Zionsville hires longtime Plainfield coach Andy Weaver to lead boys basketball

Zionsville made a program-shaping move by bringing in Andy Weaver, a coach whose Plainfield résumé says the Eagles are not chasing a quick fix. They are chasing the kind of stability that can survive the Hoosier Crossroads Conference and still matter in March.

Weaver stepped down from Plainfield after 14 seasons with a 196-137 record, and the number that jumps off the page is not just the wins. It is the proof that he could build across eras, not just ride one hot senior class. Before Plainfield, Weaver spent 15 seasons at Western and three at Pioneer, and he won six sectional titles at Western before taking the Plainfield job.

Plainfield gave him the kind of closing argument that makes a school like Zionsville pay attention. The Quakers went 24-3 in 2020-21 and ended a 22-year sectional-title drought. This past season, they finished 22-3, won the Mid-State Conference and Hendricks County Tournament, and were ranked No. 5 in the state before falling 56-53 to Pike in the Class 4A Sectional 11 semifinals. That is the profile of a coach who keeps teams winning deep into the winter, not one who needs perfect conditions to look good.

That matters because Zionsville is not handing Weaver a rebuild. The Eagles went 13-11, finished No. 16 in the final 2025-26 Indiana High School Boys Basketball Massey rankings and lost 42-38 to Noblesville in the Class 4A Sectional 8 opener on March 3. The bar is already above average. The question now is whether Weaver can raise it from competitive to dangerous.

The timing also tells the story. J.R. Howell left after six seasons and a 79-62 record to join Iowa United Prep in Des Moines, creating a vacancy at one of Central Indiana’s more visible jobs. Plainfield publicly thanked Weaver and said it would begin its successor search immediately, a reminder that his departure carried real weight on the west side. Zionsville, meanwhile, is betting on an experienced hand to make the next step. Weaver is 59, and he arrives with the kind of track record that can change expectations before a ball is even tipped.