IBCA E-Newsletter

NFHS Coach of the Year nominees

Joe Bradburn of Mt. Vernon (Fortville) and Eric Thornton of Norwell have been chosen as Indiana’s nominees for the National Federation of State High School Associations national basketball coaches of the year.

Bradburn guided his Marauders to a 28-3 record and captured the Class 4A state title in his third season at Mt. Vernon In 2025-26. Led by 2026 Indiana Mr. Basketball Luke Ertel, Mt. Vernon also won the Homestead Invitational, Hoosier Heritage Conference, Greenfield-Central Sectional, Southport Regional and New Castle Semi-State.

Bradburn now is 64-18 with the Marauders and stands 365-252 in 27 seasons as a varsity coach, including one season at Cowan, 10 seasons at Yorktown, four seasons at DeKalb, three seasons at Huntington North and six seasons at Greenwood.

A 1984 graduate of Wapahani, Bradburn played basketball and baseball for four seasons each in high school. He went on to earn a bachelor's degree in business education from Ball State in 1989 and later earned a master's degree in administration from Ball State in 1999.

Bradburn began his career in coaching as a Cowan assistant from 1989-93, then went 7-13 in 1993-94 as the school's head coach. He went 134-89 at Yorktown from 1994-2004, 56-30 at DeKalb from 2004-08, 28-38 at Huntington North from 2008-11 and 77-64 at Greenwood from 2017-23.

Over the years, his teams have captured five sectional championships (1998, 2005, 2020, 2025, 2026), three regional titles (1998, 2025, 2026), two semi-state crowns (1998, 2026), a 1998 Class 3A state runner-up finish and the 2026 Class 4A state crown. In addition, they have won nine conference titles – 1997 White River Athletic, 1998 RangeLine, 2000 and 2003 Hoosier Heritage, 2007 and 2008 Northeast Hoosier, 2018 and 2020 Mid-State and 2026 Hoosier Heritage – and claimed Delaware County Tournament trophies in 1999, 2000 and 2003.

Bradburn was the 2003 IBCA District 4 Coach of the Year, a 2003 Junior All-Star assistant coach and a 2026 Indiana All-Star assistant coach. He also has been named a Coach of the Year on 10 other occasions – 1997 White River Athletic Conference, 1998 RangeLine Conference, 1998 Indiana Basketball News, 2003 Hoosier Heritage Conference, 2003 Ball State Alumnus, 2007 Northeast Hoosier Conference, 2018 Mid-State Conference, 2025 Greenfield Reporter, 2026 Hoosier Heritage Conference and 2026 Greenfield Reporter.

Now in his 32nd year in education and his fourth year at Mt. Vernon, where he teaches business and cooperative education, Bradburn was inducted into the Delaware County Sports Hall of Fame in 2009.

Bradburn and his wife, Dena, have two adult children – Kyle and Lauren – and two grandchildren.

Thornton won his 500th career game while guiding Norwell to a 25-5 ledger that included a Class 4A state runner-up trophy in 2025-26. That success followed a 23-5 mark in 2023-24 with a Class 3A state runner-up finish as well as a 23-6 slate in 2024-25 with a Class 3A state championship.

Thornton has a career record of 500-203 in 29 seasons at Norwell. His tenure with the Knights includes 13 conference championships (six Northeast Hoosier, seven Northeast 8), 14 sectionals titles (2005, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026); five regional trophies (2014, 2021, 2024, 2025 and 2026), three semi-state crowns (2024, 2025 and 2026) and the 2025 Class 3A state title.

His program moved to Class 4A in 2025-26 because of the IHSAA success-factor rule, and his team won the Northeast 8 Conference, Fort Wayne South Sectional, Bellmont Regional and LaPorte Semi-State.

Thornton was voted an IBCA District 2 Coach of the Year in 2012 and the IBCA District 1 Coach of the Year in 2024. He served as head coach of the 2012 Junior All-Stars and the 2014 Indiana All-Stars. His 2011-12, 2020-21 and 2025-26 teams played in the Hall of Fame Classic, and he has mentored 2012 Indiana Miss Basketball Jessica Rupright and 2026 Indiana All-Star Vanessa Rosswurm.

In addition, he has been recognized as a seven-time Northeast Hoosier Conference Coach of the Year, the 2012 Ball State Alumni Coach of the Year, winner of the 2025 Nancy Rehm Award, the 2025 Outside The Huddle Coach of the Year and a 2026 Outside The Huddle co-Coach of the Year.

A 1987 graduate of Churubusco High School, Thornton competed in basketball and golf. He matriculated to Ball State, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business education in 1992. He later earned a master’s degree in secondary education from Indiana University in 2009.

Thornton was a boys’ basketball volunteer assistant for Al Rhodes and Doug Ogle at Warsaw in 1991-92, a State Finalist team. Thornton then was a girls’ assistant for Dave Cox at Plymouth for five seasons, also picking up insight from Pilgrims’ boys coach Jack Edison during that time. Thornton took over the Norwell girls program starting in the 1997-98 season.

He is in his 30th year as a business teacher at Norwell, and he currently serves as the work-based learning coordinator.

Thornton and his wife, Kelley, are parents to four children – Ryne, 20; Cade, 18; and twins Avery and Maddux, both 15.

NFHS/INDIANA COACH OF THE YEAR HONOREES

2002 to Present

*State and Section 4 winner. Section 4 includes Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin.
**State, Section 4 and National winner.