Preseason Workout Report: Brownsburg, Kokomo, and Cathedral

<p>Covering Indiana High School Basketball has become a nearly 365 day a year job. The season obviously starts up around Thanksgiving and runs until the beginning of spring. Then, the grassroots schedule picks up almost immediately and runs through the end of July. August is a bit of a quieter month, but once school gets back in session there will be fall leagues and preseason workouts all across the state. Getting out and spending time with our state's great coaching staffs and getting a more intimate, behind-the-scenes look at specific programs is one of our favorite parts of the coverage calendar. Our travels across the state started as the calendar turned to September. Here are some notes on a few schools we hit in the last week.</p>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Brownsburg Bulldogs</h2>   <p>In 2025 the Bulldogs were under .500 until a spring run to cutting down the nets as Sectional champions. Then, last season, they made it back to the Sectional championship game while winning 15 games. Pike is going to be the front-runner to win Sectional 11, but you can never count out this Brownsburg team as long as Coach Steve Lynch is on the sidelines. In our opinion Brownsburg is set to be one of the best under-the-radar teams in the state in 2026-2027.</p>   <p>There are a lot of talented pieces to work with despite the returning box score not really looking very bright. Brownsburg's three top scorers are going and four of their top five from a year ago. Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='3693581' first='Chase' last='Wilson'] is the top returning scorer having averaged 6.2 points per game a year ago. The athletic 6'1" guard is coming off of a good summer and looks to poised to step into a larger role. Seniors [player_tooltip player_id='2141044' first='Brandon' last='Day'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2140379' first='Jackson' last='Gordon'] were valuable rotation pieces a year ago as were juniors [player_tooltip player_id='2879841' first='Billo' last='Diallo'] and Kolton Catchings. Day is a strong, athletic wing that is tough to contain when he gets downhill to the rim and presents tough mismatches for opponents. Gordon is a 6'10" center who can stretch the floor as a catch-and-shoot threat. He has really blossomed as a college prospect over the last few months. Diallo has size and skill on the perimeter and could be ready for a breakout junior season. Catchings is a quick, athletic guard with the pedigree to indicate he could blossom at any time.</p>   <p>However, it is senior point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2907635' first='Bo' last='Washington'], a transfer from Pike High School, who will be catalyst of this team. He is a dynamic playmaker that will allow the Bulldogs to play at a different pace and will open up easier scoring opportunities for everyone else on the court. Adding his explosiveness to the returning cast should give Coach Lynch the boost he needs to once again make Brownsburg a legitimate contender coming IHSAA Tournament time.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Kokomo Wildkats</h2>   <p>Coach Drew Schauss led the Wildkats to 18 wins and a North Central Conference Championship in his first season at Kokomo. He returns an Indiana Junior All-Star candidate in [player_tooltip player_id='2468939' first='DJ' last='Nash'] and several other talented pieces that will look to cut down the nets in Sectional 7. Identifying a primary ball handler is an off-season goal for this group, but they will have the shooting and versatility with Nash to be a difficult matchup for a lot of people.</p>   <p>Nash, a 6'5" junior wing, averaged 15.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game last season. He has grown a bit this off-season and is one of the more difficult matchups in the state. There are times were he can serve as Kokomo's primary ball handler and playmaker because is a very good passer, but he is so strong around the basket as well. You can pencil him in to have a big year for the Wildkats. Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2135089' first='Erivon' last='Burks'] and junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2560249' first='Austin' last='Moos'] are two other key returners who can really shoot the basketball. Burks averaged 8.4 points and shot 51-133 (38.3%) from three-point range while Moos averaged 6.6 points per game and shot 20-43 (46.5%) from three-point range. Those two should be ready to step into even larger roles in the backcourt this season.</p>   <p>6'7" senior center Joe Kanyinda is a potential breakout player to keep an eye on this coming season. He is a talented rim protector who continues to develop offensively around the basket as well. Junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='3660669' first='Kimoni' last='Wright'], junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2458277' first='Cooper' last='Cardwell'], and freshman guard [player_tooltip player_id='2539085' first='Drey' last='Jones'] will all help handle the basketball and play roles in the backcourt for Kokomo. Don't sleep on this team to repeat a lot of the success they had a year ago.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Cathedral Fighting Irish</h2>   <p>Fresh off a Class 3A State Championship in 2025-2026, the Fighting Irish will enter the 2026-2027 among the favorites to get back to Gainbridge Fieldhouse. However, a new-look Sectional 26 will make the postseason path more difficult. There will be a lot of new faces asked to step into new, and expanded, roles if Cathedral is set to repeat. Traditionally speaking though Coach Delany and the Irish do more reloading than they do rebuilding.</p>   <p>The senior duo of [player_tooltip player_id='2140333' first='Braylon' last='Pippins'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2140441' first='Skylar' last='Rodgers'] is a good starting point for building out the new roster. Pippins is a 6'4" forward with elite athletic and physical tools. He averaged 9.0 points and 3.9 rebounds per game last season and is coming off of an excellent summer. The highly sought after small college prospect could be one of the best rebounders in the state. Meanwhile, Rodgers is a left-handed guard with a lot of small college interest as well. He averaged 6.7 points per game last year. Those two will provide a veteran inside-outside presence.</p>   <p>Junior guard Tristan Lloyd and sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='3033224' first='Jayden' last='Kennedy'] are two other returning pieces set to step into larger roles. Kennedy is one of the most explosive, dynamic creators in the sophomore class and played a big role in their state tournament run last season. Lloyd will help stretch the floor as a shooter and provide secondary playmaking. Senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2414964' first='Owen' last='Peterson'] is a reliable contributor around the basket as well. However, Cathedral's ceiling could be determined by the continued development of 6'6" junior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2540063' first='Jaxson' last='Delaney'] and 6'6" sophomore forward Gus Sharp. Both had strong summers and continue to get better. Despite graduating two Division I players it is safe to assume Cathedral will be one of the top teams in Class 3A from start to finish in 2026-2027.</p>

Covering Indiana High School Basketball has become a nearly 365 day a year job. The season obviously starts up around Thanksgiving and runs until the beginning of spring. Then, the grassroots schedule picks up almost immediately and runs through the end of July. August is a bit of a quieter month, but once school gets back in session there will be fall leagues and preseason workouts all across the state. Getting out and spending time with our state's great coaching staffs and getting a more intimate, behind-the-scenes look at specific programs is one of our favorite parts of the coverage calendar. Our travels across the state started as the calendar turned to September. Here are some notes on a few schools we hit in the last week.