IBCA Virgil Sweet Awards Announced

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

March 6, 2024                                          IBCA Director of Special Projects

Three to receive 2024 'Virgil Sweet Award' from IBCA

Di Carlo, Lyon, Semmler to be honored by coaches' group for contributions to basketball

            Three individuals with significant ties to Indiana high school basketball will be recognized with Virgil Sweet Awards from the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association in 2023, it was announced Wednesday (March 6).

            Angelo Di Carlo of WHME-TV and Pulse Radio in South Bend, Craig Lyon of Charlie Hughes Basketball and Rick Semmler of WTHI-TV in Terre Haute are the recipients of this year's awards. One person is honored from each IHSAA district -- Di Carlo in District 1, Lyon in District 2 and Semmler in District 3.

            Virgil Sweet Awards are presented to those who have provided meritorious service in the promotion of basketball across Indiana. The award is named in honor of Sweet, a former Valparaiso High School basketball coach and executive director of the IBCA from 1974 through 1984. Sweet passed away on June 7, 2023.

            This is the 49th year that the IBCA has presented an award or awards for service to basketball beyond coaching. A single winner was named from 1974 through 1979. Multiple winners have been named from 1980 to the present, although no winners were named in 1991 (no clinic was held that year) or 2021 (when the 2020 winners were honored because of the COVID-19 pandemic).

            A list of winners from over the years -- plus a bio of Virgil Sweet -- are beneath the biographies of the 2024 winners.

            This year's awards will be presented as part of the 2024 IBCA Clinic on April 25-26 at Mt. Vernon High School in Fortville, Ind. For more information about the IBCA, go to in.nhsbca.org.

            Here is more information about each Sweet Award honoree for 2024.

Angelo Di Carlo

 Angelo DiCarlo joined WHME-TV, Pulse FM Radio and Family Broadcasting Corporation in April 2023 as Assistant Sports Director, where he works in sports and sales. Working with Chuck Freeby, Di Carlo broadcasts high school sports on WHME-TV as well as hosting a high school football program and a Notre Dame football program on Pulse FM Radio.

            Di Carlo spent the previous five years as Sports Director and Account Executive at Redeemer Radio (95.7 FM) in South Bend. There, he broadcast high school football and basketball games with Bob Berger, ran an internship program with high school students from Mishawaka Marian and South Bend Saint Joseph high schools, hosted a Notre Dame football show and a high school football show.

            Di Carlo is no stranger to television. Prior to Redeemer Radio, he worked at WNDU-TV for 11 years as a sports anchor, including hosting the Notre Dame football pregame show with Freeby for eight years and leading the station’s coverage of high school sports.

            A 2001 graduate of Parkland High School in Allentown, Pa., Di Carlo competed in baseball, soccer and track growing up. He began to focus on broadcasting while in high school as a production assistant for Service Electric Cable TV. “I realized I was better at talking about sports than playing them,” he said.

            He matriculated to Syracuse University, earning a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism in 2005. He landed his first professional on-air position as radio play-by-play voice of the Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs, a United States Basketball League team coached by Darryl Dawkins. He also worked during and after college as a sports reporter, sideline reporter and play-by-play announcer for Service Electric Cable’s high school sports coverage.

            Di Carlo moved to South Bend in 2007 to become weekend sports anchor at WNDU-TV, initially studying under Jeff Jeffers. Di Carlo stayed at WNDU for 11 years, eventually becoming the station’s primary sports anchor and sports director covering high school sports and Notre Dame. He moved to Redeemer Radio in 2018 and then to WHME-TV/Pulse FM in 2023.

            Di Carlo has been recognized for his work several times during his career. Those include being a part of an Edward R. Murrow Award in 2009 for reporting on the firing of Charlie Weis at Notre Dame, a local Emmy nomination in 2011 for an anniversary story on the death of Notre Dame football videographer Declan Sullivan and the 2014 Forrest “Woody” Miller Excellence in High School Media Award from South Bend Schools.

            Di Carlo and his wife, Molly, have a daughter – Lily, 3.

Craig Lyon

  Craig Lyon has been an administrator with Charlie Hughes Basketball since 2015, taking over leadership of the youth basketball program since its namesake’s passing in late 2014. In that role, Lyon has been a key administrator in the operation of the IBCA/IHSAA Boys’ Team Showcase in memory of Charlie Hughes.

            The Charlie Hughes Shootout began as a school-based team event in 2004 and, when the NCAA created a scholastic viewing period, combined efforts with the IBCA and associate executive director Tom Beach beginning in 2019. Lyon and Charlie Hughes Basketball also help coordinate the IBCA/IHSAA Girls’ Team Showcase that started in 2023.

            A 1982 graduate of Carmel High School, Lyon played football for the Greyhounds and was a member of state championship teams in 1980 and 1981. He matriculated to Ball State University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting in 1986. While in college, he also played rugby and was selected to the Indiana Select college team in 1984.

            Professionally, Lyon has been general manager of Westfield-based Custom Cast Stone Inc. since 1995. He previously was a contract auditor for the Indiana Department of Highways from 1987-89, an internal auditor for KeyBank from 1989-91 and controller for TeleCentre of Indiana from 1991-95.

            Lyon began his career as a youth sports administrator as director of the Warren Central youth boys’ basketball program, serving it from 2004-08. He worked with Walt Raines of Franklin Community an administrator for the Indy Girls Hoops League from 2008-17 and has served as the lead administrator for Charlie Hughes Basketball from 2015 to present.

            The Pendleton resident and long-time sports enthusiast also has been a licensed basketball official since 2012, working seven IHSAA girls’ basketball sectionals and five IHSAA boys’ basketball sectionals.

            Lyon and his wife, Dawne, have three adult children – Alexander, Abby and Braegan – and one grandson, Theodore, who turns 1 in September.

Rick Semmler

  Rick Semmler became the sports director at WTHI-TV in August 2009. Semmler feels truly blessed to have covered sports in the Wabash Valley. He has seen some incredible games and outstanding athletes while in the area.

            Some of those memorable moments include Washington winning the 2005 Class 3A state basketball championship on a half-court shot from Luke Zeller, Wayne Newton Post 346 advancing to the American Legion World Series, Shakamak winning the 2008 Class A state baseball championship, and the latest with Josh Phegley, Brady Shoemaker and Nick Ciolli – all Chicago White Sox draftees.

            During basketball season, Semmler produces a segment every Friday night called “In The Paint” that highlights all the Valley’s high school games, boys and girls. He concludes the segment by recognizing the “Stars of the Night” for the top performances. In addition, he regularly features high school athletes who have overcome injury or other adversity in human-interest stories. Beyond his on-air work, he is especially adept at promoting Wabash Valley-area athletes and their accomplishments on “X” (formerly known as Twitter).

            “Rick makes high school basketball a priority,” said Terre Haute North boys’ basketball coach Todd Woelfle, who also is an IBCA district representative. “He understands that it is important to many of his viewers.”

            Semmler is a three-time local Emmy Award winner and a 2010 Spectrum Award winner from the Indiana Broadcasters Association. He also received the Media Award from the Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association in 2010, the Rex Kirts Media Award from the Indiana Football Coaches Association in 2015, an IHSAA Distinguished Media Award in 2016-17 and was named winner of the Marv Bates Award in 2019 by the Indiana Sportswriters & Sportscasters Association as Sportscaster of the Year.

            A 1998 graduate of Brownsburg High School, Semmler played basketball and tennis. He was a member of a sectional champion in tennis as a sophomore and basketball as a junior.

            He went onto Ball State University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in telecommunications in 2002. After college, he worked at WYMT-TV in Hazard, Ky., as a sports reporter and photographer for one year before returning to Indiana in July 2003, initially at WTWO-TV in Terre Haute for six years as a weekend sports anchor. He moved across town to WTHI-TV in 2009.

            Semmler and his wife, Robin, are parents to three children – Savannah, 16; Austin, 13; and Kennedy, 10.

* * *

Virgil Sweet Award winners

            Virgil Sweet Award winners, as presented by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association from 1974-present. One winner per year, 1974-1979. Generally, five winners per year from 1980-2003 when the IHSAA was in a five-district format. Three to eight winners per year from 2004-present when IHSAA has been in a three-district format. The award initially was called the IBCA Medal Award. The name was changed to the IBCA Service Award in 1978. The name was changed to the IBCA Virgil Sweet Award in 1986.

            1974: Tom Carnegie.

            1975: Bob Williams.

            1976: Nate Kaufman.

            1977: Hilliard Gates.

            1978: Marion Crawley.

            1979: Marv Bates (posthumously).

            1980: Doug Adams (District 1); Len Davis (District 2); Jerry Baker (District 3); John Jordan (District 4); Bob Simmers (District 5).

            1981: Terry Lee (District 1); Jack Yaggy (District 2); Otis Bowen (District 3); Bob Barnet (District 4); Joe Edwards (District 5).

            1982: Bob King (District 1); Forrest Miller (District 2); Dave Pert (District 3); Herbie Houk (District 4); Richard Lankford (District 5).

            1983: Dave Krider (District 1); Earl Mishler (District 2); Patricia Roy (District 3); Sam Simmermaker (District 4); Norman Hall (District 5).

            1984: Pinky Newell (District 1); Herb Swartz (District 2); Don Jellison (District 3); Morry Mannies (District 4); Whitey Jones (District 5).

            1985: Virgil Sweet (District 1); Joe Smekens (District 2); Charlie Maas (District 3); Sam Roberts (District 4); Bob Hammel (District 5).

            1986: Harry Bradway (District 1); Hilliard Gates (District 2); Jimmie Angelopolous and Ron Harris (District 3); Don McBride (District 4); John Potts (District 5).

            1987: Bill Overholser (District 1); Bill Fowler (District 2); Howard Catt (District 3); Orvis "Shorty" Burdsall (District 4); Lloyd E. "Barney" Scott (District 5).

            1988: Paul Rommelmann (District 1); Gene Conard (District 2); Jerry Baker (District 3); Eric Wohlford (District 4); Bob Simmers (District 5). 

            1989: Doug Adams (District 1); Bob Straight (District 2); Don Bates (District 3); Phil Stigelman (District 4); Guy Glover (District 5).

            1990: Skip Collins (District 1); Bud Gallmeier (District 2); Betty Sizelove (District 3); Gus Moorhead (District 4); Bob Lochmueller (District 5).

            1991: no awards presented (no clinic program held this year).

            1992: Joe Heath (District 1); Ken Klimek (District 2); Garry Donna (District 3); Phil Buck (District 4); Bud Ritter (District 5).

            1993: John Mutka (District 1); Leroy Lambright (District 2); Ray Craft (District 3); Ron Lemasters (District 4); Charlie Jenkins (District 5).

            1994: Mildred Ball (District 1); Bob Primmer (District 2); Tom Carnegie (District 3); Ted Server (District 4); George Marshall (District 5).

            1995: Earl Mishler (District 1); By Hey (District 2); Kurt Freudenthal (District 3); Harold Schutz (District 4); Temme Patterson (District 5).

            1996: Paul Condry (District 1); Greg Johans (District 2); Wayne Fuson (District 3); Jan Clark (District 4); Mike Blake (District 5).

            1997: Paul Jankowski (District 1); David Fulkerson (District 2); Gene Conard (District 3); John Robbins (District 4); Dan Korb (District 5).

            1998: Wally McCormack (District 1); Dick Stimpson (District 2); Bill Pfister (District 3); Ron Raver (District 4); Mike Barrett (District 5).

            1999: Forrest Rhode (District 1); Dennis Kraft (District 2); Jim Rosenstihl (District 3); Phil Snodgress (District 4); Robert “Bud” Shippee (District 5).

            2000: Jeff Washburn (District 1); Rita Price Simpson (District 2); Howard Sharpe (District 3); Scott Davidson and Jeff Ayler (District 4); Larry Schweizer (District 5).

            2001: Curt Casbon (District 1); Fred Inniger (District 2); Gene Cato (District 3); Bob Lovell (District 4); Brian Bohne (District 5).

            2002: Marvin Tudor (District 1); Jack Woodruff (District 2); Jim Russell (District 3); John Hodge (District 4); Tom Collins (District 5).

            2003: Paul Curtis (District 1); Dean Pantazi (District 2); Vince Welch (District 3); George Griffith (District 4); Jack Butcher (District 5).

            2004: Ron Heflin and Dan Swift (District 1); Patrick Aikman and Pat McKee (District 2); Richard Lankford, Donna Sullivan and Graham Taylor (District 3).

            2005: Keith Nuest and Elmer Strautman (District 1); Bill Benner and Gene Keady (District 2); Walt Ferber (District 3).

            2006: Homer Drew and Mike Hey (District 1); Gene Milner and Herb Schwomeyer (District 2); Dan Egierski and Orlando "Gunner" Wyman (District 3).

            2007: Anthony Anderson, Tom Rehm and Dan Willett (District 1); Dave Calabro and Judi Warren (District 2); Cliff Guilliams and Kurt Gutgsell (District 3).

            2008: Chip Jones and Fred Mitchell (District 1); Roger Dickinson and Bob Kirkhoff (District 2); Chris James and Jason Recker (District 3).

            2009: Bob Adams (District 1); Greg Bell and Leigh Evans (District 2); Bob Boyles, John Harrell and Jeff Sagarin (District 3).

            2010: Stu Swartz, Jackie and Cory Webster (District 1); Larry Barrett and Ed Siegel (District 2); Hugh Schaefer (District 3).

            2011: Mark Smith (District 1); Mike Beas (District 2); Charles Denbo (District 3).

            2012: Al Hamnik and Greg Jones (District 1); Dr. John McCarroll, Robin Miller and Dick Rea (District 2); Curt Cavin, Arv Koontz and Pete Swanson (District 3).

            2013: Joe Arredondo and Wayne Svetanoff (District 1); Rich Nye (District 2); Keith Doades and John Heaton (District 3).

            2014: Chuck Freeby, Steve Hanlon and Bob Nagle (District 1); Danny Danielson and Charlie Hughes (District 2); Andy Graham and Johnny McCrory (District 3).

            2015: Tommy Schoegler and Bob Stambazze (District 1); Mark Morrow and Kyle Neddenriep (District 2); Bryce Kendrick (District 3).

            2016: John Dillman and Jerry Hoover (District 1); Dan Repass and Bill Uhrig (District 2); Kevin Smith (District 3).

            2017: Phil Gardner and Mike Lightfoot (District 1); John Grimes and Paul Patterson (District 2); Bob Bridge (District 3).

            2018: Wayne Kreiger (District 1); Terry Downham (District 2); Walt Raines (District 3).

            2019: Bill Walker (District 1); Charlie Hall (District 2); Larry Goffinet (District 3).

            2020: Jim Peters (District 1); Mike Carmin (District 2); Gordon Engelhardt (District 3).

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

            2022: Dan Vance (District 1); Randy Shields (District 2); Andy Amey (District 3).

            2023: Roger Grossman (District 1); Denise McClanahan (District 2); Mike Lopresti (District 3).

            2024: Angelo Di Carlo (District 1); Craig Lyon (District 2); Rick Semmler (District 3).

* * *

Virgil Sweet bio

 Virgil Sweet was a part of the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association since the group’s inception in 1970 and an award is named after him. However, not everyone may recall what an outstanding coach Sweet was for 20 years at Valparaiso High School.

            A 1945 graduate of Covington High School, Sweet played basketball on a team that reached the Indianapolis Semi-State and lost 39-38 to Rushville as a senior. He initially went to Butler and played one year of football for Tony Hinkle, then transferred to Eastern Illinois and played football and baseball for the Panthers. He graduated from EIU in 1950 and later earned a master’s degree from Indiana University.

            Sweet began his basketball coaching career as an assistant coach to Don Reichert for one season at Covington. Sweet became varsity coach for three seasons at Westville (Ill.) before moving to Valparaiso as the varsity coach from 1954-74. His Vikings won 296 games over those 20 seasons, going 48-6 in sectional contests, claiming 14 sectional titles – including 11 in a row – and twice reached the final eight of the state tournament.

            In 23 seasons as a varsity coach, including the three years at Westville, Sweet’s teams won 342 games.

            Sweet’s teams at Valparaiso were noted for their excellent free-throw shooting, largely because of 20-step system that became known as the “Valparaiso Free-Throw Method.” His 1963-64 squad shot .792 for the season, then a national high school record. He coached two high school All-Americans, 54 players who played college basketball and 16 players who became coaches. Sweet was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 1987.

            After retiring as a coach, Sweet was chairman of the Valparaiso physical education department and served as the IBCA executive director from 1974 through 1984 after assisting Marion Crawley with the group for a year. He then retired from teaching and moved to Florida, where he has had a tremendously successful second career in real estate.

            Sweet’s wife of 47 years, Paralee, passed away in 1999. They had two daughters, Shari and Sandy, three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Sweet remained active until his passing, regularly playing tennis and attending the IBCA Clinic almost every year through 2019.

            Sweet was 96 years old when he passed away on June 7, 2023.