IBCA unveils 2026 spring clinic schedule, speakers, and Fortville format

Indiana’s next wave of title contenders will get part of their offseason blueprint in Fortville, where Jake Diebler, Tricia Cullop and a deep roster of college and high school voices will headline the IBCA spring clinic at Mt. Vernon High School.

The two-day format, set for April 23-24, is back for the fourth straight year at the same site and once again avoids Saturday conflicts that have kept some coaches away from the second day. That matters in Indiana, where a clinic that drew more than 800 coaches in 2024 has become a working stop between the end of the high school season and the summer evaluation grind.

The speaker lineup gives the event its reach. Diebler of Ohio State, Cullop of Miami, Brian Wardle of Bradley, Roger Powell Jr. of Valparaiso, Brandon Schneider of Kansas and George Suggs of McKendree will bring college-level ideas to the floor, while Missy Traversi of Point Guard College and Shawn Jones of Ballogy add skill-development and performance-tracking angles. For coaches trying to sharpen guard play, modern spacing, roster usage and late-game decision-making, the mix points to four clear themes: player development, offensive structure, practice efficiency and how to evaluate talent beyond a box score.

The schedule is built to fit working coaches. Doors open at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, sessions run through 8:45 p.m., and Friday starts at 9:00 a.m. before wrapping up about 2:45 p.m. The cost is $50 for current-year IBCA members and $100 for non-members, a modest entry fee for a clinic that doubles as one of the state’s main networking hubs.

The high school side of the program is just as important. Video sessions from the six district coaches of the year will be posted online after the clinic, giving members access to the ideas of Scott Radeker of Northridge, Andy Weaver of Plainfield and Heath Howington of Barr-Reeve on the boys side, along with Andy Heim of Bellmont, Keith Hollins of Pike and Kevin Stuckmeyer of Center Grove on the girls side. That blend of college concepts and Indiana success stories is what makes the clinic more than a lecture series: it is a direct look at how the state’s best programs are teaching the game now.

The event also carries the weight of IBCA history. The organization says its first known clinic records date to 1975, and its original purpose in the 1974 Articles of Incorporation was education and fellowship. That mission still shows up in the Fortville format, especially with the boys’ state champion and runner-up coaching awards set to be presented on April 24. The 2026 Team Academic Award, which went to 128 teams including 29 boys teams and 99 girls teams, reinforces the same point: in Indiana, the path to championship-level basketball runs through teaching, preparation and accountability long before the first possession at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.