Ramsey’s Open Gym Notes – Part One

Ramsey&#8217;s Open Gym Notes &#8211; Part One

Photo: Twitter: Pro Insight

Brandon Ramsey October 1, 2025 @ 07:00 PM

<p>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 16 Indiana High School open gyms and have hit the ground running in October as well. Let's take a look back and go over some thoughts and notes from each of my stops this fall.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Columbia City Eagles</h2>   <p>Coach Matt Schauss led Columbia City to their first Sectional Championship since 2016 last season. The Eagles return stars [player_tooltip player_id='2471421' first='Owen' last='Marshall'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2837583' first='Landon' last='Richmond'] from that team alongside several other seniors that should make this group a legitimate contender in Class 3A. Marshall and Richmond are committed to Bethel and Huntington respectively. Look for Columbia City to build off of their 17-10 season that culminated in cutting down the Sectional 20 nets. The Eagles should be a Top 10 team in Class 4A this season.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Homestead Spartans</h2>   <p>Homestead surprised some people last year by winning Sectional 6 and eventually advancing to the Class 4A North Semi-State. Junior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2932419' first='Mack' last='Welker'] and junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2054869' first='Jake' last='Coolman'], two of the best players from that team, return to lead the Spartans again this season. Coach Chris Johnson has a long track record of success and his Homestead teams generally end up "overachieving" a bit in the win-loss column as well as in the postseason. Don't be surprised if this group is no different. The Welker-Coolman duo can carry this group pretty far.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Noblesville Millers</h2>   <p>Your floor is pretty high when your backcourt features two Division I commits. The Millers return two Indiana Junior All-Stars from a season ago in [player_tooltip player_id='1534261' first='Justin' last='Curry II'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1561054' first='Baron' last='Walker'] who are committed to Valparaiso and Butler respectively. Fellow seniors [player_tooltip player_id='1561045' first='Adam' last='Fine'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1561049' first='Max' last='Flanagan'] are the other returning rotation players from last season's team that went 19-6. Led by Curry II and Walker, the Millers should compete within the Class 4A Top 10 once again this season.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Plainfield Quakers</h2>   <p>Regular season success has become a constant at Plainfield. They are 49-23 over the last three seasons, but a postseason run has alluded them. Hendricks County rival Brownsburg has knocked the Quakers out in the Sectional each of the last three years. Sectional 11 will be as competitive as ever this time around, but Plainfield certainly has the talent to potentially cut down the nets. DePaul commit [player_tooltip player_id='1561513' first='Noah' last='Smith'], a 6'8" forward, returns after an Indiana Junior All-Star campaign that saw him average 16.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. Junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2267048' first='Harper' last='Baker-Lands'] brings back 15.3 points per game while senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1560946' first='Landon' last='Gilliatt'] averaged 9.5 points and 6.5 assists per game. Returning your three leading scorers is always a good place to start. Plainfield should be a Top 10 team in Class 4A this season.</p>

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 16 Indiana High School open gyms and have hit the ground running in October as well. Let's take a look back and go over some thoughts and notes from each of my stops this fall.