Two-time Player of the Year leads Courier & Press All-SW Indiana girls basketball team

FERDINAND, Ind. — Amber Tretter originally did not want to play college basketball.

It wasn’t until her freshman year at Forest Park High School that she thought about the next level. The Rangers were building on their winning foundation when she first arrived. Tretter became bigger and stronger, and Forest Park was becoming a better basketball team.

So, her wishes began to change as she found plenty of options during her recruitment process.

Perhaps more importantly than playing basketball, she wanted to major in architecture. She chose Miami (Ohio), which had both her major and a program interested in her talent on the court.

Back to back: Forest Park girls basketball repeats as Class 2A state champion

“I’m really glad that I made that choice,” Tretter said. “I’m so excited for my future and what it holds. I’m going to have a great time at Miami.”

Tretter, a 6-foot-1 senior, made history to get to this point after four years with the Rangers. She dominated the post and averaged 15.8 points (59% FG, 41% 3PT, 74% FT), nine rebounds, 2.3 assists, 2.1 blocks and two steals per game this season. She's the program's first Division I signee, a finalist for Indiana Miss Basketball and last month led Forest Park to back-to-back Class 2A state titles.

To cap another standout year, she can add one more honor to her résumé: Two-time Courier & Press All-Southwestern Indiana Player of the Year, as voted on by the sports staff.

“She’s a total team player and truly does make her teammates better," Forest Park coach Tony Hasenour said. "There’s a lot of times where she gets double- or triple-teamed, and she’ll be able to find an open teammate cutting to the basket for an easy look or hit it back outside for somebody to hit a three. The girls love playing with her, and I love coaching her for four years.”

Tretter ranks second in program history in points (1,345) and rebounds (803), first in blocks (175) and third in steals (201).

Yet, her swan song during the state championship game might serve as her most memorable moment. Forest Park trailed Lapel by one point with 19 seconds remaining.

Enter Tretter, who of course was being double-teamed after already notching another double-double. She received the ball from Gabey Gray, turned to her left and was surprised to see an open path to the basket. Her shot went in. Back-to-back state titles secured with a game-winner.

“Whenever I got the ball, I was just making sure that I had confidence and told myself that it was going to go in,” Tretter said. “I basically just shot it normally, so I didn’t overthink it too much.”

It was a play called "Logan" that Forest Park worked on all season. But heroics have been routine throughout her career. Hasenour remembers her many defensive plays and that fired up her teammates whenever she blocked a shot. Plus, her other dominant state championship performance last year.

"She just seems to be that kid that's always making the play on both ends of the court to get her teammates and coaches excited," Hasenour said.

Forest Park noticed opposing teams brought even more of their A-games this year. They clearly scouted the Rangers more and guarded the Rangers more intensely. Tretter felt like the elevated competition has prepared her even more for the next level.

“It was kind of nice to play one more year with my fellow seniors,” Tretter said. “It was nice to go out and get a win with them, too.”

Tretter exudes confidence wherever she goes. But she finds more joy in elevating her teammates, such as Gray, Carley Begle and Lydia Betz, among others. It’s something that she prides herself in.

“The bond that our team has is awesome,” Tretter said. “We all get along so well. I think that has made my basketball career so great.”

Alas, her Forest Park career has come to a storybook ending. Among her many other honors, she was the Class 2A Mental Attitude Award winner, a first-team Pocket Athletic Conference honoree, and made the IBCA Senior All-State Supreme 15.

She says she'll always cherish the lighthearted moments in the locker room and the laughs she shared with her teammates.  Tretter cemented a legacy as perhaps the best basketball player in Forest Park history.

“What her teams have been able to accomplish, what she was able to accomplish as an individual is unbelievable," Hasenour said. "She had a lot of confidence in herself, but I’m not sure if she even envisioned a career like this.”

2023 Courier & Press All-Southwestern Indiana girls basketball teams

Name, School, Ht., Year

First Team

Ella Bobe, South Knox, 5-7, So.

Trinity Britton, South Spencer, 5-7, Sr.

Arianna Gerkin, Vincennes Lincoln, 5-10, Jr.

Chloey Graham, Gibson Southern, 5-7, Jr.

Avah Montgomery, Southridge, 5-9, So.

Gabby Spink, Gibson Southern, 5-9, So.

Emily Parker, Boonville, 5-10, Fr.

Amber Tretter, Forest Park, 6-1, Sr.

Second Team

Carley Begle, Forest Park, 5-9, Sr.

Jenna Donohoo, Tecumseh, 5-9, Jr.

Rhylan Kalb, Northeast Dubois, 5-10, Sr.

Bailey Keusch, Southridge, 5-10, Sr.

Gracie Kramer, Vincennes Lincoln, 5-4, Sr.

Alex McKinley, North Knox, 5-7, So.

Lexi Smith, Princeton, 5-3, Jr.

Alexis Tucker, Gibson Southern, 5-9, Sr.

Player of the Year: Amber Tretter, Forest Park

Coach of the Year: Tony Hasenour, Forest Park

Courier & Press sports reporter Treasure Washington can be reached via her email, treasure.washington@courierpress.com, and on Twitter @Twashington490.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Forest Park's Amber Tretter named All-SW Indiana Player of the Year