IBCA Names 2026 Bob King District Coaches of the Year for Girls Basketball

Three coaches who guided their programs to championship hardware this winter were recognized by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association, which named Andy Heim of Bellmont, Keith Hollins of Pike, and Kevin Stuckmeyer of Center Grove as the 2026 Bob King District Coaches of the Year for girls basketball. The IBCA announced the honorees on March 19, with selections made through peer voting that ran from late January through late February, according to IBCA executive director Marty Johnson.

Heim earned the District 1 honor after the most complete season of his tenure at Bellmont: a 25-3 record, a sectional title at Mississinewa, a regional won on the Braves' home court, a semi-state triumph at Logansport, and finally the program's first Class 3A state championship at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The title capped a 15-year run at Bellmont in which Heim has built a 211-143 record, three Northeast 8 Conference championships (2017, 2019, 2025), and a previous sectional crown in 2022.

Five Bellmont players earned All-Northeast 8 honors this season: Ashley Bleke and Mary Bleke on the first team, Lanie French on the second team, and Kaitlyn Barton and Oni Krueckeberg as honorable mentions. Both Blekes also earned IBCA All-State recognition, with Mary named Underclass Large School All-State and Ashley receiving Underclass Honorable Mention All-State. Heim was also tapped as an assistant coach for the IBCA Junior All-Stars. Before arriving at Bellmont, he spent nearly a decade as the boys JV coach at New Haven from 2002 to 2011, then took over the Bellmont girls varsity program starting in the 2011-12 season. He began teaching at Bellmont in 2005 and is currently in his 21st year at the school, where he teaches dual-credit English and weight training.

Hollins took the District 2 award after Pike finished 24-2 and spent a substantial stretch of the season ranked No. 1 in Class 4A. The Red Devils collected three team titles along the way: the Marion County Tournament, the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference, and the Plainfield Sectional.

Stuckmeyer claimed the District 3 recognition after leading Center Grove to the Class 4A state championship.

The award carries the name of Bob King, the late IBCA executive director who served from 1984 to 1994. A Lebanon native, King coached at Sacred Heart and Shortridge high schools in Indianapolis before joining Purdue University's staff as an assistant basketball coach, and later served as both assistant athletic director and associate athletic director at Purdue. Honors are distributed according to IHSAA district boundaries, with one coach selected per district.

All three coaches will receive plaques at the 2026 IBCA Clinic, scheduled for April 23-24 at Mt. Vernon High School in Fortville. The IBCA/Bob King Coaches of the Year for boys basketball have not yet been announced.