Junior Faith Wiseman averaged a double-double for Indian Creek last season.
Daily Journal file photo
Faith Wiseman had been going to men’s and women’s basketball games at Indiana University since she was 10 years old. Needless to say, the Hoosiers had an upper hand in her recruitment.
The 6-foot-4 Indian Creek junior fielded dozens of scholarship offers over the past few months, but none of those schools were able to overcome IU’s baked-in advantage — Wiseman verbally committed on Oct. 9.
A visit to Bloomington in late July all but sealed the deal.
“I got to see the campus, meet the coaches and a couple of the players,” Wiseman said, “and it was fun to see the atmosphere and get to know the coaches better.”
Her basketball future secure, Wiseman can now focus on a very exciting present. She’s one of four returning starters for an Indian Creek team that won 22 games last season and advanced to a Class 3A regional final.
The current edition of the Braves believes it can do that squad at least one better. With two All-County players back in Wiseman and junior guard Lauren Foster, and the addition of senior Abby Fleetwood, who starred at Brown County two years ago but had to sit out last winter as a transfer, enthusiasm is at an all-time high at the Creek — especially after a very strong summer.
“It’s excitement,” Braves coach Brian Ferris said. “With the team, with the coaching staff, with the school, administration, fans. Everybody’s been waiting on this moment since the end of the season last year.”
Wiseman echoed her coach, saying she’s thrilled to finally have Fleetwood officially on board.
“We’re just so happy to have Abby,” Wiseman said. “She’s the missing piece. She brings energy, she brings the hustle, she’s a great defender. She just really brings it all.”
Of course, Wiseman brings quite a bit to the table herself — and though she averaged 12.2 points, 10.9 rebounds, 3.2 blocked shots and 2.8 assists as a sophomore, Ferris says his tallest starter has continued to improve upon what was already a very well-rounded game.
When it benefits the Braves to put Wiseman in the post, that’s where she’ll be. If it’s more advantageous to put her out on the perimeter, so be it.
“Her physical maturity has added to her skill set, so I think that’s given her that much more confidence,” Ferris said. “Her patience with herself and the game coming to her … I think that’s come with maturity and experience.
“She’s developed into that next level player. You see everything clicking now … it’s all coming together at the right time.”
Wiseman says that the Hoosiers are planning to use her in a similar Swiss Army knife role — part post player, part stretch 4. But in the short term, she’ll be putting those skills to work for Indian Creek against what looks to be a daunting schedule. The Braves host Class 4A power Westfield and travel to suburban Chicago for a high-level showcase in mid-January; more immediately, they play a pair of November games against a Franklin team that beat them by 48 in last season’s Johnson County tournament.
“I’m excited for those games,” Wiseman said, “just because playing those harder teams will prepare us more for the state tournament — and that’s really our end goal, to make it as far as we can.”
Keeping this talented squad sharp is exactly what Ferris had in mind.
“To live up to our potential, there’s going to be a lot of work that we’ve got to do,” the coach added. “It’s not going to be handed to us. Everybody knows we have potential and they’re going to be gunning for us now, so we’ve got to take care of business and make sure we stay focused.”
SCOUTING THE BRAVES
Coach: Brian Ferris
Last season: 22-5, won sectional championship; lost to Bishop Chatard in Class 3A regional final
Key returnees: Hannah Emenhiser, Savannah Hall and Lauren McClanahan, seniors; Lauren Foster, Olivia Pendleton and Faith Wiseman, juniors; Bre Gault and Ayla Lollar, sophomores
Top newcomer: Abby Fleetwood, senior
Outlook: The Braves, who put together win streaks of nine and 10 games last season, have advanced one game deeper into the postseason each of the last three years. They’ve got high hopes of doing at least that much this year, with former Brown County star Fleetwood joining a lineup that already featured an All-County outside-inside star tandem in Foster and recent IU commit Wiseman as well as two more returning starters in Hall and Lollar. The schedule features some notable challenges, especially with a pair of early games against last season’s 4A state runner-up Franklin — but those should toughen the team up for a postseason run in what looks like a wide-open Class 3A now that state finalists South Bend Washington and Silver Creek have moved up. The three stars should be able to carry the scoring load most nights; if the Braves’ role players can deliver meaningful help, especially on the defensive end, anything is possible.
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