IBCA E-Newsletter

2021 PGC Transformational Coach Awards

Steve Bradley of Lawrenceburg and Debbie Smiley of Brownsburg are winners of the Point Guard College Transformational Coach Awards as presented by the IBCA.

This is the fifth year for these awards, which are presented annually to coaches who have impacted the lives of their players, fellow coaches and others within their community. The recipients are coaches who are respected by their players and fellow coaches for their dedication, positive approach and integrity on and off the court.

Previous winners – 2017, Gary Cook, North Decatur boys. 2018, Chris Buggs, Gary West boys, and Adam Dennis, Switzerland County boys. 2019, Travis Hannah, John Glenn boys. 2020, RaNae Isaak, Columbus North girls, and Jim Merlie, Speedway boys.

Steve Bradley, Lawrenceburg

Steve Bradley has had a major impact on his players over the years at Lawrenceburg High School, assisting in the boys’ basketball program since 1995 while also working as a probation officer for the past 30 years.

Bradley has been the Tigers’ freshman boys’ basketball coach for 26 seasons.

“Steve’s greatest quality is that he always finds a way for every player to help the team,” said Brad Cutter, the Tigers’ varsity coach and one of several people to nominate Bradley for the Transformational Coach Award.

“Steve is great at coaching each player individually and focusing on how to make it a positive experience for them. His positive approach and love for coaching our student-athletes is contagious. He is great at finding the good things from a defeat and the good things from a player who may not be able to contribute as much as another.”

East Central varsity boys’ basketball coach David Disbro praised Bradley.

“Steve has been a loyal assistant to at least four head coaches,” said Disbro, who noted their relationship dates nearly 40 years to when Bradley played at Lawrenceburg and Disbro played at rival South Dearborn. “He not only coaches the freshman team but also is a varsity assistant who is one of the best scouts in southeastern Indiana. There have been many years that I think we should give Steve an ‘East Central letter’ because he sees us play so often. He has become a good friend whom I admire.”

Bradley said he made a conscious decision about 18 years ago to “not put an emphasis on winning” and simply make the experience of playing freshman basketball as positive as possible by teaching values, fundamentals and having fun.

“Coincidentally, I have not had a losing season since I ‘de-emphasized’ winning,” Bradley said. “I recognized that more than half the players on freshman rosters never may take a shot in a varsity basketball game. Thus, the experience needs to be fun and worthwhile.”

In the community, Bradley has 30 years experience as a probation officer for the Dearborn and Ohio County Circuit Court Probation Department.

Nick Scalf, another Lawrenceburg coach, mentioned how Bradley has taught life skills that carry beyond the court.

“Steve has deal with many situations with players over the years during a crucial stage of their development as young men and handled these situations with calmness, respect, wisdom and experience,” Scalf said. “I truly feel he has made a lasting impact on their lives, and they would tell you the same. As a probation officer, he also has made an amazing impact on numerous lives in our community. He has incredible people skills, and he deals with situations with an amazing calmness and class.”

Aaron Cornett, a former Lawrenceburg athlete and now a parent of current Lawrenceburg athletes, concurred.

“Coach Bradley has impacted multiple generations of student-athletes in our community,” Cornett said. “As a 16-year-old, I noticed the intensity and competitiveness that he brought to our practices. It was easy to see how he cared for the team by pushing each player to become better through hard work and positive reinforcement.

“The experience that each of my boys have had playing for him has been similar. I have seen their enjoyment of the game increase. More importantly, their confidence on and off the court has grown as well. The community of Lawrenceburg and the hundreds of young men he has coached have benefited from him in countless ways that carry on long after their playing days have ended.”

Ryan Knigga, another Tigers’ coach, and Joe Vogelgesang, a former Lawrenceburg athletic director and coach, echoed those thoughts.

“Coach Bradley and his family have been members of the Lawrenceburg community for more than 40 years,” Knigga said. “He is a stakeholder in our community and someone who is respected by all.”

Vogelgesang used the words loyalty, consistency and integrity to describe Bradley.

“I have worked in Lawrenceburg schools for 23 years, and coach Bradley has been a staple of the staff for all those years and longer,” Vogelgesang said. “He has a deep caring for all the student-athletes and he also has worked in the probation office with those struggling to correct their ways to so they can lead a life as a productive citizen.”

Bradley drew an analogy from his coaching philosophy to his professional philosophy.

“My approach to coaching basketball has been paralleled by my approach supervising people who are on probation,” he said. “It is not good enough to simply ‘follow the rules.’ My people need to improve their lives and be successful.”

A 1983 graduate of Lawrenceburg, Bradley earned two letters in basketball, two letters in football, four letters in golf and one letter in baseball. He was all-conference in basketball once and all-conference in golf three times.

He matriculated to Davidson College, earning a bachelor’s degree in history in 1987. He later earned a master’s degree in kinesiology and sports management from Indiana University in 1989. At Davidson, he played four years of football, starting off-and-on at quarterback over his last three seasons and still is 10th on Davidson’s career list for completions.

Bradley has been the freshman boys’ basketball coach at Lawrenceburg from 1995 to the present, some seasons also serving as a varsity assistant. He also was an assistant football coach from 1987-97 and again from 2005-10. Professionally, Bradley began work for as a probation officer in 1991. He became the chief probation officer for that office in 1993, a position he has held for 28 years.

Debbie Smiley, Brownsburg

Debbie Smiley is a winner of PGC Transformational Coach Award after guiding the Brownsburg girls’ basketball team to a 17-11 season that included a Class 4A state runner-up finish. While many teams overcame adversity because of COVID-19 during this past season, Smiley’s Bulldogs faced more challenges than most but came together for a memorable postseason run.

“Debbie coached most of the season without several key components of her team,” said Brownsburg boys’ coach Steve Lynch, who nominated Smiley for the Transformational Coach Award. “Her team was without two or three starters and several key reserves until at least the middle of January.

“Still, she kept the girls together and saw steady improvements along the way. As the team began to regain players and confidence, you could tell how well they were starting to play. I thought her steady, consistent coaching really helped keep the girls steady when things were not looking good for them.”

Beyond Smiley’s on-court guidance, she also has helped her team make a difference in the Brownsburg community.

“Debbie works hard to coach the girls in her program and has involved them heavily in the community until the COVID-19 pandemic,” Lynch said. “The girls are very engaged in our community. Prior to this season, you could see how our school coaches and athletes support each other at other events around our school. Debbie always makes sure our girls are supporting other sports.”

Smiley also has been named an IBCA District 2 Coach of the Year for 2020-21. She has directed Brownsburg to a 108-49 record in six seasons and has a 235-182 ledger in 18 seasons as a varsity coach, including 12 years at Greenwood. She served as head coach for the 2019 Indiana All-Stars and head coach of the 2018 Junior All-Stars. She also was an IBCA District 2 Coach of the Year in 2018, and she was HCC Coach of the Year in 2018 and 2021.

Smiley is a 1991 graduate of Rushville, where she played for four seasons for Hall of Fame coach Cinda Brown. She then went to Franklin College, where she played for the Grizzlies, earned a bachelor’s in biology in 1995 and added a bachelor’s in secondary education in 1997. Smiley received her master’s in education from Indiana Wesleyan University in 2002.

Smiley began her coaching career as a women’s basketball assistant at Franklin College from 1995-2001. She then assisted in the Greenwood girls’ program for two seasons before taking over as the Lady Woodmen head coach from 2003-15. She became the Brownsburg head coach in 2015.

Smiley has been a biology teacher for 24 years, and she also previously coached cross country for 20 years (18 years as a head coach) and track & field for 16 years (10 years as a head coach).

Smiley and her husband, Brian, are parents to six children – Kiera, 17; Zoe, 16; Ava, 15; Gracie, 12; Jaxon, 10; and Maximus, 6.