By RICHIE HALL
sports@readthereporter.com
After 30 years of coaching, Chad Ballenger summed up what it means to him in one sentence.
“It’s a relationships business and I love it,” he said.
Ballenger has been in the business of coaching boys basketball since the 90s, including the past 19 seasons as the head coach at Hamilton Heights. With all that time coaching and winning, Ballenger has seen several milestones in his career, including one he reached this past January.
On Jan. 23, the Huskies beat Lafayette Central Catholic 64-48. In the locker room after the win, Ballenger’s players gave him a celebratory shower – it was the coach’s 250th victory at Hamilton Heights.
“We had a little celebration in the locker room,” said Ballenger.
Last week, the Huskies conducted their awards banquet night and Ballenger was recognized a little more formally. Athletic director Kurt Ogden presented Ballenger with a basketball commemorating his achievement.
“I didn’t expect anything to happen, so from that standpoint it was pretty cool to be honored,” said Ballenger.
“The nicest thing about Chad is the loyalty he’s given to Hamilton Heights,” said Ogden. “Committing 19 years of his coaching career to one place is almost unheard of, where coaches are chasing money and talent. Chad hasn’t been doing that.”
Thirteen of Ballenger’s 19 seasons have been winning campaigns for the Huskies, including 10 seasons with 14 or more wins. In addition, Heights has won two sectional championships (2013 and 2015) during Ballenger’s tenure.
“It’s a really good place,” said Ballenger. “We’ve had a lot of talent. We’ve had a lot of good players. I’ve had really supportive administration, good assistant coaches and good parents. It’s been a perfect storm. They’ve been really good to me.”
Ballenger is a graduate of Hagerstown High School and Ball State University. His introduction to coaching came when he served as an assistant under Pat Mapes – the current Hamilton Southeastern Schools superintendent – when Mapes coached at Cowan and Knightstown.
Later, Ballenger spent six years as an assistant at Kokomo under Basil Mawbey, the Hall of Fame coach who consistently took the Wildkats deep into the postseason throughout the 80s and 90s.
“We won a lot,” said Ballenger. “We went to four semi-states. We got to play in the last one-class state tournament. Great memories.”
One of the Kokomo players during that time was Brian McCauley. He would go on to coach the Kats from 2006 to 2014, a run that included a state runner-up finish in 2011.
McCauley then coached at Noblesville from 2014 to 2019, which included some games against Heights. Ballenger said McCauley is an “exceptional player” and “exceptional leader.”
“Brian and I are really tight,” said Ballenger. The coach said coaching against his former player was “extremely difficult. You both want to win, but you hate to beat someone you’ve been on the same sideline with.”
Ballenger returned to Knightstown to coach the Panthers from 2002 to 2007. Knightstown won three consecutive sectional titles during those years, including a regional title in 2005.
While the success and championships are nice, it comes down to the relationships for Ballenger. He has formed many of them over the years, including those with his former players.
“Last night I got invited to an NCAA party and it was former players who played at Kokomo when I was an assistant at Kokomo,” said Ballenger. He also maintains contact with his players from Knightstown and Hamilton Heights.
“It’s fun to see guys grow up and be successful as an adult,” said Ballenger. “It does seem like yesterday when I got there, but time has really flown by.”
Time may be flying, but the Huskies can expect to see Ballenger around for years to come. The coach said he still has “a passion and a love” for the game. “It’s year-round and there are times you get tired, but I still have a fire for it,” he said.
Ogden said that this past season may have been Ballenger’s best year coaching. The Huskies started 0-7 before running off a 10-game win streak, which included his 250th victory. Heights finished 14-10, another winning record.
“Maybe he’s getting better with age,” said Ogden.