IndyStar high school sports Insider Kyle Neddenriep identified the 64 “best” high school teams of all-time. That means the best team you can put together,not just the 1971 East Chicago Washington team, but players across all eras of basketball.
One rule: No school would have more than a 10-player roster. There are some that have eight or nine, but most have 10.
BUILD-A-TEAM:Check out more historic rosters Kyle has put together
Our third matchup in the southeast bracket features No. 5 Cathedral vs. No. 12 Franklin.Check out Franklin's rosterand compare it to Cathedral's, then vote for the team you'd think would win.
Ken Barlow – The 6-10 Barlow averaged 18.7 points and 9.4 rebounds as a senior in 1981-82 as Cathedral made it to the state finals for the first time and finished 27-3, losing to Plymouth by three points in the afternoon game. He set school records for blocked shots and field-goal percentage and finished third in school history in scoring and second in rebounding. Barlow was considered one of the top recruits in the country in 1982 and picked Notre Dame, where he went to score 1,342 points for his career. Barlow averaged 15.1 points and 6.7 rebounds as a junior and 14.9 points and 5.4 rebounds as a senior in 1985-86 as the Irish finished 23-6. He was a two-time team MVP and honorable mention All-American. Barlow played 16 seasons professionally in Europe. He was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019.
Leo Barnhorst – Barnhorst was the most valuable player of the Catholic state tournament as a senior in 1942 as Cathedral took second place. Catholic schools at the time were not eligible for the IHSAA state tourney until the following season. He averaged 16 points a game. The 6-4 Barnhorst went on to play at Notre Dame, where started 72 consecutive games from 1946-49 and earned All-American honors. He scored 778 points at Notre Dame, where he was known for his defense and rebounding. Barnhorst played five seasons in the NBA with four teams, averaging 9.4 points and 5.4 rebounds. Barnhorst was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 1980.
Armaan Franklin – The 6-5 Franklin was named the City Player of the Year and an Indiana All-Star as a senior in 2018-19. He averaged 23.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists as a senior. Franklin scored 1,369 career points and grabbed 468 rebounds. He was a two-time Supreme 15 all-state selection by the IBCA. Franklin led Cathedral to back-to-back City championships. Franklin committed to Indiana, where he averaged 3.7 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game as a freshman in 2019-20.
Chuckie Gilbert – The 6-6 Gilbert averaged 16.0 points and 6.4 rebounds per game as a senior in 1994-95 and was named to the Indiana All-Stars team, leading Cathedral to a 23-3 record and a double-overtime loss to Ben Davis in the regional championship. Gilbert averaged 5.3 points and 3.2 rebounds as a junior on a 19-4 sectional title team. After playing just six games as a freshman at James Madison, Gilbert transferred to the University of Indianapolis, where he made an immediate impact. In three seasons, Gilbert scored 1,041 points and led the team in scoring as a junior (14.4 points). Gilbert averaged 14.0 points and 5.1 rebounds as a senior in 1998-99.
Rylan Hainje – Cathedral won the Class 3A state championship in 1997-98 as the 6-6 Hainje averaged 16.8 points and nine rebounds. He was named the City Player of the Year. He averaged 14.5 points as a junior for a team that defeated Ben Davis and North Central in the regional in the final year of the single-class system before falling to Delta in the semistate. Hainje went on to be a four-year starter at Butler, averaging career highs in scoring (15.2 ppg) and rebounds (6.0) as a senior in 2001-02. He was named the Horizon League Player of the Year that season as Butler won 26 games and won the Horizon League. Hainje finished with 1,388 points and 658 rebounds at Butler. He played professionally overseas.
Collin Hartman – The 6-7 Hartman was a four-year varsity standout at Cathedral, leading the Irish to the Class 4A state finals as a senior in 2012-13 as he averaged 13.9 points per game. Hartman scored more than 1,000 points in high school and was named to the Indiana All-Stars team after his senior year. Hartman played four seasons at Indiana, starting 24 games as a junior in 2015-16 as he averaged 5.0 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists. He sat out with a medical redshirt before returning for his senior year in 2017-18. He averaged 4.2 points and 2.7 rebounds in 23 games that season. Hartman shot 35% from the 3-point line during his time at Indiana.
Scott Hicks – The 6-3 Hicks helped Cathedral to the state finals as a junior in 1982 and was named first-team all-state as a senior and to the 1983 Indiana All-Stars team. Hicks scored more than 1,300 points to set a career record at Cathedral and a single-game record of 44 as a senior. He averaged 20.4 points and 9.9 rebounds in 1982-83. Hicks averaged 15.2 points and 10.0 rebounds on the 1981-82 Cathedral team that went 27-3 and reached the state finals before losing to Plymouth. Cathedral was ranked No. 3 in the state going into the 1983 tournament, but was knocked off by Broad Ripple by one point in the sectional. Hicks played four seasons at Notre Dame, starting on a 24-8 team as a senior in 1986-87 that reached the NCAA tournament regional semifinals. He averaged 11.2 points and 4.2 rebounds that season.
Walt Sahm – As a senior in 1960-61, the 6-9 Sahm led Cathedral to its best record in 30 years (20-4) and set school scoring records for a single game (44) and a season (442) for an 18.4 per-game average. Cathedral, ranked second in the state, was knocked off by No. 3 Attucks 68-61 in the sectional final. He also had 511 rebounds as a senior. Sahm went on to play at Notre Dame, where he owns the career record for rebounding average (16.9). He averaged 17.4 points per game as a junior and 16.4 as a senior, finishing his college career with 1,077 points. He ranked in the top-10 on the nation in rebounding three times. Sahm was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011.
Charley Shipp – Shipp led Cathedral to the national Catholic basketball championship as a senior in 1934, averaging a team-leading 11.4 points a game in the five-game tourney. He personally outscored undefeated Chicago St. Rita in the championship game. Shipp was named the most outstanding player in both the state and national Catholic tournaments. After Cathedral, Shipp went on to play professionally for 13 seasons in the NBL and NBA with the Akron Wingfoots, Oshkosh All-Stars, Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons, Anderson Packers and Waterloo Hawks. He was named first-team All-NBL five times between 1937 and ’43. He went on to coach in the NBL and with the Purdue staff as a freshman coach. Shipp was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 1973.
Sean Woods – The 6-2 Woods averaged 18.6 points and 4.0 assists as a senior at Cathedral in 1987-88 and was named to the Indiana All-Stars team and Associated Press all-state second team. Cathedral finished 18-4, falling in the sectional final. Woods went on to Kentucky, where he became best known for his 21 points and go-ahead shot against Duke in the 1992 regional final classic (the Christian Laettner game). Woods averaged 9.1 points and 5.9 assists as a sophomore in 1989-90, 9.7 points and 5.6 assists as a junior and 7.2 points and 4.5 assists on Kentucky’s 29-win team as a senior in 1991-92. Woods has been a college coach at Mississippi Valley State, Morehead State and is currently at Southern. He was named to the Silver Anniversary team in 2013.
