Marian Coach Scott Heady Tested Indiana in 2017, Brings Knights to Bloomington Saturday

Coach Scott Heady, his son Luke, and the Marian Knights travel to Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Saturday for an exhibition game against Indiana at 3 p.m. ET. Scott won two state championships at Carmel High School and coached against Indiana's Archie Miller in 2017.

Jack Ankony | Oct 28, 2022

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Indiana Hoosiers

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Coach Scott Heady and the Marian Knights gave the Hoosiers a run in their last exhibition matchup in 2017.

Marian led Indiana by two points at the 11-minutes mark of first half, and cut Indiana’s lead to six points in the second half. But the Hoosiers pulled away with a 34-6 burst in a 10-minute span to emerge with a 93-62 win. It was Heady and Archie Miller’s first games coaching their respective schools, and Indiana was led by 22 points from Devonte Green.

“We were just kind of new program, just going over for the experience thinking we were going to get thumped pretty good,” Heady said. “But we competed, actually, that day. I was really proud of our guys, a little surprised, actually. [Indiana] was a little different team back then than what they have now."

Marian basketball coach Scott Heady coaches his team during a timeout. / Marian Athletics

Flash forward five years, and Heady brings the No. 14 Knights to Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall to take on No. 13 Indiana, who enters its second year under coach Mike Woodson as the preseason Big Ten favorites. For Heady, this exhibition game is still all about the experience for his players, and he hopes to play everyone in both halves. But it’s also a chance to gauge where his team is at and how it responds to a talented opponent.

"It can be kind of overwhelming when you walk out there,” Heady said. “Obviously our guys aren't used to playing in those environments … [Indiana] is going to make some runs, and we may have possessions where we were really good defensively and did everything we could do and they're just going to make plays. We can't get wrapped up in the score.”

Heady and his son, Luke, have built a winning culture spanning from the high school level to college.

Scott boasts a 124-38 record across five seasons at Marian – good for a 76.5 win percentage – including five trips to the NAIA National Tournament and a Crossroads League Tournament title in 2021.

BUILDING TRADITION… 📈📈📈 pic.twitter.com/T9dZtyDDbT
— Marian Basketball (@MarianMensBBall) April 6, 2022

Scott was even better at Carmel High School, with a 78.8 win percentage in seven seasons and two Class 4A state championships in 2012 and 2013. Scott took the Marian job following Luke's sophomore year, and Luke helped Carmel reach the state championship in back-to-back years, taking home the title as a senior in 2019.

"It was a really cool moment, just to kind of embrace the fact that we're both state champions at the high school level, especially in Indiana," Luke said.

Luke, now a senior guard at Marian, and Scott approach the 2022-23 season with high expectations, as usual. The Knights were picked to finish third in the Crossroads League by the conference's coaches, but aspire to improve on runner-up finishes in both the conference regular season and tournament last year.

Marian coach Scott Heady watches Christian Harvey (2) defend Rowen Farrell during practice. — Marian coach Scott Heady watches Christian Harvey (2) defend Rowen Farrell during practice / Marian Athletics

Scott sees a team that can continue to hang its hat on strong team defense and 3-point shooting, but he’s still waiting to see how a group of transfers mesh with the returners.

Marian lost its top three scorers from last year, but replenished the roster with three Division I transfers: Jackson Ames from Miami of Ohio, Josh Bryan from Ball State and former top-50 recruit Taeshon Cherry, who played at Arizona State and Grand Canyon.

“I feel like we've got a real good chance to be right back there and competing for a national championship,” Scott said. “I think we have that kind of team.”

Marian fifth-year senior Christian Harvey was named to the preseason All-Crossroads League team, and Scott is relying on him to improve on his 10 points per game last season. At 6-foot-1, Harvey, from Richmond, Ind., started 22 of 30 games for Marian last season. Scott said Harvey really started to come on at the end of last year, outsourcing his season average in each of the final six games.

“He's very athletic, he's quick, he's really good in transition, really good at getting to the rim and getting in the lane,” Scott said. “So we're depending on him to do a lot of different things.”

The other top returner for Marian is another fifth-year player, Hayden Langkabel from Morristown, Ind., who matched Harvey’s 10 points per game in 10 starts last season. Langkabel led Marian in 3-point percentage at 46.2 across 119 attempts in 2021-22. Scott called Langkabel a dynamic offensive player who can also score around the basket.

Marian's Hayden Langkabel drives for a layup against Bethel University. — Marian's Hayden Langkabel drives for a layup against Bethel University / Marian Athletics

A tall task for Marian in this exhibition matchup is defending preseason AP All-American forward Trayce Jackson-Davis, as well as Indiana’s frontcourt depth with Race Thompson, Jordan Geronimo, Malik Reneau and Logan Duncomb. Marian has good size of its own with Ames at 6-foot-11, Cherry at 6-foot-8 and Nolan Foster at 6-foot-10, but Scott knows this will be a huge challenge.

“We've got some bodies that we can bang, but I'm not saying we can guard [Jackson-Davis],” Scott said. “We've got some bodies, that's about it. We'll see how we stack up. Our guys will compete, there's no question.”

Luke and Scott are familiar with Jackson-Davis when their Carmel teams matched up against Center Grove. Luke was 4-0 against Jackson-Davis in high school, and Scott’s only loss against Center Grove came in his first season as head coach in 2010-11.

“It was always a really big matchup and everybody looked forward to it,” Luke said. “Because most of the time, we were either second or first in the conference. So it was a big game, and I felt like there was a little bit of a rivalry there.”

Luke Heady scans the floor during a game at Marian. — Luke Heady scans the floor during a game at Marian / Marian Athletics

Luke missed most of last season due to preseason hip surgery, but he came back for the final six contests, including Marian’s two games in the NAIA national tournament. Across 66 games in three seasons, Luke averaged three points per game.

Growing up as a coach’s son in high school and college, Luke has felt the pressure to prove himself as a player. And with Marian’s three leading scorers gone from last year, this could be the year to take another step in his game. He's a career 40.3 percent 3-point shooter, including a 16-for-32 mark as a freshman. Luke has typically been an assist-first guard in the past, but said he’ll be looking for his shot more in his senior season.

"As a coach, I'm probably harder on him than I am on anybody and he knows that," Scott said. "That's the way it's going to be, but he handles it really well."

Marian coach Scott Heady and his son, Luke (middle), during practice this offseason. — Marian coach Scott Heady and his son, Luke (middle), during practice this offseason / Marian Athletics

Marian cruised to a 92-64 victory over Saint Xavier in its season opener on Thursday, led by 17 points from Langkabel and Bryan and 12 points from Harvey. Luke added three points and five assists, as Marian shot an impressive 17-for-36 from 3.

Luke grew up following former Purdue guard Ryan Cline and former Indiana guard Zach McRoberts, who played on Scott’s state championship teams at Carmel in 2012 and 2013. Luke said he was more of a Purdue guy growing up, and he’s excited for the opportunity that Saturday’s game presents.

"I think any kid in Indiana kind of dreams of playing at Assembly Hall and grows up watching the Hoosiers play,” Luke said. “Anytime you have an opportunity to play there, it's going to be once in a lifetime.”

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