Evansville Central to retire Maddy Shirley's jersey, first in school history

Evansville Central turned Maddy Shirley’s career into permanent gym decor. The Bears announced that Shirley will become the first basketball player in school history to have her jersey retired, with No. 32 set to hang in the gym during a girls basketball game next season.

It is a rare honor anywhere, and even more so for an individual basketball career. Central coach David Alexander said the idea started in the middle of last season, but the school still had to clear the required benchmarks before making it official. Now, Shirley has become the standard-bearer for a program that wants future players to measure themselves against more than wins and losses.

The numbers explain why Central made the call. Shirley finished her career with 2,113 points, 1,069 rebounds and a program-record 262 blocks. Her scoring total ranks second all-time in Evansville girls basketball history, and she became only the second Evansville girls player to reach both 2,000 career points and 1,000 rebounds. She hit the 2,000-point mark on Jan. 31, 2026, when she made a free throw against Castle. For Central, that kind of production was not just a headline total. It was a blueprint for toughness, versatility and consistency.

Her jersey retirement also reflects a run of team success that lined up with her career. Central won three sectional championships during Shirley’s tenure, and the 2024-25 team captured conference, sectional and regional titles. Shirley signed with the University of Southern Indiana for the 2026-27 season, carrying her resume into the next level after helping Central stack hardware and rewrite its record book.

USI’s signing release added another layer to the case for retirement. Shirley was part of Central’s 2022-23 sectional championship team, and she was also a major presence on last season’s group that won the conference championship, sectional championship and regional championship. The release said she was a top-10 3SSB scorer in 2024 and earned All-Tournament Second Team honors, evidence that her game traveled beyond Evansville.

Central’s decision does more than honor a star. It sets a lasting expectation for girls basketball at the school: if a player wants to join Shirley in the rafters, the standard now runs through championships, production and a career that leaves no doubt.