Three local seniors earn IBCA scholarship honors, led by Smith, Haverkos

Indiana basketball keeps telling the same story in a new way: the seniors who draw statewide recognition are still expected to do more than score. When the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association named 40 high school seniors to its 2026 scholarship class, three local names stood out, with Greensburg’s Ethan Smith and Oldenburg Academy’s Norah Haverkos leading the way.

Smith was one of 12 boys selected for a Marion Crawley Scholarship, while Haverkos was one of 16 girls chosen for the same award. Batesville High School also had a local winner in Lincoln Garrett, who received the boys’ Steve & Jeanie Witty Scholarship. Together, the three honorees gave southeastern Indiana a visible place in a statewide class that stretches across the sport’s biggest senior class honors.

That matters because the Crawley Scholarship is built around the full profile of an Indiana basketball player. The criteria include achievement in basketball, academics, extracurricular participation, and service to school and community. In other words, the association is rewarding the version of a player Indiana has long preferred: one who competes, leads, stays involved, and leaves a program stronger than he or she found it.

The scale of the program shows how deeply rooted that standard remains. The IBCA said its scholarship awards are $500 each, and the association has about 2,400 members. Through the years, it has awarded about $840,000 in scholarships to Indiana student-athletes, a reminder that this is not a ceremonial gesture but a long-running investment in the state’s next chapter of athletes.

The Crawley class itself included 34 recipients, with 12 boys’ players, 16 girls’ players, four student managers, one cheerleader, and one student trainer/statistician. That mix reflects how Indiana basketball values the whole ecosystem around a team, not just the box score. It also fits the legacy of Marion Crawley, who won four boys state championships as a coach, finished with 644 career wins, and served as the IBCA’s first executive director from 1970 to 1974.

The award names carry history, too. The original IBCA scholarship was renamed for Crawley in 1987, a second scholarship program in Junior Mannies’ name began in 1983, and the Steve & Jeanie Witty Scholarship started in 2024, making this its third year. For Smith, Haverkos, and Garrett, the honor linked their schools and communities to a tradition that still defines Indiana hoops: production on the floor, credibility in the classroom, and a reputation that lasts after the season ends.