Fishers' Garrett Winegar Named to Naismith Watch List After Undefeated Regular Season

The Naismith Boys High School Coach of the Year watch list added Fishers head coach Garrett Winegar on Feb. 26, 2026, a national nod that arrives as Fishers completed an undefeated regular season. The watch list designation highlights outstanding high school head coaches and places Winegar among a group under consideration for one of the sport’s top scholastic honors.

Winegar’s selection came directly after Fishers’ spotless regular-season run, a result that has raised the program’s profile across Indiana and beyond. Fishers’ undefeated regular season provides the tangible performance that underpins the Naismith recognition, linking on-court success to broader attention for the coaching staff and school.

National recognition from the Naismith watch list can shift the conversation around a program at multiple levels. For Winegar, the Feb. 26 mention amplifies coaching credibility when prospective college coaches and media evaluate Fishers’ postseason prospects. For Fishers High School, the timing - immediately after an undefeated regular season - increases exposure that can influence postseason seeding conversations, local media coverage, and community support as the team moves into tournament play.

This honor also reflects wider trends in high school basketball, where coach-driven identity and program stability factor heavily into national award watch lists. Winegar’s placement on the Naismith watch list signals that Fishers’ results during the regular season have met the criteria used to spotlight coaches nationally, tying a year of on-court wins to recognition that transcends regional boundaries.

Looking ahead, Winegar and Fishers will carry the Naismith watch-list distinction into whatever postseason schedule follows their undefeated regular season, with the Feb. 26 announcement serving as both validation and a spotlight. The watch-list inclusion cements Winegar’s 2025-26 regular-season work as a benchmark for the program and frames Fishers as a team for observers to monitor as postseason brackets and matchups unfold.