High school basketball coaches in Indiana

Mel_Garland

Melvyn J. Garland (June 23, 1942 – March 5, 1983) was an American basketball coach and player. Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, he emerged as a star dual-sport athlete in basketball and baseball at Arsenal Technical High School. Garland attended Purdue University and played for the Boilermakers on the basketball and baseball teams. He was a member of all-conference teams in both sports but excelled at basketball, where he was an Honorable Mention All-American during his junior season.
Garland turned to coaching after his graduation and began his career at Greenfield-Central High School as the coach of the basketball, baseball and cross country teams. He joined the Indiana State Sycamores men's basketball team as an assistant coach in 1967. Garland also served as the head coach of the Sycamores golf team for four seasons until his resignation from the university in 1975. He returned to high school coaching when he served as head basketball coach at Evansville Harrison High School for four seasons.
Garland was hired as the head coach and athletic director of the IUPUI Jaguars men's basketball team in 1979. He led the team to its first winning season in school history during the 1980–81 season but his career was prematurely ended when he stepped down due to health issues midway through the 1981–82 season. Garland continued to serve as athletic director until his death from leukemia on March 5, 1983.

Jerry_Oliver

Jerry A. Oliver (November 30, 1930 – September 25, 2020) was an American basketball coach who served as the head coach of the Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball team during the 1969–70 season and for the final game of the 1970–71 season.Oliver began his coaching career at George Washington High School where he won the 1965 state championship. Billy Keller, George McGinnis, and Steve Downing were among the players Oliver coached at Indianapolis Washington.Oliver joined Indiana's coaching staff in 1968 as an assistant to Lou Watson. Oliver served as acting head coach of the Hoosiers for the final 20 games of the 1969–70 season while Watson was recovering from surgery. Oliver served as acting head coach again the following season when Watson resigned before the final game of the season.After three seasons at Warren Central High School, Oliver was hired by the Indiana Pacers where he served as an assistant coach (1974–1980) and director of player personnel (1980–1981).
After his coaching career, Oliver served as the manager of the Hoosier Dome and Florida Suncoast Dome.
Oliver served in the United States Army. He died on September 25, 2020.

Norman_Cottom

Norman Cottom (March 12, 1912 – July 1, 1972) was an American professional basketball player for the Indianapolis Kautskys in the National Basketball League for two seasons. A native of Terre Haute, Indiana, Cottom attended Wiley High School and earned four varsity letters playing for the basketball team. He led the Red Streaks to 3 IHSAA Sectionals and 1 Regionals, reaching the state semi-finals in 1931 His HS teammate, John Miklozek would become a star at Indiana State University. Cottom was also an all-state performer in football.
Cottom played college basketball at Purdue University under Piggy Lambert. He played on the varsity team for three seasons, and as a junior in 1933–34, Cottom led the Western Conference in scoring. He was named a consensus NCAA All-American at the end of the season.
After college, Cottom played for the Indianapolis Kautskys for two seasons and one season with the U.S. Navy Pre-Flight team. He moved into high school coaching in Alexandria and Terre Haute, Indiana (Gerstmeyer High and Wiley High) before moving to Fullerton, California to become chairman of Fullerton Union High School's social studies department. In 1978, Cottom was enshrined in the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.

Carl_McNulty

Carl Edwin McNulty (February 14, 1930 – January 14, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Purdue Boilermakers, and later played for the Milwaukee Hawks in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Gus_Doerner

Wilfred Otto "Gus" Doerner (February 27, 1922 – December 10, 2001) was an American professional basketball player for the Fort Wayne Pistons and Indianapolis Kautskys of the National Basketball League (NBL). He won two championships with the Pistons and one with the Kautskys, although he is best known for his career at Evansville College.A native of Evansville, Indiana, Doerner attended Mackey High School and was a stand-out basketball player. In three years on the team, he earned all-county and all-sectional accolades twice apiece, and in his senior year was named a team captain. When he graduated in 1938, he decided to stay close to home and attend Evansville College (now known as the University of Evansville). He played on the Purple Aces basketball team for all four years, lettering each season.Doerner was a 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) forward and had a breakout senior season in 1941–42. That year, he recorded the third-highest scoring average in the nation and led Indiana collegians in scoring for the second time. He guided Evansville to the 1942 NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament where they would lose in the second round. He was named to the all-tournament team and was also selected as the NAIA Tournament MVP. Doerner became the first Evansville player to receive All-America status when he was honored as a consensus Second Team All-American selection.
After college he played in the NBL, the only viable professional basketball league in the United States at the time. From 1942 to 1946, Doerner played on the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons and won two league championships. He then played for the Indianapolis Kautskys and won one more NBL championship.In his later life he was a basketball coach at Fort Branch High School in Fort Branch, Indiana and won one sectional title. Doerner was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame for his success at the high school, college and professional levels of basketball, all within the state of Indiana.

William_Perigo

William J. Perigo (September 17, 1911 – February 7, 1990) was an American basketball player and coach. He played college basketball for Western Michigan University from 1931 to 1934 and professional basketball for the Indianapolis Kautskys from 1934 to 1936. Perigo also worked as a basketball coach for more than 25 years. He was the basketball coach at Benton Harbor High School for 13 years and led the team to the Michigan Class A state championship in 1941. He was the head basketball coach at Western Michigan University (1949–1952) and the University of Michigan (1952–1960). In 1983, he was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.