Fairfield names Brae Beadles as boys basketball coach

Fairfield’s bet is that Brae Beadles can change more than a lineup card. The Falcons turned to him to steady the boys program, strengthen player development and keep the roster together after a 20-7 season, making the hire part of a broader offseason reset inside one of Elkhart County’s busiest basketball departments.

Beadles arrived with recent varsity experience from Edwardsburg High School in Michigan, where he spent the last two seasons as an assistant and helped the Eddies win a 2025 district title. That matters for Fairfield because the school is not just hiring a coach with energy, but someone who has worked inside a winning structure and seen how a program holds its edge from one year to the next.

His background also stretches beyond the bench. Before Edwardsburg, Beadles served as Director of Basketball Operations for Five Star Life, and camp participation there grew from 500 players to more than 800 during his run. That kind of growth points to a coach who understands organization, youth development and the day-to-day work that often shapes whether a program can build depth, not just survive a season.

Athletic director Chris Griffin said Beadles brings a clear vision and a strong ability to connect with families, two qualities Fairfield appears to value as it tries to set a new tone. Griffin was approved by the Fairfield Community Schools board on April 2, 2025 and started April 28, 2025, and his first full year in the job has already included a major facilities push, with Fairfield breaking ground in 2026 on a $7 million athletics and band project.

The coaching change also came as Fairfield shuffled more than one part of its basketball department. Brodie Garber was moving back to lead the girls program, leaving the boys side for Beadles as the school reworked leadership around a team that had just gone 20-7. Fairfield’s athletics office has also stayed active with spring sports updates, another sign that the department is trying to build momentum across programs at once.

Beadles now steps into a job where the first offseason priority is clear: turn a solid season into a sustainable standard. If he can translate Edwardsburg’s winning habits and his Five Star Life operations experience into Fairfield’s gym, the Falcons could be better positioned to stay competitive in Indiana next winter and give the program a longer runway than one good year.