Britain Vann ready for his time to star at Adams
The big stage has never seemed to phase South Bend Adams' Britain Vann.
As a kid, he was a drummer at his local church, starting at 10 years old, with all the eyes were on him.
"In church there is a lot of people," Vann said. "you don't want to mess up."
The same goes for when Vann, a senior for the Eagles, is on the court. Only he had to wait for that time to come.
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Vann, a four-year varsity player, had to wait his turn to be THE guy. As a sophomore he averaged less than a point per game. Last year, that number jumped up to 13.1. Through four games this year, Vann has scored 24 points per game to lead Adams (2-2).
In the Northern Indiana Conference, there is Penn's Markus Burton (27.7), a Notre Dame signee, then Vann.
"Eighth grade year I thought I was coming into high school as a starter on varsity," Vann said. "Once I got there it was a whole different situation. I had to prove myself and show I am one of the best.
"I proved that last year when we won the sectional. And I am still proving this year as my scoring has gone up."
It was a process that young players at Adams have gone through during head coach Chad Johnston's tenure. The culture he has built rests on waiting, learning then leading. Vann's time fell right in line.
"A lot of people don't want to do it," Johnston said. "They want to play as freshmen. He has had guys in front of him that were bigger, faster, stronger at that time.
"He waited his turn and he saw the guys in front of him help him and develop him as a player. Now it is his turn. He is now helping the freshmen. He's a good leader and there were good leaders in front of him that did the same thing."
Vann's biggest influencers were former Eagles, like Brayden Saxton, Charles Worsham and Quentez Colombus, who helped lead the Eagles to back-to-back Northern Indiana Conference titles during Vann's freshman and sophomore seasons.
"That group made a really huge impact on him to grow as a young man," Johnston said. "They were tough on him and made them work. Now Brit is really good in all aspects."
Last year, Vann scored in double figures in 21 games, none bigger than his 21 in Adams' comeback victory over Michigan City in the sectional championship.
That was Vann's coming out party, and it carried into the beginning of his senior year, scoring 25 in the season opener against South Bend Saint Joe, following it with a career-high 28 against Elkhart and, most recently, scoring 24 in a win over Michigan City.
Vann's party is just starting. It's his time. All eyes are on him and he's soaking in every moment.
"I feel like I have had the talent, but it wasn't my time to show it off," Vann said. "Now it is all on me, so I have to show it."
Area teams in loaded holiday tourney
The place to be for Indiana boys high school basketball this weekend is at New Castle Fieldhouse for this year's loaded 2022 Raymond James Hall of Fame Classic on Dec. 30, headlined by a battle between 4A No. 1 Ben Davis against Markus Burton and 4A No. 2 Penn.
The Giants are led by Zane Doughty's 16 points per game, while K.J. Windham adds 10.3 a game.
The first matchup will be last year's 1A champion, and current 3A No. 2 North Daviess against 3A No. 3 NorthWood, with the winners and losers playing each other later in the day.
The Panthers, who advanced to last year's regional final, are led by 1,000-point scorer Cade Brenner.
Mishawaka Marian, the No. 1 team in 3A, and Northern Indiana Conference rival, No. 16 South bend Saint Joseph, will be playing in the Homestead tournament beginning Wednesday, joined by Hamilton Southeastern, 4A No. 14 Fishers, Munster, 4A No. 4 Homestead, Fort Wayne Dwenger and Valparaiso.
Another strong field includes the Warsaw Classic, headlined by 3A No. 8 South Bend Washington. The Panthers, who began tournament play on Tuesday, are joined by host Warsaw, Portage and Harrison (West Lafayette).
Top performances from this past week
Last week's slate of games was small due to weather
South Bend Clay's Ameer Harris and Tyrese Jones each scored 10 points in a win over Trinity. Goshen's Quinn Bechtel scored a team-high 19 points in a win over East Noble.
Conference standings
Northern Indiana Conference (as of Dec. 25): Penn (6-0, 3-0 NIC), SB Saint Joe (5-2, 3-0 NIC), Mish. Marian (7-0, 1-0 NIC), SB Washington (7-1, 3-1 NIC), SB Riley (5-4, 2-2 NIC), Glenn (3-4, 2-2 NIC), New Prairie (3-4, 2-2 NIC), SB Adams (2-2, 1-2 NIC), Elkhart (1-7, 1-2 NIC), SB Clay (4-4, 1-3 NIC), Bremen (0-7, 0-2 NIC), Jimtown (2-6, 0-3 NIC)
Northern Lakes Conference (as of Dec. 25): NorthWood (7-1, 1-0 NLC), Northridge (7-1, 1-0 NLC), Mishawaka (5-2, 1-0 NLC), Warsaw (4-2, 1-0 NLC), Goshen (5-3, 0-1 NLC), Concord (4-5, 0-1 NLC), Plymouth (3-4, 0-1 NLC), Wawasee (3-5, 0-1 NLC).
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Loaded boys Hall of Fame Classic headlines holiday tournaments
