Springer Among Coaches Honored By IBCA
Northridge head coach Doug Springer.
INDIANAPOLIS – Twelve Indiana high school basketball coaches – six boys’ coaches and six girls’ coaches – have been chosen as Bob King Coaches of the Year by their peers in the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association, it was announced Wednesday.
Barak Coolman of Valparaiso, Clint Swan of Crown Point, Criss Beyers of Warren Central, Kevin Renbarger of Oak Hill, Kerry Brown of Connersville and Todd Sturgeon of Floyd Central have been selected as boys’ honorees through voting that occurred from late January through late February, IBCA executive director Steve Witty said.
Similarly, Ryan Myers of Kankakee Valley, Doug Springer of Northridge, Kathie Layden of Northwestern, DeeAnn Ramey of North Central, Johnnie Bartley of Wood Memorial and Mike McBride of Eastern (Pekin) were recognized as top girls’ coaches through voting in the same time span, Witty added.
Honors are awarded according to IHSAA district boundaries, and two coaches from each district are recipients – Coolman and Swan for the boys plus Myers and Springer for the girls in District 1; Beyers and Renbarger for the boys as well as Layden and Ramey for the girls in District 2; and Brown and Sturgeon for the boys plus Bartley and McBride for the girls in District 3.
Springer guided Northridge to a 28-2 campaign that included sectional, regional and Northern Lakes Conference championships. The Raiders, which lost in the semi-state to eventual Class 4-A champion Homestead, went undefeated in the NLC for the second straight season to which Springer was named repeat NLC Coach of the Year.
Springer is 171-67 in 10 seasons with the Raiders, and he has a 223-85 record in 13 seasons as a girls’ varsity coach. He previously was the head coach at Wheeler for three seasons, guiding the Bearcats to a 52-18 record, two sectional titles and three Lake Athletic Conference (Blue Division) crowns. At Northridge, his teams have posted two sectional titles (2014 and 2017), one regional title (2017) and three NLC championships (2014, 2016 and 2017).
