IBCA E-Newsletter

Click here to go to the online form to register for the 2025 IBCA Clinic.

John Groce of Akron, Matthew Graves of Indiana State, Brady Sallee of Ball State and four other top-flight coaches highlight the agenda for the 2025 Indiana Basketball Coaches Association annual clinic.

Travis Steele of Miami (Ohio), Brian Wardle of Bradley, Maria Marchesano of Purdue Fort Wayne and Matt Bollant of Bryan College (Tenn.) are other coaches who are part of the two-day program.

Doors open for the 2025 IBCA Clinic at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, April 24, and sessions run through 8:45 p.m. at Mt. Vernon High School in Fortville, the third consecutive year as the site for the gathering. Doors open at 9:00 a.m. Friday, April 25, and sessions conclude about 2:40 p.m.

Cost to attend the clinic is $50 for current-year IBCA members and $100 for non-members.

In addition to the featured speakers, video sessions from the six IBCA district coaches of the year will be made available after the clinic in an online format. Boys’ coaches scheduled to offer online videos are Eli Henson of Manchester, Garrett Winegar of Fishers and Seve Beach of South Ripley. Girls’ coaches set to offer online videos are Lenny Krebs of Warsaw, Brian Satterfield of Hamilton Southeastern and Hollie Anson-Eaves of South Knox. More information about the IBCA Coaches of the Year can be found elsewhere in this e-Newsletter.

This year’s clinic again is in a Thursday evening-Friday format to avoid Saturday conflicts that have prevented coaches from attending the second day the past years. The lineup has been tweaked to again offer high-profile coaches across the agenda and conclude the second day of sessions at a more convenient time.

We hope to see you there.

Featured Speakers (in order of appearance)

Brian Wardle, Bradley University

Brian Wardle recently completed his 10th season as Bradley University men’s basketball coach, his Braves posting a 28-9 overall record, a 15-5 finish in the Missouri Valley Conference, a runner-up finish in the MVC Tournament and a spot in the quarterfinals of the NIT.

He has a career mark of 281-212 in 15 seasons as a college head coach. That includes a 186-147 ledger during his tenure at Bradley and a 95-65 slate in five seasons at Wisconsin-Green Bay.

At Bradley, Wardle has built the Braves into a perennial MVC contender, capped by winning back-to-back MVC Tournament championships in 2019 and 2020. In the 2022-23 season, Wardle guided the Braves to their first MVC regular-season title since 1996 and was named the 2023 MVC Coach of the Year. Under Brian Wardle, Bradley also has recorded 53 all-MVC selections (first team, second team, third team, defensive team, freshman team, etc.).

Named the school’s 14th head coach in March 2015, Wardle was first tasked with turning around a Bradley program that had not posted a winning conference record in the previous six seasons with the Braves finishing last in the Valley the year before his arrival. After a 5-27 finish in 2015-16, his squad improved to 13-20 in 2016-17 and leapt forward to 20-13 in 2017-18 – the school’s first 20-win campaign in nine years.

After three seasons reconstructing the Bradley roster, it all paid off in Wardle’s fourth and fifth seasons – 2018-19 ended at 20-15, the program’s first MVC Tournament title in 31 years and an NCAA Tournament berth, while 2019-20 resulted in a 23-11 effort, a second consecutive MVC Tournament title what would have been another NCAA Tournament appearance if not for COVID-19.

Bradley has continued to thrive under Wardle’s leadership since the championship runs. After a sub-par 12-16 finish in 2020-21, the Braves followed with a 17-14 mark in 2021-22, a 25-10 ledger and MVC regular-season crown in 2022-23 and a 23-12 record in 2023-24.

Prior to taking over the Braves’ program in 2015, Wardle compiled a 95-65 record at Green Bay, a five-year run that culminated with consecutive 24-win seasons and three-straight postseason appearances. The 2014 Horizon League Coach of the Year, Wardle led the Phoenix to a 24-7 mark in 2013-14, including a 14-2 league record to claim the regular-season conference title and an automatic bid to the NIT. His team went 24-9 and earned another NIT bid in 2014-15.

The youngest head coach in Division I when he took over the Phoenix, Wardle’s Green Bay teams averaged 19 wins per season while facing stiff competition. While with Green Bay, his teams produced a two-time Horizon League Player of the Year (Keifer Sykes), an HL Defensive Player of the Year (Alec Brown), an NBA Draft choice (Brown) and another NBA player (Sykes). Following the 2013-14 season, Wardle was named Skip Prosser Man of the Year, an award that recognizes a coach for success on the court and for displaying moral integrity off the court.

A native of Willowbrook, Ill., Wardle was a two-time all-state selection at Hinsdale Central High School, where he ranks as the school’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder. He went on to play collegiately at Marquette, helping the Golden Eagles to NIT appearances in 1998 and 2000. As a senior in 2001, Wardle served as team captain and finished as the second-leading scorer in Conference USA at 18.8 points per game.

After graduating from Marquette in 2001 with a bachelor’s degree in communication studies, Wardle played professionally for two seasons in the NBA Development League and Continental Basketball Association. Wardle began his coaching career as director of operations at Marquette from 2003-05, then served as a Green Bay assistant coach form 2005-10 before being named Phoenix head coach on April 15, 2010.

Wardle and his wife, Lecia, have three children – daughters Mya and Emery, and son, Davin.

Matt Bollant, Bryan College

Matt Bollant has a 454-274 record in 23 seasons as a women’s college head coach, including a 15-13 mark this past season at Bryan College of Dayton, Tenn. His teams have recorded 11 20-win seasons and reached the postseason on 11 occasions, including four NCAA Tournaments, two Women’s NIT events, three NAIA National Tournaments and two National Christian College Athletic Association events.

Bollant, 54, had his greatest success while coaching at Wisconsin-Green Bay from 2007-12. There, his Phoenix went 148-19 in five seasons with five Horizon League championships, four NCAA Tournament berths, one Women’s NIT appearance and a 34-2 campaign in 2010-11 when his squad reached the NCAA Sweet 16 and he was named Kay Yow National Coach of the Year.

He was voted Horizon League Coach of the Year four times at UWGB, where he guided eight players to first-team HL honors, three HL Players of the Year, one All-American and Wade Trophy finalist (Julia Wojta) and two additional honorable mention All-Americans (Rachel Porath, Celeste Hoewisch).

From there, Bollant moved to Illinois, guiding the Fighting Illini to a 61-94 ledger from 2012-17 with a Women’s NIT berth in 2013 and one honorable mention All-American (Karisma Penn). While in Champaign, he was named winner of the 2015 Kay Yow Heart of a Coach Award presented by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Bollant coached the next seven seasons at Eastern Illinois University, from 2017-24, taking over a struggling Panthers’ program and leading it back to relevance. After going 3-26 in 2017-18, his squad went 93-86 over the next six years highlighted by a 21-8 mark in 2022-23. During his time at EIU, his mentored seven first-team all-Ohio Valley Conference players (Lariah Washington three times, Macy McGlone twice, Karle Pace and Abby Wahl), an OVC Player of the Year (McGlone in 2023-24) and an OVC Freshman of the Year (Washington in 2019-20).

A Minnesota native, Bollant excelled in basketball and tennis at Winona High School. He played both sports at Winona State University, earning a bachelor’s degree in business education in 1994. He later earned a master’s degree in instructional technology from American Intercontinental University in 2006.

He began his coaching career at Tigerton High School in Wisconsin, guiding its girls’ basketball team to a 63-10 record from 1994-97. He then moved to the college ranks, assisting Wisconsin native Kathi Bennett from 1997-2000 at the University of Evansville and assisting Bennett again from 2000-02 at Indiana University.

Bollant landed his first head coaching position at Bryan College, guiding the Lions to a 134-36 record from 2002-07. His tenure there included three NAIA National Tournament berths, an NAIA Sweet 16 spot in 2006, and two National Christian College Athletic Association postseason appearances. His teams boasted four conference Player of the Year honorees and three NAIA All-Americans.

He then was off to Green Bay for five seasons, Illinois for five seasons, Eastern Illinois for seven seasons and back to Bryan College this past season. Over the years, he also twice was an NCCAA regional Coach of the Year, was an NAIA Region 6 Coach of the Year and the 2007 Appalachian Athletic Conference Coach of the Year. In addition, Bollant’s 2010-11 team was inducted as a team into the UWGB Athletics Hall of Fame in 2024.

Bollant and his wife, Kari, have five daughters – Jo, Regan, Marita, Merari and Flor.

John Groce, University of Akron

John Groce has a long track record of building championship-caliber teams and all-around successful young men. The program’s mission “to be impactful” and to the vision “OneAkron” resonates with everyone involved in the program.

That has been evident in his eight seasons with the Zips, who have gone 168-88 during his time with the program with two Mid-American Conference regular-season championships, three MAC Tournament titles and three NCAA Tournament appearances. This past season was one of Akron’s best, going 28-7 overall, winning MAC regular-season and tournament crowns and earning a third NCAA berth in the past four years. He has been named MAC Coach of the Year in 2020 and 2025.

Groce has a 350-220 overall record in 17 seasons as a college head coach. That includes four seasons at Ohio University, where he went 85-56 from 2008-12 with two NCAA Tournament berths (2010 and an NCAA Sweet 16 in 2012) plus one College Invitational Tournament (2011), and five seasons at Illinois, where he was 97-76 from 2012-17 with one NCAA Tournament appearance (2013) plus two NIT berths (2014, 2015).

A 1990 graduate of Danville High School, Groce was a prep star as he totaled 1,084 career points and was a three-time all-West Central Conference and three-time all-Hendricks County selection. He went on to Taylor University, where he played basketball from 1990-93 and earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics in 1994.

An injury prompted Groce to serve as a Taylor student assistant coach for Paul Patterson in 1993-94, helping guide the Trojans to a 29-5 record and NAIA No. 1 ranking. Groce then assisted at Taylor and Jay County High School from 1994-96 before moving to Division I basketball as an assistant coach at North Carolina State in 1996. He worked there for four years before joining Thad Matta at Butler in 2000, then moved with Matta to Xavier from 2001-04 and with Matta again to Ohio State from 2004-08. At Ohio State, Groce helped the Buckeyes to an NCAA national runner-up finish in 2007 and an NIT championship in 2008.

Groce then landed his first head coaching position at Ohio University starting in 2008-09.

He and his wife, Allison, have three children – Conner, Camden and Cate. Groce also is the older brother of Travis Steele, head coach at Miami University in Ohio and another speaker for the 2025 IBCA Clinic.

Matthew Graves, Indiana State University

Matthew Graves recently completed his first season as head coach of the Indiana State University men’s basketball program by leading a new group of Sycamores to a 14-18 record that included an 8-12 finish in the Missouri Valley Conference. He now is 79-114 as a college head coach, including a 65-96 mark in five seasons at South Alabama.

Graves was named ISU’s 27th head coach on April 12, 2024, after working the three previous seasons as ISU’s associate head coach for head coach Josh Schertz.

A Switz City native, Graves totaled 1,804 career points while leading White River Valley to three sectional titles and two regional crowns during high school. A 1993 Indiana All-Star, Graves averaged 16.0 points (354), 3.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists as a freshman at Switz City Central in the final year before the school consolidated with L&M and Worthington into White River Valley. He then starred the next three seasons at WRV before going to Butler University, where he was a team MVP, helped the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament, averaged 8.8 points over his career and converted 84.6 percent of his free throws over five seasons.

He began his coaching career in 1998-99 at North Central High School, which was the 1999 Class 4A state champion. He assisted the next two seasons at Ben Davis before returning to Butler for 12 years, 2001-03 as director of basketball operations and 2003-13 as an assistant (or associate head) coach. He helped the Bulldogs to seven NCAA Tournament berths and national runner-up finishes in 2010 and 2011.

Graves served as head coach from 2013-18 at South Alabama. He then was an assistant coach for one season at Evansville, two seasons at Xavier University and three seasons at Indiana State before being named the Sycamores’ head coach a year ago. As the ISU associate head coach, he helped the team progress from an 11-20 ledger in 2021-22 to 23-13 and the postseason College Basketball Invitational in 2022-23 and 32-7 with a Missouri Valley Conference regular-season title and NIT runner-up finish in 2023-24.

Graves graduated from Butler in 1998 with a bachelor’s degree in education (chemistry), earned his master's degree in education administration in 2003 and was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in March 2025.

Graves and his wife, Susan, have two daughters – Abby and Lily.

Maria Marchesano, Purdue Fort Wayne

Fort Wayne native Maria Marchesano has found a place to shine at her hometown NCAA Division I university.

Marchesano, pronounced “mar-kuh-SAH-no,” was named Purdue Fort Wayne women’s basketball head coach on March 30, 2021. In four seasons, she has guided the Mastodons to improvement every year she has been on campus, highlighted by a 27-9 effort this past season that included a spot in the final eight of the 2025 Women’s NIT. She was voted 2025 Horizon League Coach of the Year for her successes.

Inheriting a squad that went 1-22 in 2020-21, Marchesano’s squads went 9-21, 14-19 and 23-13 in her first three seasons, also reaching the postseason in the 2024 Women’s NIT. She now has a four-year mark of 73-62 in Fort Wayne and a career mark of 213-173 in 13 seasons as a college head coach.

Marchesano started her college coaching career in 2010-11 at Manchester University. She began the 2011-12 season with the Spartans, then was hired mid-season as head coach at Urbana University in Ohio. She finished 2011-12 at 12-7 and was named NCAA Division II Independents Coach of the Year, then went 15-15 with a Great Midwest Athletic Conference Tournament title in 2012-13. She moved to Walsh University in Ohio from 2013-16, guiding Cavaliers to 52-35 mark in three seasons.

She moved to the NCAA Division I level in 2016-17, serving as associate head coach at IUPUI and helping the Jaguars to a 24-9 overall finish, a 12-4 mark in the Summit League and a Women’s NIT appearance.

Marchesano became a Division I head coach in 2017-18 at Mount St. Mary’s in Maryland, guiding the Mountaineers to a 61-54 record in four seasons. Her time there included a 17-7 overall mark, a Northeast Conference regular-season title at 14-4, a NEC Tournament championship, an NCAA Tournament berth and NEC Coach of the Year honors in 2020-21. That followed a 20-11 ledger in 2019-20.

She then moved home in 2021 to Fort Wayne, where progress has occurred each season.

At the Mount, Marchesano mentored one NEC Player of the Year, one NEC Defensive Player of the Year and one NEC Most Improved Player as well 10 all-NEC honorees. At Fort Wayne, she has guided one HL Sixth Player of the Year, one HL Newcomer of the Year and nine HL all-conference selections.

Marchesano is a 2001 graduate of Fort Wayne Elmhurst High School, where she scored a school-record 1,466 points and was chosen AP high honorable mention All-State as a senior. She went on to Butler University, where she was named to the 2002 HL all-freshman team, averaged 6.8 points and was a dead-eye 3-point shooter in 78 career games. She also played one year of softball at Butler, earning a bachelor’s degree in integrated communications in 2005.

After college, Marchesano spent four years playing and coaching professional basketball and professional softball in Italy. She then returned to Indiana to accept her first college coaching position at Manchester University in 2010. She also earned a master's degree in athletics administration from Northcentral University in 2013.

Brady Sallee, Ball State University

Brady Sallee directed the Ball State women’s basketball team to one of the finest season’s in program history in 2024-25, guiding the Cardinals to a 27-8 record, a Mid-American Conference regular-season championship at 16-2, a MAC Tournament title and an NCAA Tournament berth.

This season’s squad also produced the MAC Player of the Year in Ally Becki, the MAC Defensive Player of the Year in Marie Kiefer and MAC Coach of the Year honors for Sallee. In addition, Becki was named first-team all-MAC, Alex Richard was named second-team all-MAC and Kiefer and Becki were named to the MAC all-defensive team.

In 13 seasons in Muncie, Sallee is the program’s winningest coach with a 264-155 ledger while his teams have produced one MAC Tournament title, two MAC regular-season trophies, eight MAC West Division prizes, 12 winning seasons and 10 postseason appearances – one NCAA Tournament berth (2025), one Women’s Basketball Invitational berth (2024) and eight Women’s NIT berths (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022 and 2023).

During his tenure at Ball State, Sallee-led squads have defeated six power conference programs over the years (Georgia, Pitt, Vanderbilt, Purdue, Iowa and Minnesota) and posted a program record for season victories in 2023-24 at 28-6. He also has mentored 41 all-MAC selections as well as two MAC Players of the Year (Becki and Nathalie Fountain in 2016), three MAC Freshmen of the Year, four MAC Defensive Players of the Year, three MAC Sixth Players of the Year, one AP All-American and 15 players who have played professionally.

Sallee has a career record of 400-265 in 21 seasons as a women’s college head coach, including a 136-110 ledger in eight seasons at Eastern Illinois from 2004-12. His time with the Panthers included an Ohio Valley Conference regular-season title in 2010 and three postseason berths (Women’s Basketball Invitational in 2011 and Women’s NIT in 2010 and 2012).

Between the two schools, Sallee’s teams have 11 20-win seasons – three at EIU and eight at BSU.

Sallee is a Kentucky native where he was a standout pitcher for Lexington Lafayette High School, graduating in 1988. He attended Thomas More College in Crestview Hills, Ky., again excelling in baseball and serving as a women’s basketball student assistant coach from 1992-93. After earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Thomas More in 1993, Sallee was an assistant coach at Idaho State from 1993-95, at Kent State from 1995-2002 and at East Carolina University from 2002-04 prior to being named head coach at Eastern Illinois.

Sallee and his wife, Mandy, are parents to Avery Taryn and Drew.

Travis Steele, Miami University

Travis Steele is regarded as one of the nation’s top up-and-coming coaches at Miami University in Ohio, where he has guided the RedHawks to a 52-46 record in three seasons. That included a 25-9 mark in 2024-25, setting a school record for wins in a season, finishing runner-up to Akron in the Mid-American Conference Tournament and standing 23rd in the Mid-Major Top 25 with a lineup featuring junior Peter Suder of Carmel, red-shirt sophomore Kam Craft and MAC Freshman of the Year Brant Byers.

Steele, 43, became the Miami head coach on March 31, 2022. His first group of RedHawks, led by Mekhi Lairy of Evansville Bosse, went 12-20 in 2022-23. Steele followed that season with a 15-17 mark in 2023-24.

He has a seven-year overall record of 122-96 after previously being the head coach at Xavier University for four seasons. He directed the Musketeers to a 70-50 ledger from 2018-22 with NIT berths in 2019 and 2022. At Xavier, his teams posted marks of 19-16, 19-13, 13-8 and 19-13. He also was a finalist for the 2019 Joe B. Hall National Coach of the Year Award, which is presented to the nation’s top first-year head coach in NCAA Division I.

Steele is a 2000 graduate of Danville High School, where he played basketball for the Warriors for coaches Rick Snodgrass and Brian Barber. Steele went on to Butler University and began coaching as an assistant at Ben Davis High School for three seasons while an undergraduate.

After receiving a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Butler in 2004, Steele spent one season as a graduate manager at Ohio State. He followed by working one season as an assistant coach at Wabash Valley College in Illinois before joining the Indiana University staff for two seasons. He then moved to Xavier, where he worked 10 seasons as an assistant coach – one year for Sean Miller and nine years for Chris Mack – before being named the Musketeers’ head coach in March 2018.

While a Xavier assistant, the team was selected for the NCAA Tournament on nine occasions, earned a program-first No. 1 seed in 2018 and reached the Sweet 16 five times. As the Xavier head coach, the Musketeers appeared set for a postseason opportunity at 19-13 in 2019-20, but that season was abruptly stopped because of COVID-19. He coached two more years at Xavier before moving to Miami for the start of the 2022-23 season.

Steele is the younger brother of John Groce, who is the men’s head coach at the University of Akron and another speaker at the 2025 IBCA Clinic.

Steele and his wife, Amanda, live in Cincinnati. The couple has three children – Aspen, Winston and Anderson.

2025 IBCA Clinic itinerary (as of 04/09/25)

Mt. Vernon High School (8112 N. 200 W., Fortville, IN 46040)

Thursday, April 24, 2025

4:30 p.m.	Registration Opens
5:30 p.m.	John Carter, NOAH Basketball
5:50 p.m.	IBCA president Michael Adams, Evansville Reitz High School
6:00-6:50 p.m.	Brian Wardle, Bradley University
6:55-7:45 p.m.	Matt Bollant, Bryan College: The “Buzz” Defense
7:50-8:40 p.m.	John Groce, University of Akron
9:00-11:30 p.m.	IBCA Social (at Twin Peaks, Castleton), presented by D-One Camps

Friday, April 25, 2025

9:00 a.m.	Registration Opens
9:40 a.m.	Awards Program #1 Outgoing district reps: Carrie Shappell, Leo; Mark Detweiler, Delta; Paul Ferguson, Columbus North; Jason Simpson, Greensburg Virgil Sweet Awards: Harold Welter, Knox; Greg Rakestraw, Indianapolis; Mark Brochin, Washington. Roy Gardner Award: Bill Brinkman, Lawrenceburg Mildred Ball Award: Nick Wininger, Montgomery
10:00-10:50 a.m.	Matthew Graves, Indiana State University
10:55-11:45 a.m.	Maria Marchesano, Purdue-Fort Wayne
11:50 a.m.-12:45 p.m.	Brady Sallee, Ball State
12:50-1:20 p.m.	Awards Program #2 Wooden Legacy Awards: Bill Patrick; Jan Conner State Champion and State Runner-up Coaches Donna Sullivan Awards, girls runners-up: Craig DeVault, Lafayette Central Catholic; Wes Radtke, Rensselaer Central; Jason Simpson, Greensburg; Lenny Krebs, Warsaw Renee Turpa Awards, girls champions: Matt Vick, Borden; Hollie Anson-Eaves, South Knox; Eric Thornton, Norwell; Stephen Thomas, Lawrence North. Steve Witty Awards, boys runners-up: Chad Peckinpaugh, Clinton Prairie; Justin Blanding, University; Chris Hawkins, Indianapolis Crispus Attucks; Garrett Winegar, Fishers George Griffith Awards, boys champions: Tom Bradley, Orleans; Eli Henson, Manchester; Eric Gaff, South Bend Saint Joseph; Sherron Wilkerson, Jeffersonville Bob King District Coach of the Year Awards Boys – Eli Henson, Manchester; Garrett Winegar, Fishers; Seve Beach, South Ripley Girls – Lenny Krebs, Warsaw; Brian Satterfield, Hamilton Southeastern; Hollie Anson-Eaves, South Knox. PGC Transformational Coach Awards: Zac Nero, Evansville North boys assistant; Rick Gard, Lake Central girls assistant. IBCA Assistant Coaches of the Year: Josh Wetzel, Heritage Hills boys; Brian Samples, Oldenburg Academy girls. Century Award winners: See list in Item 2 of the IBCA Newsletter
1:30-2:20 p.m.	Travis Steele, Miami University: Transition Offense
2:20-2:40 p.m.	Comments from corporate partner reps: Ballogy, Shoot-A-Way Systems/The Gun and Snap! Mobile
2:40 p.m.	Door Prize drawings; clinic concludes