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Brothers are not always going to agree.
Austin and Chace Ford are no exception.
“He can’t beat me an anything we do,” Chace said of his older brother. “He can say what he wants. But we know the truth.”
The truth is, the Fords are better together. As long as they aren’t battling head-to-head in board games, Uno or NBA2K. Together, they are the engine that drives this Brebeuf Jesuit basketball team, which will play in the Class 3A regional for the first time in four years when the No. 10 Braves (18-6) take on No. 3 Cathedral (21-5) on Saturday at Martinsville.
Austin, a 5-11 senior, is a lead-by-example type. He has the most varsity experience in the Brebeuf roster, playing a full-time varsity role since his sophomore year.
But there is a notable difference in Austin this year, coach Allen Glunt said. He was never shy about trying to take over and make a play when his team needed one.
“It’s been incredible to watch him lean into this group a little bit more as we’ve developed and gotten better,” Glunt said. “He’s taken on a lot of hard stuff because he is the senior leader of this group. It’s not always the fun stuff but leaning into that has changed him. This year has proved he is a great winner.”
Austin’s scoring numbers have dropped off slightly from last year, going from 12.9 points per game to 11.6. But almost everything else – shooting percentage, assists (3.5) and steals (2.3) – are up from last year.
“We all lean on him to lead us through adversity,” Chace said of his brother.
Chace’s scoring numbers, in large part due to his brother’s playmaking, have jumped this year to 12.6 points per game. He also averages 3.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.2 steals.
“Chace has the bigger personality of the two,” Glunt said. “It comes out in a more competitive sense. He’s more fiery. But his willingness to evolve as a player has been great to see. He’s super coachable and he’s not even done yet. Chace has made great strides figuring out how to win games vs. trying to be the best player. Everybody has moments like that. But figuring that out has completely changed the dynamic of our team.”
The Fords were the only two starters back from a team that finished 14-9 last year and lost in the sectional semifinal to Guerin Catholic. At the start of the season, Glunt knew he had a deep team with the potential to play 10 players in the regular rotation. There are challenges with that, however. “There are some challenges to playing 10 guys,” Glunt said. “Everybody wants to play more. Everybody wants to do more.”
There were some positive signs early. A win over Hamilton Southeastern. A blowout win over Southport. A competitive loss to Pike in the Marion County Tournament. But after a nine-point loss to Guerin Catholic on Jan. 23, the Braves dropped to 7-6.
After that game, Glunt had a conversation with the Ford brothers. It was not a bad conversation, just an assessment of what he was asking them to do.
“Early in the year, we relied on them to do most things because we didn’t know who was able to do what,” Glunt said. “As we went, we evolved and changed. They learned that there were different ways to drive the ship. It didn’t need to result in them doing everything.”
The result speaks for itself. The Braves are 11-0 since that loss to Guerin, including avenging that loss to Guerin with a 48-47 victory in the sectional championship. Brebeuf led by 11, lost the lead entirely in the fourth quarter, then rallied to win.
“At no point in the game was I worried,” Austin said. “I trust my guys. Even when we were down, I trusted my guys to continue to fight. Even when we’re down, we’re not out of any game.”
Which is probably the spirit Brebeuf needs going into the matchup with Cathedral. The Irish have mostly dominated this series over the years, bringing a 25-game winning streak against the Braves into Saturday’s regional. “We’re going to take a big ol’ swing,” Glunt said.
There is some familiarity between the teams. The Ford brothers played on the same middle school team at St. Lawrence Catholic School, a group that also included Ethan Roseman (started at Bishop Chatard, now at South Bend St. Joseph) and Chris Hill (Lebanon).
“We just have to keep doing what we’ve been doing,” Austin said. “We like to play fast; they like to play fast. We want to keep that pace the whole game.”
Brebeuf is a junior-heavy team. Joining Chace coming back next year will be Dylan Logan (11.0 ppg), Jayden Washington (7.3 ppg, 2.7 assists), Chase Edmundson (6.6 ppg, 3.0 rebounds), Antonio Harris (4.1 ppg, 2.7 rebounds) and Cooper Edmundson (3.9 ppg) are among those back next season.
But Austin’s high school career is now day by day. And one more day playing with his brother is something he appreciates more all the time.
“He’s a great motivator to our team,” Austin said. “He makes it easy on me. I see him in the post, and I throw it to him. He’ll get me assists. I can lean on him.”
Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IHSAA basketball: Brothers Austin and Chace Ford lead Brebeuf Jesuit into regional
Continue reading...
Austin and Chace Ford are no exception.
“He can’t beat me an anything we do,” Chace said of his older brother. “He can say what he wants. But we know the truth.”
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The truth is, the Fords are better together. As long as they aren’t battling head-to-head in board games, Uno or NBA2K. Together, they are the engine that drives this Brebeuf Jesuit basketball team, which will play in the Class 3A regional for the first time in four years when the No. 10 Braves (18-6) take on No. 3 Cathedral (21-5) on Saturday at Martinsville.
Austin, a 5-11 senior, is a lead-by-example type. He has the most varsity experience in the Brebeuf roster, playing a full-time varsity role since his sophomore year.
But there is a notable difference in Austin this year, coach Allen Glunt said. He was never shy about trying to take over and make a play when his team needed one.
“It’s been incredible to watch him lean into this group a little bit more as we’ve developed and gotten better,” Glunt said. “He’s taken on a lot of hard stuff because he is the senior leader of this group. It’s not always the fun stuff but leaning into that has changed him. This year has proved he is a great winner.”
Austin’s scoring numbers have dropped off slightly from last year, going from 12.9 points per game to 11.6. But almost everything else – shooting percentage, assists (3.5) and steals (2.3) – are up from last year.
“We all lean on him to lead us through adversity,” Chace said of his brother.
Chace’s scoring numbers, in large part due to his brother’s playmaking, have jumped this year to 12.6 points per game. He also averages 3.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.2 steals.
“Chace has the bigger personality of the two,” Glunt said. “It comes out in a more competitive sense. He’s more fiery. But his willingness to evolve as a player has been great to see. He’s super coachable and he’s not even done yet. Chace has made great strides figuring out how to win games vs. trying to be the best player. Everybody has moments like that. But figuring that out has completely changed the dynamic of our team.”
The Fords were the only two starters back from a team that finished 14-9 last year and lost in the sectional semifinal to Guerin Catholic. At the start of the season, Glunt knew he had a deep team with the potential to play 10 players in the regular rotation. There are challenges with that, however. “There are some challenges to playing 10 guys,” Glunt said. “Everybody wants to play more. Everybody wants to do more.”
There were some positive signs early. A win over Hamilton Southeastern. A blowout win over Southport. A competitive loss to Pike in the Marion County Tournament. But after a nine-point loss to Guerin Catholic on Jan. 23, the Braves dropped to 7-6.
After that game, Glunt had a conversation with the Ford brothers. It was not a bad conversation, just an assessment of what he was asking them to do.
“Early in the year, we relied on them to do most things because we didn’t know who was able to do what,” Glunt said. “As we went, we evolved and changed. They learned that there were different ways to drive the ship. It didn’t need to result in them doing everything.”
The result speaks for itself. The Braves are 11-0 since that loss to Guerin, including avenging that loss to Guerin with a 48-47 victory in the sectional championship. Brebeuf led by 11, lost the lead entirely in the fourth quarter, then rallied to win.
“At no point in the game was I worried,” Austin said. “I trust my guys. Even when we were down, I trusted my guys to continue to fight. Even when we’re down, we’re not out of any game.”
Which is probably the spirit Brebeuf needs going into the matchup with Cathedral. The Irish have mostly dominated this series over the years, bringing a 25-game winning streak against the Braves into Saturday’s regional. “We’re going to take a big ol’ swing,” Glunt said.
There is some familiarity between the teams. The Ford brothers played on the same middle school team at St. Lawrence Catholic School, a group that also included Ethan Roseman (started at Bishop Chatard, now at South Bend St. Joseph) and Chris Hill (Lebanon).
“We just have to keep doing what we’ve been doing,” Austin said. “We like to play fast; they like to play fast. We want to keep that pace the whole game.”
Brebeuf is a junior-heavy team. Joining Chace coming back next year will be Dylan Logan (11.0 ppg), Jayden Washington (7.3 ppg, 2.7 assists), Chase Edmundson (6.6 ppg, 3.0 rebounds), Antonio Harris (4.1 ppg, 2.7 rebounds) and Cooper Edmundson (3.9 ppg) are among those back next season.
But Austin’s high school career is now day by day. And one more day playing with his brother is something he appreciates more all the time.
“He’s a great motivator to our team,” Austin said. “He makes it easy on me. I see him in the post, and I throw it to him. He’ll get me assists. I can lean on him.”
Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IHSAA basketball: Brothers Austin and Chace Ford lead Brebeuf Jesuit into regional
Continue reading...
