It might have made for a better story had Indian Creek guard Tim Abel reached 1,000 career points with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer.
Instead, the 6-foot-2 senior quietly made history his own unique way.
During the Braves’ home game against Western Indiana Conference foe West Vigo on Jan. 27, Abel, noticing a teammate was off the mark on a jumper from the top of the key, used his 37-inch vertical leap to tip the ball in.
“The best feeling is it wasn’t about me putting the ball on the floor looking to score,” Abel said. “I felt like it was a good 1,000 points because I did it through my team.”
The eighth boys player in Indian Creek history to reach the 1,000-point milestone, Abel, a part-time starter as a freshman (2013-14) and a mainstay in coach Derek Perry’s lineup the past three seasons, now has 1,074 career points.
The Braves take an 11-8 record into Friday night’s home game against Central Christian (15-4), a Class A program victorious in 30 of its past 43 games after finishing an unsightly 0-23 in 2014-15.
Abel averages 16 points, 4.7 rebounds and two assists.
Every bit as impressive is that Indian Creek’s record with Abel on the varsity roster is 54-33 (.621). This includes an 8-0 mark at the annual Monrovia Holiday Tournament, won the past three seasons by the Braves.
Abel is the first player in Perry’s seven seasons as head coach to score 1,000 career points, though junior point guard Jared DeHart is on pace to do so at some point next season.
Depending on what Indian Creek is able to accomplish in the postseason, it’s actually possible Abel could finish his career second on the program’s career scoring list.
“Anytime a kid can get 1,000 points, that’s a pretty neat milestone,” Perry said. “Tim is a steady player who finds an open shot at the right moments.”
Abel has so far been offered by two NAIA programs to play college basketball — Goshen College in Winona Lake, Indiana, and Midway University in Kentucky. Others demonstrating interest are Davis & Elkins College in Elkins, West Virginia; Holy Cross College, situated across the road from the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, and various Division III programs.
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Here are the top three point producers in Indian Creek boys basketball history:
Rank;Name;Points
1.;J.R. Angle;1,689
2.;Kyle Bradley;1,216
3.;Brett Brunson;1,122
Tim Abel currently ranks eighth with 1,074 career points.
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