IBCA Administrators of the Year Chosen

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                            Contact: Pat McKee, 317-403-1665

March 12, 2024                                                                 IBCA Director of Special Projects

Three administrators to receive awards from IBCA

Steinhilber, Tower and Louden to be honored by basketball coaches' group

                 School administrators John Steinhilber of River Forest, Drew Tower of Brownsburg and retired administrator Doug Louden of Forest Park will be recognized with special awards for 2024 from the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association.

                 The three administrators -- Steinhilber is athletic director for River Forest Community School Corporation, Tower is athletic director at Brownsburg and Louden is the former athletic director at Forest Park -- will be honored as Administrators of the Year from the IBCA. Each is being recognized for his support of programs in his school or school corporation. There is one winner from each IHSAA district. Steinhilber is the honoree from District 1. Tower is cited from District 2. Louden is the recipient from District 3.

                 This is the 16th time in the past 17 years that the IBCA has recognized a group of administrators with a set of awards. The awards have been presented since 2008, but the 2020 honorees received their awards in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. No winners were named in 2021. A list of winners from over the years is at the bottom of this announcement.

                 Steinhilber, Tower and Louden will receive their awards during the 2024 IBCA Clinic on April 25-26 at Mt. Vernon High School in Fortville. For more information about the IBCA, go to in.nhsbca.org.

                 More information follows about the 2024 IBCA Administrator of the Year honorees.

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2024 IBCA Administrators of the Year

District 1

John Steinhilber, athletic director, River Forest

            John Steinhilber is in his first year as athletic director at River Forest Community School Corporation, where he oversees athletics for the high school and middle school. He previously was athletic director at Hebron High School for nine years and served four years on the IHSAA Board of Directors, including one year as president and one year as vice chairman of the executive committee.

            He earned Registered Athletic Administrator status from the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association in 2016 and brings a positive attitude as well as a strong athletic background to his position at River Forest while dealing with students, teachers, coaches, school administrators and community members.

            A 1986 graduate of Boone Grove High School, Steinhilber competed in basketball, baseball and volleyball. He went on to attend Glen Oaks Community College in Michigan, earning an associate’s degree in 1988, and Saint Joseph’s College in Rensselaer, earning a bachelor’s degree in health and physical education in 1994. He later earned a master’s degree in education in 2005 from Walden University. He played baseball at Glen Oaks and was named second-team all-Michigan Community College Athletic Association in 1987.

            Steinhilber has been in education for 28 years and went 213-209 with two sectional trophies in 19 seasons as a varsity boys’ basketball coach at three high schools.

            He became a varsity boys’ basketball coach at Calumet, going 44-88 from 1998-2004 with a sectional title in 2000. He moved to South Central (Union Mills) from 2004-10, his Satellites posting a 76-55 mark with two Porter County Conference Tournament championships. He then served as the Hebron boys’ basketball coach from 2010-17, notching a 93-66 ledger with two additional PCC Tournament titles and a sectional crown in 2012. He coached 2010 Indiana All-Star Jake Kitchell, was The Times of Northwest Indiana Coach of the Year in 2012 and served several years on the IBCA on the boys’ all-state selection committee, worked several years as an on-court coach at the IBCA/IHSAA Top 100 Underclass Showcase and was an IBCA Clinic speaker in 2012.

            Steinhilber also was the Hebron varsity baseball coach from 2011-21, guiding the Hawks to 168 victories, three regional titles and two PCC Tournament championships in 10 seasons. He was the 2012 Gary Post-Tribune Coach of the Year, the 2016 Times of Northwest Indiana Coach of the Year, a three-time Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association District 1 Coach of the Year (2012, 2016 and 2017) and an Indiana North-South All-Star assistant coach in 2017.

            In addition, he served on the IHSBCA’s North-South Committee and had two players chosen to the North-South game (Kyle Joyce in 2013, Hunter Ryan in 2017). Also, 2017 graduate Chad Patrick was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the fourth round of the 2021 Major League Baseball Draft and currently is at the AAA level in the Milwaukee Brewers’ organization.

            Steinhilber also has been a varsity volleyball coach, directing Andrean to a regional title in 1998, and a varsity softball coach at Calumet in 2001. In 2023, he was an assistant baseball coach at Boone Grove.

            The long-time educator began his career in coaching in 1989 at Boone Grove, serving as an assistant in volleyball (three seasons), boys’ basketball (three seasons) and baseball (one season). He followed as an assistant men’s basketball and baseball coach at Saint Joseph’s College from 1993-95 and an assistant boys’ basketball and baseball coach at South Central (Union Mills) in 1995-96. He then moved to Andrean, where he was an assistant boys’ basketball coach for two years, an assistant volleyball coach for two years and an assistant baseball coach for one year and head volleyball coach in 1998.

            Steinhilber and his wife, Melissa, a teacher at Lake Hills Elementary School in Michigan City, have three sons – Malachi, 23; Isaiah, 19; and Xavier, 15.

District 2

Drew Tower, athletic director, Brownsburg

            Drew Tower is in his sixth year as athletic director at Brownsburg High School, bringing a well-organized and enthusiastic approach to his job on a daily basis. He oversees a 22-sport program that has claimed three team state championships (2022 unified flag football, 2023 boys track & field and 2024 wrestling) and seen 18 individuals or relay squads capture state titles in track or wrestling under his leadership.

            Tower became the Bulldogs’ athletic director after working as a Taylor University men’s basketball assistant coach from 2011-13 and a Brownsburg boys’ basketball assistant coach from 2013-16.

            A 2007 graduate of New Castle High School, Tower competed in basketball, cross country and track for the Trojans. He was part of New Castle’s 2006 Class 3A basketball state champions as a junior, and he set then-school records in track & field as a senior.

            Tower remained a “Trojan” when he matriculated to Taylor University, where he averaged 4.9 points over four seasons playing basketball for Hall of Fame coach Paul Patterson and earned a bachelor’s degree in biology in 2011. He later earned a master’s degree in educational leadership from Ball State in 2018.

            As noted above, he began his coaching career at his alma mater before moving to Brownsburg in 2013, initially as an academic coach – leading the 2016 cohort to a 99 percent graduation rate – and coach before becoming the Bulldogs’ athletic director in 2018-19.

            In that role, Tower’s primary objective is to help the school’s coaches and student-athletes maximize their ability in performance skills, character skills and leadership ability. Under Tower’s leadership, Brownsburg was one of few schools in Indiana to win the prestigious IHSAA Sportsmanship Award, a distinction never previously won by the school.

            Tower and his wife, Abby, are parents to two sons – Hank, 5, and Beau, 3.

District 3

Doug Louden, athletic director (retired), Forest Park

            Doug Louden completed 21 years as athletic director at Forest Park High School in June 2023, where he was highly regarded for his leadership and organization skills. At Forest Park, he oversaw a 19-sport program that captured four state championships during his tenure – two in Class 2A boys’ basketball (2005 and 2006) and two more in Class 2A girls’ basketball (2022 and 2023).

            The school’s lone individual state champion during his time was Rachel Mehringer, a three-time blue-ribbon winner in the girls’ track 100-meter hurdles. The Rangers also produced five Mental Attitude Award winners during Louden’s time in charge – Mehringer in girls’ track (2023) as well as Tim James in boys’ basketball (2006), Collin Hochgesang in boys’ basketball (2018), Grace Fleck in girls’ basketball (2022) and Amber Tretter in girls’ basketball (2023) – as well as three Indiana All-Stars in basketball in Brandon Hopf (2006), Clint Hopf (2007) and Tretter (2023).

            Louden, a 1987 graduate of Fort Wayne Elmhurst High School, was an outstanding athlete himself. He was recognized as the 1987 Indiana/Gatorade Player of the Year in baseball and was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 31st round (798th overall) in the ’87 Major League Baseball Draft.

            That came after he helped the Trojans to four sectional titles (1984, 1985, 1986 and 1987) and two regional crowns (1985, 1987) as a right-handed pitcher. He went 8-2 with three saves for a 25-7 squad as a senior, striking out 102 batters and walking just 17. He also played three seasons of basketball in addition to the four seasons of baseball.

            He turned down professional baseball and went to Indiana State University. There, he went 3-2 with two saves and 41 strikeouts in 61.1 innings over two seasons before suffering a career-ending shoulder injury in the latter part of his sophomore season. Still, he went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in physical education from ISU in 1992.

            After college, Louden worked in sales from 1993-96 and at a distribution warehouse from 1996-2001. He then entered education-based athletics as the athletic director at Forest Park beginning in the 2002-03 academic year.

            Louden and his wife, Yvonne, are parents to two adult children – Shelby and Emma.

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IBCA Administrator of the Year honorees

                The IBCA began presenting an Administrator of the Year Award in 2008. 

                Here is a list of winners of the award from 2008-present:

                2008 -- District 1: Michael Pettibone, superintendent, Adams Central Community Schools. District 2: Jerry Holifield, superintendent, Plainfield Community School Corp. District 3: Kendall Wildey, principal, Jennings County High School.

                2009 -- District 1: Garry Nallenweg, athletic director, Chesterton High School. District 2: Kevin Horrigan, athletic director, Greenfield-Central High School; Phil Waddell, athletic director, Hamilton Heights High School. District 3: Gary Cook, principal, North Decatur High School.

                2010 -- District 1: Larry "Jake" Jackowiak, assistant superintendent, Concord Community Schools. District 2: Mike Huey, athletic director, New Palestine High School. District 3: James Babcock, former athletic director, assistant principal and principal, Paoli High School.

                2011 -- District 1: Janis Qualizza, athletic director, Merrillville High School. District 2: Mike Necessary, superintendent, Randolph Southern School Corp.; Kevin Stephenson, athletic director, Beech Grove High School. District 3: Brad Lindsay, superintendent, Mooresville Consolidated School Corp.

                2012 -- District 1: Michael Smith, athletic director/assistant principal, Munster High School. District 2: Grant Nesbit, athletic director, Lawrence North High School; Jim Zeller, assistant athletic director, Lawrence North High School. District 3: Paul Neidig, athletic director, Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp.; Jerrill Vandeventer, superintendent, Greater Jasper Consolidated Schools.

                2013 -- District 1: Don Gandy, principal, Wheeler High School. District 2: Wayne Barker, superintendent, Bluffton-Harrison Metropolitan School District. District 3: Don Unruh, athletic director, New Albany High School.

                2014 -- District 1: Robert Falls, athletic director, Michigan City High School; Geoff Penrod, athletic director, Columbia City High School. District 2: Chad Bolser, athletic director, Richmond High School; Phil Ford, principal, Jay County High School. District 3: Mike Whitten, principal, Boonville High School.

                2015 -- District 1: Debb Stevens, athletic director, Caston Junior-Senior High School. District 2: Troy Inman, principal, Pike High School; Dave Worland, principal, Cathedral High School. District 3: Brett Bardwell, athletic director, Southridge High School; Jeff Hester, athletic director, Columbus North High School.

                2016 -- District 1: Ed Gilliland, athletic director, LaPorte High School. District 2: Mel Seifert, principal, Plainfield High School. District 3: Rob Moorhead, superintendent, South Ripley Community School Corp.

                2017 -- District 1: Patti McCormack, athletic director, Lowell High School. District 2: Chuck Weisenbach, principal, Roncalli High School. District 3: Ron McBride, athletic director, Bloomfield Junior-Senior High School.

                2018 -- District 1: Jane Allen, superintendent, Middlebury Community Schools. District 2: Steve Cox, director of transportation, Beech Grove City Schools. District 3: Steve Killian, athletic director, Wood Memorial High School.

                2019 -- District 1: Nathan Dean, athletic director, Jimtown High School. District 2: John Clark, athletic director, Ben Davis High School. District 3: Jeff Doyle, principal, Barr-Reeve High School.

                2020 -- District 1: Stacy Adams, athletic director, Valparaiso High School. District 2: Shane Osting, athletic director, New Castle High School. District 3: Tim Grove, superintendent, South Knox School Corp.

                2021 -- no winners named (winners from 2020 honored in 2021 because of COVID-19 pandemic).

                2022 -- District 1: Garland Hudson II, athletic director, South Bend Washington High School. District 2: Pat Mapes, superintendent, Perry Township Schools. District 3: Tom Black, principal, East Central High School.

                2023 -- District 1: Jack S. "Chip" Pettit, superintendent, Duneland School Corp. District 2: Brandon Ecker, athletic director, Mt. Vernon (Fortville) High School. District 3: Jeff Cerqueira, athletic director, Floyd Central High School.

               2024 -- District 1: John Steinhilber, athletic director, River Forest Community School Corp. District 2: Drew Tower, athletic director, Brownsburg High School. District 3: Doug Louden, athletic director (retired), Forest Park High School.