons. He's led the Indians to an 87-30 record, two Hoosier Conference crowns and one sectional title. Completing the trifecta this season, his teams won the Journal & Courier Hoops Classic, the Indians' own holiday tournament, and the conference crown. With a 22-2 record this year's squad was rated No. 1 in 3A for the first time in school history and finished the campaign ranked No. 2.

John Lewellen

District 2 - Cambridge City Lincoln High School

Cambridge City Lincoln High School's John Lewellen has been in the coaching game for 21 successful years. His teams have compiled a career record of 267-171 and a record of 106-41 in the Tri Eastern Conference. Since 1994-95 his CCLHS teams have claimed a conference title about every other year, claiming crowns in 1995, 99, 03, 05, 07 and this year when his squad finished with a 7-0 conference mark and a season record of 17-4. Lincoln has also won sectional titles in the past four years and was regional runner-up in 2005 under Coach Lewellen's leadership.

Scott Smith

District 3 - Jac-Cen-Del

Coach Smith is a 1983 graduate of Jac-Cen-Del. He has coached at Jac-Cen-Del for 12 years, including seven as girl's Varsity coach. His teams have won four Sectionals, two Ohio River Valley Conference titles, and two Ripley County Championships. His varsity record at JCD is 105-56 (.652). The Lady Eagles finished this season 20-3 and spent much of the year ranked #2 in Class 1A, despite losing four starters from last season’s 18-5 squad. He has coached eighth grade boy's basketball, girl's JV basketball, as well as serving as boy's Varsity golf coach. He and his wife, Vickie, have two children. Heather (Huff), a former player and Trent, a seventh grader at JCD.

Jared Petersen

District 3 - Austin

Congratulations to all the Coaches of the Year