The 2025 boys’ basketball season officially kicks off tonight. Area teams range from having some of the top rosters in the region to being in the middle of rebuilds. Here’s a look at what to expect from each team.
Apollo: Apollo didn’t have any seniors on last year’s roster, and head coach Ryne Tinsley is excited for his team to show what they’ve improved on as they bring back several players.
“Last year we were second in the region in defense, and my goal is for us to be the best defensive team in the region,” Tinsley said. “We plan to play more up-tempo.”
Sophomore Landon Henning is already receiving Division I interest. He joins seniors Kobe Kelly and Luke Jarboe, and sophomores Tate Powers and Eli Williams to form Apollo’s core. Tinsley was also complimentary of Ehmadjai Badger, coming in fresh off of football season, calling him one of the top defenders in the region.
“Our goal is to continue to get better and find a way to get out of the district,” Tinsley said. “We will be a fun team to watch.”
Daviess County: A year ago, the Panthers fell one point short in the 9th District title game. They return four starters from last year’s core. Daviess County will look to push the ball in transition and play fast while running a motion style, primarily playing man defense.
The Panthers core consists of seniors Jonathan Moss, Joseph Varble, Aydan Ayer, and Jaxon Brown, along with junior DeAaron Watkins. Head coach Neil Hayden is also expecting contributions from juniors Kaden Payne, Jack Labhart, and Gavin Howard.
“The boys need to be present-minded and improve each day to put us in the position to win the district and reach the region and state tournaments,” Hayden said. “We will be a fun team to watch. They had a good summer and are coming off of a strong season. We have a veteran group of guys and are bringing back four starters from last year. We want to push the ball in transition and play fast. We have several guys who can create their own shots.”
Owensboro: A year ago, the Red Devils were rebuilding, finishing 13-13 and bowing out in the first round of the district tournament. This season, Owensboro head coach Rod Drake believes his team is ready to compete.
“We are a traditional up-and-down team,” Drake said. “We have a nice group of guys with three returners from last year’s starting five. We have a strong core, and they all have high basketball IQ.”
Owensboro Catholic: Entering his 10th year as head coach of the Aces, the team has advanced to the region tournament each year since Tim Riley arrived. After falling in the region final each of the last two years, the Aces have their eyes set on getting over the hump and returning to state.
“We will try to use our athleticism and play fast,” Riley said. “We will stick to man, zone, and press when needed and play our kind of basketball.”
The Aces returning core consists of seniors Luke Beickman, Waryn Ebelhar, Vinco Carrico, and Stephen Eaves, junior Ronald Smith, and sophomore Dremail Carothers. Riley is also expecting production from junior Dylan Hagan.
“We would like to be one of the two teams to represent the 9th district in the regional tournament again,” Riley said. “We want to win All-A and make it to state.”
Trinity: After rebuilding a year ago, Trinity is fresh off of a solid summer and returns the majority of last year’s production.
“We struggled to score last year so we have worked on simplifying our reads and playing faster,” Trinity head coach Nathan West said. “We don’t have a lot of size, but we have plenty of speed, shooting, and youth and are pretty quick. We will be up in people’s faces but won’t be pressing.”
The majority of the Raiders’ offense will run through senior Hayden Aull, who is accompanied by fellow seniors Connor Hatfield and Will Hernandez and sophomore Cale Boarman.
While West wants his team to make it out of the district and win All-A, he mainly wants to see his team show growth.
Hancock County: A year ago, Hancock County started a rebuild, with the majority of the roster having zero varsity experience. This season, head coach Josh Roberts wants to see his team compete with the bigger teams, play hard, and play physical.
“We vary our defense to fit our needs and whatever matchups work,” Roberts said. “On offense, we will try to control the tempo, but we want to have plenty of shots.”
After averaging a double-double a year ago, senior center Alex Madden will be leaned on to anchor their inside. Fellow senior Dylan Morris provides the Hornets with versatility due to being able to play multiple positions. The duo are joined by Dec Lewko, Keegan Wilson, and Jaxson Morris. Because the Hornets’ roster is filled with multiple athletes from the football team, Roberts said they will take some time to gel.
“We want to compete with every team we play and they need to focus one game at a time and see how that goes,” Roberts said. “I don’t like to look ahead and it’s important to control what we can control.”
McLean County: With four seniors returning, the Cougars have their eyes set on posting their sixth straight season with a winning record, including an in-season goal of making it out of the All-A region tournament.
McLean County will look to run the ball up and down the court when possible and then slow it down and look for high-percentage shots against the top competition.
“We will control the game the best we can and play defense,” McLean County head coach Darren Lynam said.
Seniors Jax Lee, Zane Decker, Landon French, and Braiden Davis will carry the load while receiving contributions from Camden Baird and Braxton Floyd. The Cougars pride themselves on defense and taking care of the ball, attributes Lynam is hoping will carry the team far.
