BRING LIFE BACK INTO ANDERSON BASKETBALL

In a little more than two calendar years, the Anderson High School basketball program has had nearly as many coaches (five) as victories (seven). “There’s no consistency, there’s no stability, there’s no expectation,” said Mike Elliott, who took the job in April with the intention of fixing those issues. “That’s hard to get out in a short period of time.” Elliott, 43, comes from a program that had all of those things. He coached under Doug Mitchell at North Central for two stints as an assistant and also built a program as a head coach at Howe from 2010 to ’13. Elliott, a star player at North Central in the early 1990s, saw firsthand how it can look when the Anderson program is thriving. He played against the Indians in the Wigwam, an 8,996-capacity arena that was once a jewel of the state and known throughout the country. The Wigwam has sat empty since 2011, a relic of the glory days. But Elliott is not giving up hope that there could come a day when Anderson plays there again. BWI, a real estate company from Indianapolis, has owned the Wigwam since 2014. “My hope is that we are good enough to play there,” Elliott said. “Instead of just opening the doors, are we worthy enough to walk through those doors? That’s our focus right now.” In order to get there, one of Elliott’s first phone calls was to one of the stars from the glory days. Kojak Fuller, the 1993 IndyStar Mr. Basketball, was more than happy to hear from Elliott. Fuller, an electric 5-7 guard as a player, can share basketball and life experiences as an assistant. Fuller has turned his life around after he served almost eight years in prison for a 1999 conviction for dealing crack cocaine. “That decision (to be an assistant) was a cakewalk,” Fuller said. “Not only because I love basketball but because I love my community and the young men that we have. When coach asked me to come abroad, all I said was, ‘Let me get the OK from my wife and I’m with you.’” When Fuller is asked if Anderson can get back to what it was, his answer might come as a surprise – and it does not completely involve basketball. “I think it can be better than it was,” Fuller said. “Once we can get kids to see where they fit in this rebuilding process, then they can see that they are significant. I think that’s what it’s going to take for them to have a change in perspective, not only in basketball, but their lives. Anderson is a springboard, it’s a diving board to where they are headed. If they can grab a hold to that mindset, they can have a big part in the legacy of Anderson basketball.” The on-court success, at least for the immediate future, remains a question mark. Elliott said he was pleased with progress of his team until it “hit a wall” this weekend at the Charlie Hughes Shootout. The Indians lost to Lawrence Central, Bloomington South and Heritage Christian in pool play – a tough field, to be sure – and lost by four points to Mt. Vernon in a bracket game on Sunday. “We have to learn how to push through and be tougher,” Elliott said. But Elliott understands it will be a long process. The Indians are on their fourth coach since Joe Nadaline stepped down after a 6-19 season in 2014-15. Former Purdue player Ryne Smith coached in 2015-16 and resigned after going 3-20. Former Crispus Attucks coach Phil Washington was hired with fanfare last summer but was suspended and never coached a game after he was charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated. Former Anderson Highland coach Jeff Howard stepped in as interim coach. The Indians finished 4-20. But a new chapter begins now. For a program that owns three state championships and 30 regional titles (but none since 1996), it feels like this could be the start of something new. “This is one of the first years I’ve been excited,” Fuller said. “Like excited excited. They are playing different, their attitudes are different. I just don’t want them to get comfortable with where they are. There has been a lot of growth. But don’t get satisfied with the growth. Mike Elliott is the right person to do this and take this to the next level.”

BRING LIFE BACK INTO ANDERSON BASKETBALL

Photo Credit: Bill Streicher

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