A native son has returned home to lead the Greencastle football team.

At Monday night's school board meeting, David Stephens was hired as the new football coach of the Tiger Cubs. 

Photo - Greencastle HS athletic Twitter, David Stephens with Greencastle AD Doug Greenlee

Stephens inherits a team that went 4-6 under Mike Meyer last fall. 

The former Owen Valley offensive coordinator is very familiar with Greencastle, as he is a 1997 alum and coached at Greencastle from 2011 to 2013. 

"There is a lot of money being invested in facilities right now. More than anything, just an opportunity to go back home and help revitalize a program that means so much to me," Stephens said as to what stood out to him about the job.

Stephens said he has to pinch himself when he thinks about coaching the program where it all started for him.

"I grew up in the poorest part of Greencastle. Educators were invested in me and believed in me gave me an opportunity to see that I had a future if I was willing to work for it. It is exciting and surreal," Stephens admitted.

The new head coach admitted the facilities at Greencastle were a huge draw, as well as the players. 

"I am excited about the core group of players that are there now. I am excited that every single person that I have talked to from the youth level all the way to the rising senior class are bought in and excited about the change we are going to bring," Stephens said. 

The last two years, Stephens has played a vital role in the success at Owen Valley, as he served as the offensive coordinator. Owen Valley knocked off Greencastle 48-7 during the regular season last year. In two seasons with the Patriots, Owen Valley won back-to-back sectional titles and went a combined 22-3. 

"We have had some phenomenal success at Owen Valley the last two seasons. I called the offense at Owen Valley and have a track record as an offensive coordinator over the years. I believe that is what helped me land this job. I intend to keep doing what got me to this point," said Stephens, confirming he will be the head coach and call the offense for the Tiger Cubs. 

With less than 200 days until the season opener, Stephens is ready to lay his foundation with the Tiger Cubs. 

"My immediate goals are to go in and change the culture at Greencastle High School. We will never talk about wins. We will focus on traits and characteristics of being a winner. Once we have everyone bought into the tenets of self sacrifice, self discipline, and enthusiasm, the wins will take care of themselves. That is the approach that we took at Owen Valley and I see a lot of parallels from when we came into Owen Valley to coming into Greencastle," he said. 

When the Southmont Sectional Tournament opens tonight, Putnam County boys basketball teams will be looking to cut down the nets when it is all said and done. 

At 11-10, South Putnam drew the bye and will take on the winner of Greencastle (7-16) and Parke Heritage (15-9) Friday at 6 p.m. in the first semifinal (Tonight, coverage at 6:40 p.m. on GIANT fm Sports).

The Tiger Cubs and Parke Heritage open the sectional tournament tonight at 7 p.m. 

North Putnam (14-9) will open play Wednesday at 6 p.m. against Southmont (15-7), while Cloverdale (2-21) will entertain Riverton Parke (9-14) at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. 

South Putnam ready for sectional

According to South Putnam coach Kyle Swafford, his team is a "big underdog" in any game they play in the sectional. That feeling can be traced to the fact South Putnam had a "very up and down year," according to Swafford. 

"Unfortunately, we got hit with the injury bug, which really threw us for a loop and we lost some good momentum. Playing short-handed has been difficult to say the least, and it's not going to be any easier as we approach sectional play. Our season has been mostly successful, and I am extremely proud of my team and how they have handled some of the adversity that we've endured," Swafford told The Putnam County Post. 

The Eagles knocked off Greencastle, 38-37, earlier this season and lost 63-59 to Parke Heritage in December. 

Swafford said he has seen several players step up in big moments this year.

"At this point, I am very happy with our seven man rotation moving forward into sectional play," he said. 

Swafford said despite getting the bye, he was wasn't "concerned or excited" about drawing it. 

"I think we are a pretty big underdog in any game we play in the sectional. It's very tough to win a sectional, and I just hope our team competes at a very high level and we give our team a chance to win," Swafford admitted.

So what does South Putnam need to do to win a title?

"We have to play almost perfect games to win the sectional. We have to shoot a high percentage from the field and then, most importantly, we have to defend at a very high level. We just don't have much room for error, and because of that, it makes things more difficult than they already are. With that said, I am confident my guys will be up for the challenge," Swafford said. 

Greencastle competitive despite issues

Much like South Putnam, the Tiger Cubs of Greencastle have had their fair share of adversity this season, according to coach Bryce Rector, who enters the sectional tournament at 97 wins. 

"This season has been a season of ups and downs. We play a very young roster, and then on top of that, we were riddled by injuries and sickness during the months of January and early February. Despite all of this, we were able to be very competitive in almost all of our games," Rector said. 

The veteran coach admitted he has seen a bit of a change in his program the last few weeks. Greencastle enters the postseason on a four-game win streak and has won five of six to finish the season.

"We have found a way to start winning some of those close games, which has been great to see as the season has progressed. I was not surprised at all with how this season has gone so far, although I would have been hopeful to win a few more of those close games in January, but with the obstacles we've faced, it's easy to see why we did not," Rector admitted. 

Leading the way for Greencastle has been Cole Hutcheson, who has played "about as well as he could possibly play this year," according to Rector. 

"He has had an excellent senior season for us. I also think that Sam Gooch has been a solid player for the Tiger Cubs all year long. For a young guard, he plays well beyond his years of experience and has a great freshman season, one in which he has hardly ever come off the floor. Recently, Cody Evans has been scoring the ball well, which has been nice to see," Rector said. 

The Tiger Cubs suffered a 52-38 loss to Parke Heritage in December, and are an opponent Greencastle is "familiar with," Rector said. 

"They have some great shooters and a couple really solid guards that are going to be a load to handle. I don't think we will take too much from our first game with them. That was our third game in three days and it was a late morning/early afternoon game, which both gave us odd circumstances that we don't have this time. With that said, they were able to do some things to us the first time that we can't allow this time around. We must execute well vs their press and zone defenses and then must get out to shooters a touch better this time around," Rector acknowledged. 

What will the Tiger Cubs have to do to cut down the nets at Southmont?

"Obviously, in order to win the sectional, we have to take care of business on Tuesday evening versus Parke Heritage. In terms of the bigger picture, I think our ability to take care of the ball, get great shots and hit them on a consistent basis and then limit easy buckets for our opponents and limit offensive rebounds are going to be keys for us to win the sectional," Rector said. 

Just like the girls a few weeks ago, the Putnam County boys teams make up over half of the sectional field and still avoid playing each other in  the first round.

2A Sectional 44 will be played at Southmont.  There is one game in the seven-team field scheduled for Tuesday.

Greencastle (6-16) will play Parke Heritage (14-9) in a rematch game from December 28.  Parke Heritage downed the Tiger Cubs in the Wabash Valley Classic, 52-38.

The winner will face South Putnam.  The Eagles (11-8) received a first round bye.

The other semifinal will be decided by a pair of Wednesday quarterfinals.  At 6 p.m. North Putnam (13-9) plays Southmont (15-6). The Cougars defeated visiting Southmont in the season opener, 46-36.

In Wednesday’s late game, Cloverdale (2-21) will face Riverton Parke (8-13). They did not play during the regular season.

SHELBYVILLE – Forest Park’s postseason credentials played like a sixth man against Greencastle Saturday morning in the first semifinal game of the Class 2A Semistate in Shelbyville.

Greencastle head coach Doug Greenlee used his first timeout less than five minutes into the game to get his Tiger Cubs, making the program’s first semistate appearance since 1980, to relax.

Forest Park, the defending 2A state champions and ranked No. 2 in the final state coaches poll, raced out to a 9-2 lead that grew to 19-9 at end of the first quarter and 40-21 by halftime.

A fourth quarter spark from Emma Hunter helped Greencastle cut into the deficit but it was too late to keep Forest Park from advancing to Saturday’s night semistate championship game at William L. Garrett Gymnasium with a 65-48 victory.

“We knew coming in they had a very experienced lineup being the defending state champions and today, it was like they were on a mission,” said Greenlee. “They played extremely well. They shot a high percentage from the field (53%) and we had no answer for them today.”

Greencastle closed out its season at 23-5.

Seniors Gloria Brewer and Emma Hunter finished with 18 points and 16 points, respectively, in their final game. The third senior, Stephanie Morales, did not score but had four rebounds.

Forest Park (24-3) started five seniors including Miami (Ohio) commit Amber Tretter, who finished with 19 points, 13 rebounds and two blocked shots.

Carley Begle backed Tretter with 18 points, six rebounds and two blocks, and Lydia Betz hit four three-pointers on the way to 16 points.

“Early on we were … intimidated is not the right word but we were on our heels and we never got out of that mode until late in the game when the game was over,” said Greenlee. “I was proud of our kids’ effort. We just didn’t execute some things we talked about this week in practice, but that happens. (Forest Park) played a better game today and they were the better team today. We have no excuses.

“I really enjoyed this run with these kids. Our support from the community, the school and the parents was awesome. I would love to keep this going for the city of Greencastle.”

Forest Park used runs of 7-0 and 8-0 in the first quarter to build a 19-9 advantage. Two more identical runs followed in the second quarter as the Rangers opened a 34-15 lead.

Consecutive 3s from near the volleyball line on Frank Barnes Court by Brewer and Evelyn Briones cut the lead to 15 but an offensive rebound and score by Tretter and two free throws from Begle set the score at 40-21 at halftime.

Forest Park sank a trio of 3s in the third quarter and the lead grew to 57-29.

The Rangers tried to run out the clock in the fourth quarter but Hunter was not done. She scored 13 of her 16 points in the final eight minutes and sparked the Tiger Cubs on a 10-0 run to cut the lead to 58-39.

“(Emma) absolutely got after it and got to the rim and made some big shots for us that got the crowd going,” said Greenlee. “We went into the full-court press and that is the heart of this team. Emma being a great senior for us, it didn’t surprise me she would go out like that. Her and Gloria and Stephanie will be missed. They are great players and have done a lot for this program.”

Tretter sank a pair of free throws with 4:29 to go to stop the run but Hunter and Brewer scored the next five points and the Tigers Cubs were within 16 but time was running out.

The Rangers sank 5-of-8 free throws to secure the victory and set up a showdown with top-ranked North Knox (28-1), a 67-50 winner over No. 8 Eastern Hancock (23-4) in the second semistate semifinal Saturday afternoon in Shelbyville.

Forest Park 65, Greencastle 48

FP – Tretter 6-10 6-6 19, Begle 6-8 6-9 18, L. Betz 5-10 2-3 16, Gray 2-4 0-0 6, Eckert 1-6 3-4 5, Gehlhausen 0-0 0-0 0, Werner 0-0 0-0 0, K. Betz 0-1 0-0 0, Sutherlin 0-0 0-0 0, Schnell 0-0 0-0 0, Berg 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 20-38 18-24 65.

GC – Brewer 5-20 5-6 18, Hunter 6-14 4-6 16, Briones 3-9 2-2 10, Dobbs 0-1 0-0 0, Plew 2-3 0-0 4, Morales 0-2 0-0 0, Brown 0-0 0-0 0, Johnson 0-0 0-0 0, Doan 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 16-49 11-14 48.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

FP (24-3)  19  21  17    8  -- 65

GC (23-5)    9  12    8  19  --  48

Three-point field goals: FP 7-16 (Tretter 1-4, Begle 0-1, L. Betz 4-6, Gray 2-4, K. Betz 0-1), GC 5-20 (Brewer 3-11, Hunter 0-3, Briones 2-6). Rebounds: FP 29 (Tretter 13, Begle 6, L. Betz 2, Gray 4, Eckert 2, K. Betz 1, Sutherlin 1), GC 21 (Brewer 6, Hunter 7, Briones 1, Dobbs 1, Plew 1, Morales 4, Johnson 1). Assists: FP 8 (L. Betz 1, Gray 2, K. Betz 5), GC 2 (Brewer 1, Dobbs 1). Steals: FP 3 (Tretter 1, Begle 1, Schnell 1), GC 4 (Brewer 2, Hunter 1, Briones 1). Blocks: FP 5 (Tretter 2, Begle 2, L. Betz 1), GC 1 (Brewer 1). Total fouls: FP 12, GC 19. Turnovers: FP 17, GC 12.

Historic.

That is one word that can be used to sum up the season the Forest Park girl's basketball team has put together. 

After cutting down the nets last year as Class 2A champions, the Rangers have positioned themselves in a great spot when it comes to contending for another title. 

At 22-3, Forest Park will entertain Greencastle (23-4) at the Shelbyville semi-state Saturday. Tip is slated for 10 a.m.  GIANT fm Sports coverage will begin with an extended pregame report at 9 a.m.

The Rangers advanced to the semi-state portion of the IHSAA postseason after knocking off Brownstown Central, 45-38. 

According to Forest Park coach Tony Hasenour, the win was a "great accomplishment" for the Rangers. 

"It's the first time in our program's history we've won back to back regional titles.  We had a very successful season last year and returned four starters so we felt like we could have another good year.  I attribute a lot of our success to our girls' "team first" mentality.  These girls could not care less about individual statistics...as long as the team wins, they're happy," Hasenour told The Putnam County Post 

Forest Park enters the semi-state having won 11 of its last 12 games and has dealt with the pressure that comes with being defending champions nicely. 

"I think the girls have approached this season in a really good way.  We knew we'd be getting every opponent's best shot and we haven't been perfect, but we've learned a lot as the season has progressed.  We spoke as a team at the beginning of the year about not letting the "pressure" get to us and to enjoy each other's company, each practice, and each game because it's the last dance for our senior class.  We didn't want to go through the year feeling pressure to be perfect and not enjoy the season," Hasenour admitted. 

Since hitting the postseason, Forest Park has been paced by Gabey Gray, who has been knocking down big shots and garnering rebounds for the Rangers. According to Hasenour, she is averaging nine points per game in the playoffs. 

Next up for Forest Park is a date with Greencastle, who Hasenour said is a "formidable opponent." 

"They have the best turn-around in the state this year in regards to wins and losses.  Gloria Brewer is a fantastic scorer but you can't just focus on her.   Emma Hunter and Evelyn Briones can fill up the scorecard as well so we'll have our hands full defensively trying to slow them down," Hasenour said

For Greencastle girl's basketball coach Doug Greenlee, the belief his team could have a good season has always been there.

But, making the belief a reality took a lot of blood, sweat and strong play from his Tiger Cubs. 

As a result, Greencastle is 23-4 on the year and finds itself among the Elite Eight in Class 2A after capturing the Regional championship Saturday, knocking off Union County, 58-38. 

The Tiger Cubs, who have won 15 straight, will look to add a semi-state title to its resume when they open play at 10 a.m. Saturday against defending state champ Forest Park at Shelbyville High School. 

"It was a great feeling and a great accomplishment to win Regionals. At this point, there are only 32 teams in the State competing next weekend and only 8 of them are in Class 2A," Greenlee told The Putnam County Post.

Along the way, Greencastle continues showing just what it can do, as it has added the titles of Putnam County champions, Northview Holiday champs, Sectional champs and now Regional champs to its impressive record.

The success has Greenlee admitting it has been quite a feat for any athletic team. 

"It doesn't get much better than that,  I attribute this to the girls staying focused all season and working hard to improve each and every week.  They have been really good listeners and want to keep it going. The fun of basketball is winning," Greenlee said.

The success of this year's team can also be traced to the back of their shooting shirts and a simple word -- team. 

"I feel like all of the girls have played a huge part in the team's success. We are a team. Seniors Gloria Brewer, Emma Hunter, and Stephanie Morales have been leaders, while Evie Briones,  Madi Plew, and Ali Dobbs have contributed mightily to our success   It takes all of the girls and Aleeyah Johnson, Bailey Brown, Zoey Doan, Izzy Camara and Becka Rady provide a deep bench," Greenlee said. 

Heading into Saturday's matchup against Forest Park, Greenlee said he is learning about the Rangers, who are 23-3. Forest Park has won six straight, and Greenlee knows about the success the Rangers had a season ago. 

"They are defending 2A State Champs and have seven seniors   They are a very good team that is expected at the Semi State level.  We need to focus on what we do well,  we will have to defend and rebound, two areas that are a must.   We have to realize going in that it is going to be a loud gym and relax and play our style of basketball," Greenlee admitted.

After months of waiting and wondering, Greencastle High School is very close to having a football coach. 

According to athletic director Doug Greenlee, a new coach will be approved Feb. 27 at the Greencastle Community School Corporation board meeting. 

"We have offered and the coach accepted. We are excited," Greenlee told the Putnam County Post.

The new coach will replace Mike Meyer, who was placed on indefinite leave last season. Meyer went 62-69 in 13 seasons at the time of his leave. 

The Tiger Cubs finished the season 4-6 and lost their final three games of the season. 

There was hope that Greencastle would return home to McAnally Center to play for a chance to advance to the 2A girls basketball state championship.  That hope disappeared with the release of the brackets for the girls semistates on Sunday afternoon.

The 2A South Semistate will be at William L. Garrett Gymnasium at Shelbyville High School on Saturday.

Class 2A at Shelbyville

#2 Forest Park (23-3) vs. Greencastle (23-4), 10 am 

#1 North Knox (27-1) vs. #8 Eastern Hancock (23-3), 12 pm 

Championship:  8 pm  

The last time North battled South in Putnam County it came down to a one-possession game. 

We’ll see if that means tonight’s Putnam County Tournament boys championship game between South Putnam and North Putnam is as close as it was December 2. That's the Friday championship matchup after Thursday’s semifinals were eerily similar to their previous regular season results.

North Putnam and Greencastle provided the drama Thursday.  Cougars sophomore Kaden Helderman connected on what proved to the game-winning three-pointer for the ninth and final lead change of a see-saw fourth quarter as North Putnam got by the host Tiger Cubs, 37-34.

When the two teams met at McAnally Center on January 13 it was North Putnam that rallied from a double-digit deficit for the road win.  While the comeback wasn’t as large in Thursday’s county semifinal it was still another strong fourth quarter for the Cougars who scored 15 points in the last eight minutes after just 22 through three quarters.

North Putnam shot 5-for-23 (22%) from three-point range.  But three of those came in the final period including Helderman’s in the closing seconds.

North Putnam head coach Vince Brooks appreciates his teams play down the stretch of games.  That doesn’t mean he wouldn’t approve a quicker start.

Helderman led North Putnam (11-9)  with 11 points.  Brady Barber and Brayden Monnett each score nine.

Greencastle (3-16) was led in scoring by Sam Gooch with 15.

In the opening semifinal, South Putnam used a 23-11 third quarter to extend what was just a four point halftime lead and advanced to the championship game over Cloverdale, 55-40.

The win was a painful one, however.  6’1” senior Jeremiah Hibbeln started the game trying to come back from a knee injury.  With his left leg heavily taped, Hibbeln suffered a non-contact injury to the knee early in the game and spent the rest of the night on the bench with ice and crutches.

Eagles head coach Kyle Swafford spoke with GIANT fm Sports after the game.

South Putnam (10-5) was led in scoring by Drew Hill with 14 points.  Wyatt Mullin scored 10 off the bench and Cameron Bozell scored nine on three shots from behind the arc.

Cloverdale (1-18) got 17 from Tayt Jackson and 15 points from Noah Betz.

Tonight’s third place game will pit Greencastle and Cloverdale against each other at 6 p.m.  South and North Putnam, meanwhile, will play for the county title. 

South Putnam lost at North Putnam on December 2, 45-43.

Giant FM Sports coverage begins at 5:45 p.m. on 94.3, www.giant.fm and the GIANT fm app.

Heading into Saturday's regional contest against Union County, Greencastle girl's basketball coach Doug Greenlee is optimistic about his team's chances of success in a new basketball format that will see a one-game experience for the regional title and then two games for the semi-state. 

The reason?

The second-year head coach has had experience and success under the new format, which the IHSAA approved last year. 

"The new Regional format is different. I was a head baseball coach for many years and IHSAA Baseball had this format years ago. My teams won two Regional crowns, so I like the format," Greenlee told The Putnam County Post. 

The Tiger Cubs enter the 4 p.m. clash fresh off winning the sectional on their home floor. 

In the first game, Greencastle knocked off Southmont, 55-39, cruised past Cloverdale, 59-37 and held off Parke Heritage, 54-32 in the championship. 

According to Greenlee, his team achieved one priority by cutting down the nets. 

"Sectionals are always a priority to win when the season starts. Every team has high hopes and as the season progresses, some teams find the task too daunting.  Luckily for our team, we continued to get better as the season went on. Winning on our own floor is very special as you can look back and know it happened here," Greenlee said. 

Leading the way for Greencastle has been seniors Gloria Brewer and Emma Hunter, as well as junior Evie Briones, as all three are averaging double figures. 

At 22-4, Greencastle has not lost since Dec. 16 and are riding a 14-game winning streak into the regional. 

Union County, on the other hand, is 16-9 and won its sectional, knocking off Northeastern and Shenandoah. 

What will it take for the Tiger Cubs to cut down the nets once again?

"We have to play Greencastle Basketball. We want a fast pace, we want to play solid defense and put a lot of pressure on the opponent. We will be prepared for Union County," Greenlee said. 

Greencastle girls basketball waited ten years for a sectional title.

The wait ended Saturday.

The Tiger Cubs handled Parke Heritage to win the program's first 2A sectional and first overall since a 3A title in 2013, 54-32.

Greencastle led by as many as nine in the first period but that dwindled to just two at halftime, 20-18.

The Tiger Cubs (22-4) put a stamp on the contest in the third period as the lead grew to 19.  Evie Briones connected on four three-pointers in the third and scored 12 of her 18 as Greencastle pulled away.

Gloria Brewer scored 26 points to lead Greencastle.

Raegan Ramsey topped the Wolves' scoring effort with 19 on 9-for-11 shooting.  Emma Simpson added nine points on 3-for-11 shooting.  Simpson averages 20 points per game for Parke Heritage (20-6)

Greencastle will play Union County (16-9) in the 4p.m. single-game regional at Southmont on Saturday.

Greencastle's only regional title was in the single-class era in 1980.

Brad Stevens, president of basketball operations for the NBA’s Boston Celtics and 1999 graduate of DePauw University, will return to DePauw to present a Timothy and Sharon Ubben Lecture Monday, March 20.

The program will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Kresge Auditorium, located within the Green Center for the Performing Arts at DePauw University.

Stevens has guided teams that have “overachieved at overachieving,” according to the Wall Street Journal.

Born and raised in Zionsville, Ind., Stevens was a basketball standout at Zionsville High School, setting five team records. At DePauw, where he was an economics major and Management Fellow, Stevens was a dean’s list honoree and volunteered as a civic intern at the Hartman Center. On the basketball court, he played in all possible 101 games for the Tigers and earned four varsity letters, and was named all-conference, academic all-conference, and was a three-time Academic All-America nominee.

After graduation, he worked as a marketing associate at Eli Lilly and Company and served as a volunteer basketball coach at Carmel High School. In 2000, Stevens realized his real love was the hardwoods and not the office tower, and left his job for a volunteer position at Butler University. Soon after, he was named the Bulldogs’ coordinator of basketball operations, and a year later was tapped as an assistant basketball coach. In April 2007, he was named – at age 30 – to lead the Division I men’s basketball program.

In his first year, Stevens led Butler to 30 wins, becoming the third-youngest head coach in NCAA Division I history to have a 30-win season. In 2010, his third year as head coach, Stevens broke the NCAA record for most wins in a coach’s first three years, exceeding the previous record by eight wins. In the NCAA Tournament, Stevens coached Butler to its first Final Four in school history, while also becoming the second-youngest head coach to make an NCAA National Championship game. With the following season’s team also making the Final Four, Stevens became the youngest coach to go to two Final Fours. Twice named the Horizon League Coach of the Year, Stevens compiled a 166-49 record with the Bulldogs.

Stevens was named the head coach of the Boston Celtics in July 2013, becoming the youngest head coach in the NBA. Over eight seasons he led the storied franchise to a 354-282 record and seven playoff appearances, including a conference championship and five trips to the conference finals. On June 2, 2021, the Celtics named Stevens president of basketball operations. “Before he was maybe the best coach in the NBA, Stevens was maybe the best coach in college basketball,” wrote Ben Cohen in The Wall Street Journal.

“He’s unbelievable in how he carries himself,” Gregg Popovich, head coach of the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs, said of Stevens. “He’s truthful and straight up with his players, and in this league, that’s the biggest thing they respect – that you are comfortable in your own skin.”

As David Woods wrote in 2015 for the Indianapolis Star, “[Stevens] was a star in high school but not at DePauw University, where the coach was Bill Fenlon. Stevens said Fenlon taught him how to be a teammate, calling it the greatest lesson he learned as he went into coaching.”

“My experience at DePauw was about as beneficial as any experience I’ve had,” Stevens told ESPN.com in November 2013. The coach told the Indianapolis Star that a DePauw course he took as a sophomore instilled in him the notion of servant leadership. “It’s not for everybody,” he said. “I’m sure there are plenty of people who have led without that. But it’s a great way to lead. It keeps you grounded in what’s important.”

Stevens returned to DePauw in April 2010 to deliver a Robert C. McDermond Lecture. He recounted some things he learned from DePauw people, calling it “among the best advice I’ve ever received.” His grandfather, also a DePauw graduate, offered, “Never marry for money. You can borrow it cheaper.” Mary Dixon, one of Stevens’ economics professors, advised, “If you want to be any good at anything, you’d better start to do the things that you don’t like to do.”

Stevens added, “There’s always something that you need to do because it’s the right thing to do and a difficult thing to do and you may not enjoy it as much. I appreciate her standing up and saying that, because sometimes we need to hear what we don’t want to hear.”

In 2015 Stevens received DePauw University’s Young Alumni Award. He is also a member of DePauw’s Athletic Hall of Fame.

The NBA executive and his wife and DePauw classmate, Tracy (Wilhelmy) Stevens ’99, are the parents of two children, daughter Kinsley and son Brady.

Established in 1986 through the generous support of 1958 DePauw graduates Timothy H. and Sharon Williams Ubben, the Ubben Lecture Series was designed to “bring the world to Greencastle.” The series has presented 119 events over the past 37 years.

Following a conversation with his college head coach, Bill Fenlon, Stevens will answer questions submitted by the audience which you may send via email to ubbenlectureseries@depauw.edu.

As with all Ubben Lectures, the event will be presented free of admission charge and is open to all. Seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis, and no tickets will be distributed.

The visit by Stevens is the second Ubben Lecture given during the 2022-23 academic year. Maria Ressa, acclaimed journalist and recipient of the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize, came to DePauw Nov. 2.

Greencastle only lost four games all season.  But one of those was to Southmont in the season opener.

Not this time.

Greencastle opened postseason play with a convincing 55-39 decision over the Mounties in Sectional 44 quarterfinal pay at McAnally Center Tuesday.

The Tiger Cubs seized control early and built an insurmountable 22-point halftime lead, 30-8.

Gloria Brewer led the Tiger Cubs in scoring with 21 although she struggled with 5-for-24 shooting from the field.  Brewer made up for it at the free throw line with an 11-for-13 performance while pulling down eight rebounds to go with four assists.

Emma Hunter scored 20 points and teammate Evelyn Briones finished with 12.

Greencastle (20-4) will face county and conference rival Cloverdale in a Friday semifinal.  The Clovers (2-21) received a first round bye. 

Greencastle won the lone regular season matchup, 62-32.

Sectional 44’s other semifinal will be determined tonight.  South Putnam (7-15) will tip-off against River Parke (10-10) at 6 p.m.  Riverton Parke won the regular season meeting on January 10, 40-25.

In tonight’s second quarterfinal, North Putnam (10-12) will play Parke Heritage (18-5).  North Putnam lost a road game to the Wolves on December 10, 62-36.

GIANT fm Sports will have coverage of both Sectional 44 quarterfinals tonight with coverage at 5:40 p.m. on 92.1, giant.fm and the GIANT fm app.