Open Gym Report: New Castle High School

Brandon Ramsey October 26, 2022 @ 04:30 PM

<p>Here at Prep Hoops Indiana the fall means it is time to get out to high school open gyms. Indiana High School Basketball teams are now allowed two on court days a week and we take that opportunity to start previewing the upcoming season. So far, I've visited Fishers, North Central, Avon, Connersville, Kokomo, Cathedral, Franklin, Crispus Attucks, Ben Davis, Richmond, Zionsville, Carmel, Bishop Chatard, and Guerin Catholic. After being out of town for week and not making it to any workouts, I was back on the road last week starting at Noblesville on Tuesday morning before hitting Center Grove on Tuesday afternoon. Now, this week, I started by making the trip down to Bloomington South on Monday and then checked out New Castle on Tuesday. Let's dive on into the Trojans.</p>   <h2>Roster Breakdown</h2>   <p>Entering his 10th season as the head coach of New Castle, Daniel Cox is 128-88 overall. Last season, the Trojans finished 17-5 but fell to Jay County in the first round of sectional play. Sectional 24 should be pretty wide open once again and the Trojans definitely are among the teams hoping to cut down the nets. Graduating four seniors, who were all top five scorers on the team, leaves a lot to replace. However, returning leading scorer [player_tooltip player_id='1160680' first='Gavin' last='Welch'] and his 13 points per game gives a solid starting point to build around.</p>   <p>Welch, who recently committed to Division II Berry, is a versatile 6'6" wing poised for a big senior season. He handles the ball like a guard, can really shoot it from beyond the arc, and has the athleticism to finish above the rim when he attacks closeouts off the bounce. Really talented all-around offensive player. Alongside Welch, 6'3" junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1578367' first='Colin' last='Taylor'] and 6'0" senior guard Ethan Hinton are the other returning rotation pieces from last season's team. Taylor averaged 5.2 points per game as a sophomore and should have a breakout junior year. He shot the ball very well over the summer and has blossomed into a three level scorer that will step into a go-to role for the Trojans. Hinton was a valuable rotation piece a year ago, but will be asked to take on more responsibility now as a senior. He is an athletic driver who will take care of the basketball and set the table for New Castle.</p>   <p>Beyond the known commodities of Welch, Taylor, and Hinton, Coach Cox will have to rely on some new faces to step into the varsity rotation. Coming over from football, senior guard Quintin Boatright will provide additional athleticism and depth in backcourt. 6'4" junior forward Tyson Lewis led the JV in scoring a year ago and will be a guy relied upon to have a much larger role this season. Similarly, 6'2" sophomore guard Landon Thompson was a strong JV player last season that will find himself in the New Castle rotation this winter. Seniors Cole Johnson and [player_tooltip player_id='1160716' first='Clay' last='Butler'] will factor into the Trojans rotation as well.</p>   <h2>Season Outlook</h2>   <p>New Castle's rotation will look different this season after graduating four seniors. However, bringing back [player_tooltip player_id='1160680' first='Gavin' last='Welch'] and his scoring ability will make the Trojans a favorite in Sectional 24 once again. If [player_tooltip player_id='1578367' first='Colin' last='Taylor'] does experience his breakout junior season it will go along way to maintaining the overall success from a year ago. Coach Cox expects to have a good offensive team that will play a little faster and score more than in year's past. As long as New Castle can hold up on the defensive end well enough, they should find a way to still win a lot of games. Yorktown and Delta specifically will have something to say about it, but the Trojans will certainly have a shot at cutting down the sectional nets this season.</p>

Here at Prep Hoops Indiana the fall means it is time to get out to high school open gyms. Indiana High School Basketball teams are now allowed two on court days a week and we take that opportunity to start previewing the upcoming season. So far, I've visited Fishers, North Central, Avon, Connersville, Kokomo, Cathedral, Franklin, Crispus Attucks, Ben Davis, Richmond, Zionsville, Carmel, Bishop Chatard, and Guerin Catholic. After being out of town for week and not making it to any workouts, I was back on the road last week starting at Noblesville on Tuesday morning before hitting Center Grove on Tuesday afternoon. Now, this week, I started by making the trip down to Bloomington South on Monday and then checked out New Castle on Tuesday. Let's dive on into the Trojans.