ELITE COACH

His roster is different.
And the style of play in an all-star format is as well.
But that doesn’t change Craig Teagle’s approach.
He takes basketball seriously.
The Jay County High School coach leads the Indiana All-Star team much as Patriot fans would expect.
There is a white board full of notes in the locker room. And he urges smart shot selection, rebounding and defense.
“It’s been a great honor … playing for coach Teagle. He’s a great coach,” said Lake Central’s Glenn Robinson III, who is the son of former Purdue and NBA star Glenn Robinson II and will play his college basketball at Michigan. “If we listen to the little things that he says, we’ll go out there and it’ll make an impact on the game.”
Teagle and his team have been together since holding their first practice Saturday at Marian University in Indianapolis. They practiced twice more on Sunday and once Monday morning before heading to Seymour to take on the junior all-star team in the first of two exhibition games in preparation for this weekend’s battles against Kentucky.
After two more practices Tuesday, Teagle and his coaching staff — Chris Johnson of Homestead and Tom Bradley of Orleans — made a drive to Louisville to scout the Kentucky team in one of its exhibition games. It’s been a week of all basketball all the time.
“It’s been great, because that’s what I want to do,” said Teagle, whose team will play the Kentucky All-Stars on Friday at Freedom Hall in Louisville and Saturday at Banker’s Life Fieldhouse in Indiananpolis. “My assistant coaches here, they’ve made it a lot of fun. … Even when we’re not with the kids on the floor, we’re walking around talking basketball, going to the weight room talking basketball.”
Teagle’s senior all-stars played their second exhibition game Wednesday at Pendleton Heights. And while there were plenty of dunks in their 121-96 victory over the junior all-stars, there were signs of Teagle’s influence and style throughout.
When the seniors got the ball late in the first half, Indiana-bound Yogi Ferrell of Park Tudor dribbled patiently at the top of the arc before executing the offense for a hoop just before the buzzer.
And Avon’s Austin Burgett, who is headed to Notre Dame, got an easy, back-door lay-up off an inbound pass from future Boilermaker Ronnie Johnson of North Central.
Teagle also noted that his team did a much better job on the glass than they had in Monday’s 104-97 exhibition win in Seymour, limiting the juniors to just two offensive rebounds in the first half. And the senior all-stars played stronger defense in the second half, holding the juniors to 39.6 percent shooting.
“At first it was a little rough,” said Muncie Central’s Nick Osborne of the team’s rebounding and defense, “but he’s getting us on the same page right now so we’re getting better every day.
“I like coach Teagle a lot. … He’s been a great coach.”
Under Teagle’s leaderhsip, Jay County has captured five sectional championships and put together 11 straight winning seasons. He has won 199 games in 14 seaons with the Patriots, and he has a 275-172 career record 20 seasons.
He took Jay County to the Class 3A state championship game in 2006.
Teagle said other than winning a state championship, leading the All-Stars is the top honor for a coach in Indiana.
“It’s is a prestigious title,” he said. “I’m really humbled by it. I feel fortunate to have been asked to do it. … It is a great honor and I certainly appreciate it.
“It goes back to all the great kids and great players I’ve had at Jay County, and at Knox and Caston, that have just worked with me and done what I’ve asked them to do to help lead us to some success. It’s kind of a (tribute) to all the kids I have worked with, all the coaches who have helped me …”


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