High School Spotlight: Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian Braves

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The High School Spotlight Series is back and we are excited to feature multiple teams throughout the state once again! The season is still a few months away, but with team workouts starting to take place soon, it is the perfect time to start previewing the season. In this series, we will be taking a look at some quick hitters, the top player(s), a potential breakout player, other roster members, and notable games for the upcoming season. For today's spotlight, we take a look at the Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian Braves. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Quick Hitters</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Went 22-7 last season.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Defeated by Wapahani in Semi-State.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Head Coach Matt Roth returns for his 3rd season as the head coach. 49-10 overall record.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Moved up to Class 3A this offseason. </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Top Player: [player_tooltip player_id='1364589' first='Kellen' last='Pickett']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When you are one of the few players that has a chance at winning Indiana Mr. Basketball, you are easily going to be the top player on whichever team you are on and that is no different for 2025 senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='1364589' first='Kellen' last='Pickett']. The 6'9 forward comes back for one last go around for the Braves bringing back a real impressive double-double of 20.5 points and 11.9 rebounds from his junior season. He is one of the more versatile power forwards you will see at the high school level and his elite athletic ability makes him such high upside prospect. He committed to Wright State over the summer so all that is left for him to do is help try to lead the Braves to a possible Class 3A Championship. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Potential Breakout Player:&nbsp;[player_tooltip player_id='1738845' first='Briggs' last='Pardon']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A junior guard that has flown a little bit under-the-radar due to injury is [player_tooltip player_id='1738845' first='Briggs' last='Pardon'], who I think has chance to be a breakout for this Braves' team this upcoming season. He is one of the top transfers of the offseason coming to Blackhawk from Carroll (Fort Wayne) and should have an immediate impact in the back court of this new Class 3A squad. The times that we have watched him on the floor healthy, we have been impressed with his elite athletic ability and true playmaking skills at the lead guard spot. He should fit in very well alongside both Pickett and Gage Sefton as the top three options for the Braves this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Other Key Roster Members</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='2485632' first='Bryce' last='Sefton'] - Senior</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Luke Mansfield - Senior</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Jaeden O'Neal - Junior</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='2414688' first='Christian' last='Webster'] - Senior</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Notable Games</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>at Mishawka Marian (11/26)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>vs Avon (Sneakers For Santa, 12/7)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Lawrenceburg Tournament (12/27-12/28)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>at Homestead (1/14)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>at Fort Wayne Wayne (2/1)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>at Leo (2/25)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list -->