Before a single ball tips off this winter, the offseason already reshuffled several of Indiana’s most talked-about programs. The Indiana high school basketball coaching changes 2026 cycle produced one of the more unusual storylines in recent memory — a three-school chain reaction that started with one of the state’s top jobs opening up in March, and a separate shakeup up north that brings a veteran assistant into his first head chair. Here’s every notable move to track heading into the 2026-27 season.
The Chain Reaction: Fishers, Greenfield-Central, and Back Again
It started in March, when Fishers head coach Garrett Winegar stepped down after six seasons to join the staff at Iowa United Prep, a Des Moines prep academy, working under former Indiana University star Keith Smart. Winegar left one of the state’s premier programs in as good a shape as any coach could: a 132-25 record, a Class 4A state championship in 2024, a runner-up finish in 2025, and an 83-3 mark over his final three seasons.
Fishers didn’t have to look far. The school hired Miles Wayer, a former Winegar assistant who had spent the 2025-26 season as head coach at Greenfield-Central, going 12-12 in a rebuilding year. Wayer, a Mt. Vernon High School graduate who played college ball at the University of Indianapolis, was part of Fishers’ staff during a 73-14 run that included the 2024 state title. His return home was framed in deeply personal terms — Wayer noted his family has been rooted in the Fishers community since he and his wife graduated in 2020, and he takes over a roster expected to be one of the state’s best, headlined by returning guards Jason Gardner Jr. and Cooper Zachary, both mentioned as early 2027 Mr. Basketball candidates.
That left Greenfield-Central searching for a coach for the second straight offseason — and the Cougars found one by going backward. Luke Meredith, the program’s all-time wins leader with a 109-37 record from 2019 to 2025, agreed to return to the sideline after a one-year absence spent as the school’s strength and conditioning coach. Meredith never had a losing season during his first tenure, capped by a 68-7 run over his final three years that included coaching 2025 Mr. Basketball Braylon Mullins. “Being back in that gym on Friday nights, it just didn’t sit right with me,” Meredith said of his decision to return.
Wayne (Fort Wayne) Goes a Different Direction
In April, Fort Wayne’s Wayne High School moved on from head coach Anthony Brewer after three seasons, a 53-23 record, and a regional championship — just the third in program history. The school later hired longtime Homestead assistant Nick Ankenbruck as the new head coach. Ankenbruck spent 16 seasons on Chris Johnson’s Homestead staff, helping the Spartans reach consecutive semi-state appearances and win a state title in 2015; he also has previous head-coaching experience at Heritage from 2007-2010. He inherits a Wayne roster that returns several all-conference pieces, including Tyree Eldridge, Javontae Eldridge, and Everen Akison.
Why These Moves Matter Heading Into the Season
None of these changes are quiet, under-the-radar hires. Fishers and Greenfield-Central both project as contenders in their respective sectionals, and continuity was clearly a priority for both programs — Wayer inherited a culture he helped build, and Meredith is walking back into a program he spent six years shaping. Wayne’s move is different in character: a program looking to build on recent postseason success by bringing in a coach with a state championship pedigree from one of the state’s most consistent programs.
Expect all three jobs to be under a brighter spotlight than usual this winter. Fishers enters the year as a preseason top-tier team in Class 4A. Greenfield-Central will be watched for how quickly a once-familiar coach can re-establish rhythm with a roster he didn’t fully recruit. And Wayne’s hire will be an early test of whether a Homestead-style program-building approach can translate to a new address.
