'Culture' and 'honoring the past' the focuses for Muncie Central boys basketball in 2022-23

MUNCIE, Ind. — Walking into the Muncie Fieldhouse, surrounded by dozens of banners dangling from the rafters, still evokes one of the most special thrills an Indiana high school gymnasium can provide.

It's been almost 95 years since it opened, and after school each day it now sees the seeds of a new Bearcats boys basketball era being nurtured. Justin Ullom, a Muncie native, heads the latest program rebuild after transitioning from a successful tenure at Monroe Central, bringing along one of his sons, senior guard Josiah Ullom, and several assistant coaches to aid in his mission.

Central has not fielded winning teams of late, yet one of coach Ullom's priorities this preseason has been instilling a sense of pride for the program's history. He feels, and his players admit, that some of the Bearcat mystique is lost on this generation.

Coach Ullom believes, however, that honoring that winning legacy is the first step toward recapturing consistent success. If the kids know who they're representing on the court, hopefully they'll work harder to fulfill that responsibility.

"I've wanted from Day 1 with this job to try to honor the past," coach Ullom said. "I want to just make sure they understand that the level of coaching that this program has had and the level of players really is close to unmatched.

"We're playing for those guys, representing what it means to be a Bearcat."

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That message appears to have resonated with this Central group, particularly the seniors who've endured the recent stretch of losing. Forward Antonio Gore hopes for a "redemption season," and guard Daniel Harris is excited for "new beginnings."

But coach Ullom is focused on the challenges ahead, not the shortcomings of the past. The Bearcats must adapt to new schemes, drills, roles and goals, as well as losing most of their starters from a year ago.

Still, this roster is led by six seniors and three juniors who have set a productive standard in practices thus far. Coach Ullom knew there'd be an adjustment period, but he's pleased with the progress being made and the attitudes in the gym each day.

"I really like our senior class. It's a good group to try to start something new with ... because they're willing to do whatever we ask them to do, and work hard," coach Ullom said. "We've been pushing them a little bit faster than we thought we would, trying to get more things in."

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Coach Ullom is also encouraged by Central's level of competitiveness last season. Of the team's 19 losses in 2021-22, nine came by 10 or fewer points. Five losses were by five or fewer points, most of which came in the season's final weeks.

This squad can build on the positives that kept them in those games. Some of the correctable issues coach Ullom identified on film were shot selection and general inconsistency, with the major flaw being too many turnovers.

Whether it was lazy passes, over dribbling or an individuals trying to do too much, taking care of the ball and not allowing opponents to gain momentum will be a major focus this winter.

"They were in 12, 13 games, 14 games, and sometimes it doesn't bounce your way and sometimes you don't make it bounce your way," coach Ullom said. "If we want to win close games, we're going to have to protect the ball a little better than we're doing right now. My guess is that's one of the things that will be a big key for our season."

Offense, though, has not been the priority in practices thus far. Coach Ullom is a defense-first coach, and the Bearcats have the length and athleticism to thrive on that end if they execute properly.

The key to Central's defensive success will be Gore, whom coach Ullom said has been a surprise standout since Day 1. That, and rebounding, are the aspects of basketball that Gore takes pride in, and he's happy to lead the effort in the hopes of "(proving) to everybody that we're actually a good team."

"Antonio Gore has really, really impressed me ... He's right now the glue on the floor for our other four guys," coach Ullom said. "He talks constantly. He's almost always in the right spot defensively. He's not the fastest, strongest, tallest, any of that, but he's making it really hard for us to not keep him on the floor."

Harris, who led Central in scoring (11.6 PPG) last year, also worked last offseason to improve defensively. His length and explosiveness alongside the defensively-sound Josiah could make a frustrating pair for opponents to go against.

Getting Harris to be more assertive offensively is also a focus, and his teammates have already seen his confidence grow in the past year.

"The more you play, the more you unlock your abilities," Harris said. "I feel more comfortable."

Coach Ullom doesn't think the offense will be humming until January at the earliest, so Harris' ability to create his own shot and collapse defenses will be relied upon often.

"His midrange is deadly, partially because he out-jumps everybody. It's not contested very often," coach Ullom said. "When he really gets downhill and gets anywhere in the paint, really good things have been happening."

Josiah was mostly relegated to off-guard duties at Monroe since his older brother, Jackson, ran the offense, but he should play more of a point guard role with the Bearcats and help Harris score from the wings.

Josiah is a capable scorer himself, too, and averaged about 8.5 PPG over the past two seasons in a slow-paced, halfcourt-oriented offense. Coach Ullom wants the Bearcats to push the ball more than his Golden Bears did, which should take advantage of Josiah's elite athleticism.

The senior is excited to play with a different type of roster, and is glad his teammates have so easily embraced him.

"It's crazy to me the amount of talent that really is here. Just from an outside view, you don't really get to see how much talent there really is," Josiah said. "And there's a lot of kids that just want to win. You see it in practice. They practice just as hard as we did last year. You see how successful we were, and that's what where we're trying to get to this year."

There will likely be growing pains for this Central team. No one expects the Bearcats to go from four wins to 20, but there is potential that some of last year's close defeats can be flipped into victories.

The larger goal, though, is to establish a lasting culture of Bearcat pride and winning habits. Harris, Gore, Josiah and other seniors hope to win now, yet they also want to lay a foundation that future classes can build upon.

"Whether we're under .500 or over .500 is going to depend on a lot of variables, but we've got a chance to be in most of the games we play if we commit to defense first and rebounding second," coach Ullom said. "Every coaching staff has their own culture and feel ... and just getting ours established and communicated and guys buying into it, that's a big deal this year."

Gus Martin is a sports reporter at The Star Press. Follow him on Twitter @GusMartin_SP, and contact him at gmartin@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: IHSAA boys basketball: Muncie Central focused on culture and pride