Open Gym Report: Beech Grove Hornets

Brandon Ramsey October 30, 2025 @ 03:00 PM

Getting to cover Indiana High School Basketball is an honor. There is no better feeling than walking into a packed gym, that often seats thousands of fans, in the middle of winter. Attending some of the biggest, most prestigious grassroots events throughout the summer is a perk of the job as well. However, there is nothing I enjoy as much as going to high school open gyms in the fall. By attending these preseason workouts I not only get a more intimate, behind-the-scenes look at the team, but it also provides a chance to spend time with our state's many great coaching staffs. In the month of September alone I attended 17 Indiana High School open gyms and am quickly approaching the same number now in October. Let's go over some thoughts and notes from each of my stops this fall.   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   Coach Dave Sanders admittedly took some lumps in year one at his alma mater. Beech Grove finished 8-17, but did play arguably their best game of the season against New Palestine in the Sectional. The win-loss record wasn't pretty, but a foundation was laid that the Hornets will look to build upon in 2025-2026.   One reason for some cautious optimism coming out of last season is three very talented players who saw a ton of action as freshmen. 6'6" forward [player_tooltip player_id='2617860' first='Bishop' last='Moore'] is the star of the group. Moore, who also excels as Beech Grove's starting quarterback and is a standout right-handed pitcher, averaged 11.0 points and 6.4 rebounds per game as a freshman. Guards [player_tooltip player_id='2538887' first='BJ' last='Mastin'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2957688' first='Nate' last='Ruth'] added 3.6 points and 3.3 points per game respectively during their freshmen seasons. Those three will be the core that Coach Sanders builds around in the coming years.   Beech Grove also benefited from several incoming transfers this off-season. Two juniors from Lawrence North, AJ Amos and Steve Kenny, will make instant impacts for the Hornets. Amos, a physical 6'1" guard, averaged 16.0 points per game at the Charlie Hughes Showcase in June and is a talented all-around perimeter scorer. Kenny is a 6'3" left-handed forward who will provide some athleticism and rebounding as a front court presence.   Junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2631488' first='Tiyon' last='Sibande'], who came over from Crispus Attucks, could have the most raw talent of anyone on the team. He is very athletic, can create and make tough shots on the perimeter, and is developing as an all-around playmaker. He will be another piece that will impact the backcourt right away this season for the Hornets. Seniors [player_tooltip player_id='1561137' first='Flavius' last='Tyler'] and Ibby Musa will fact into that equation as well.   Overall, the Hornets have a very talented core to build around and have the depth this season to really start to make some noise in Hoosier Legends Conference and Sectional 28. Beech Grove will be much improved in the win-loss column in 2025-2026.

Getting to cover Indiana High School Basketball is an honor. There is no better feeling than walking into a packed gym, that often seats thousands of fans, in the middle of winter. Attending some of the biggest, most prestigious grassroots events throughout the summer is a perk of the job as well. However, there is nothing I enjoy as much as going to high school open gyms in the fall. By attending these preseason workouts I not only get a more intimate, behind-the-scenes look at the team, but it also provides a chance to spend time with our state's many great coaching staffs. In the month of September alone I attended 17 Indiana High School open gyms and am quickly approaching the same number now in October. Let's go over some thoughts and notes from each of my stops this fall.