Grad will lead boys; girls also get new coach

Only one boys basketball coaching job was going to be able to entice Drew Glentzer to leave Edinburgh, and it became available earlier this spring.

Glentzer was hired as Indian Creek’s new coach at a school board meeting Tuesday. He is a 1990 Indian Creek graduate who in seven seasons with the Lancers guided them to a 92-72 record and a Class A semistate berth in 2011-12.

Indian Creek also introduced former Franklin girls assistant Brian Ferris as its new girls basketball coach. Ferris succeeds Dan Burkman, who guided the program to a 129-58 record and three sectional championships in eight seasons.

Glentzer looks forward to returning to his alma mater to succeed Derek Perry, who was named Indian Creek’s athletics director earlier this spring.

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“Obviously, it’s tough to leave. I had a lot of great times at Edinburgh with a lot of great people,” Glentzer said. “I really had no idea the Indian Creek job was going to be open, but I’m excited to go back to where I graduated from.

“I want to build relationships with the kids. That’s what I’m looking forward to the most.”

Edinburgh averaged 16 victories per season in Glentzer’s first five years, highlighted by the 23-3 Lancers team that lost at semistate 61-50 to eventual state champion Loogootee in front of a standing-room-only crowd at Southport Fieldhouse.

Glentzer’s last two clubs combined to produce a record of 10-38.

Ferris has not been a high school head coach before. However, he learned as a member of Walt Raines’ Franklin staff over the final four seasons of Raines’ coaching career (2012-16).

“Brian is a guy who has had a lot of experience as an assistant coach under coach Raines, and we felt like it was his time,” Perry said. “He had a great interview and had good ideas he wanted to implement.”

One is to build a stronger feeder system for girls basketball all the way down to kindergarten. Ferris, who will continue to teach eighth-grade social studies at Franklin Middle School, feels building a strong base at the lower levels is imperative to maintaining consistent success once athletes reach high school.

“You have to have it down to that age to introduce them to basketball,” Ferris said. “I’m looking to have a camp for players from kindergarten to fifth grade sometime in the late summer or early fall.”

Ironically, his coaching career began at Indian Creek with a three-year stint leading the eighth-grade girls program (2001-04). Ferris then moved to Franklin, where he held the same title for seven seasons before joining Raines’ staff.

At Indian Creek, his preference would be to blend a fast-paced offense with hard-nosed man-to-man defense. Ferris does, however, plan to tailor game plans based on the talents of the players in his program.

The Braves finished with an 11-13 record this season but graduated only one senior. Indian Creek’s top three scorers — guard Addie Rund and guard/forwards Katie Burkman and Caitlyn Snyder — are expected to return.

“Experience is definitely a strength. We have a good foundation,” Ferris said. “That group of juniors and seniors has been playing varsity basketball since they were freshmen. We’re going to stress being a student first and emphasize working together.”

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THE GLENTZER FILE

Drew Glentzer

Age: 45

Born: Muncie

Family: Wife Cindy; daughter Peyton, 15; son Nick, 13

High school: Indian Creek (1990)

College: Indiana State (1996)

Major: Mathematics

THE FERRIS FILE

Brian Ferris

Age: 42

Born: Indianapolis

Family: Wife Andi; son Xavier, 15; daughter Reagan, 6

High school: Franklin (1993)

College: Oklahoma State (1997)

Major: Animal science

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