TOP STORY OF THE DAY, brought to you free by WICU: Former Northview assistant making history at Parke Heritage

Friday, March 19, 2021
Rich Schelsky

Just as Northview’s boys basketball team was making history last Saturday when it defeated Beech Grove, advancing the Knights to their first regional championship game in 17 years, a former Northview assistant was also making history on the sidelines at the Class 2A Greenfield Regional.

Parke Heritage head coach Rich Schelsky, who was an assistant coach under Mitch Lancaster from 2004-2006, led the Wolves to the program’s first-ever regional title and semi-state appearance with a 52-33 win over Shenandoah.

A few days after cutting down the nets and celebrating with his players and staff, Schelsky still couldn’t wrap his head around what they had accomplished.

“Honestly, I’m still trying to process everything,” he said. “It’s one of those things where I always knew we could compete with anyone in our regional, but to win it is just an unbelievable accomplishment.”

Schelsky, who compiled 113 wins and one regional championship game appearance during his seven seasons as Western Boone’s girls basketball head coach, as well as 50 more wins as the boys basketball head coach at Rockville and Parke Heritage, said being around the 2004-05 Northview team helped pave the way for him coaching uber-talented groups like the one he has now.

“Obviously, being around a great team like the one in 04-05 was a great learning experience as to what it’s like to be around and coach a great team,” he said.

Schelsky said he sees some similarities in the 2004-05 Knights and the 2020-21 Wolves.

“I would say those two teams are similar in that both teams were really athletic. We are definitely different in terms of offense and defense. That Northview team was one of the best offensive basketball teams I’ve ever been around or seen. Our Parke Heritage team is not nearly as potent offensively,” he said. “Having said that, our team this year is the best defensive team I’ve ever been around, so we are similar yet polar opposites.”

Parke Heritage heads to the Class 2A Washington Semi-State Saturday evening where the Wolves will take on a Southridge team that features a soon-to-be MLB draft pick in Colson Montgomery. Schelsky said his message throughout the week has been that Saturday is like every other basketball game they’ve played this season, while also honing in on a plan to slow down Montgomery and punch their ticket to Banker’s Life Fieldhouse and the school’s first-ever state finals game.

“We are approaching Saturday like every other game we’ve played,” Schelsky said. “No doubt the stakes are way higher than any of our other games, but we will prepare the same all week and have a good plan in place for Southridge.

“Southridge has an unbelievably talented kid in Colson Montgomery. He is the modern-day Scott Rolen, in my opinion. He is projected to be a first or second round MLB pick, so he obviously has a great future ahead of him. He will be one of the best players we have faced all season. We will have to make it as tough as possible for him to score. That will be a huge key.”

Several Clay County residents will be rooting for Schelsky and the Wolves from afar this weeknd. The loudest cheers may very well be coming from the Lancaster household, as the longtime Northview head basketball coach spoke about the happiness he’s gotten from seeing one of his former players and assistant coaches having the success Schelsky has had.

“Rich Schelsky is family to me personally and my wife and three sons. He was along the journey with me and my family for many years. He has been involved in our lives since he was 16 years old,” said Lancaster.

“He played on my first two Rockville teams and was the best player I ever coached at Rockville when he averaged 23 points and 27 points, respectively, in his junior and senior seasons and really helped establish us as a consistent winning program.

“After he played college basketball at Franklin College, he came back to Rockville and started to be my assistant at Rockville for the nine seasons in which we won three sectionals and were first or second in our conference in eight of the nine seasons. He was with me the whole way as a player or a coach and I can honestly say my teams would not have accomplished what they did without him right by my side.

“After my first year at Northview, he came back for two years and continued being the great assistant coach and a great asset to our program and what we accomplished in those seasons.

“I am not surprised by what he has accomplished at Parke Heritage these last two years,” Lancaster continued. “He is a great coach with a ton of experience and a great staff. The community really supports athletics with every fiber and the student athletes that came from Rockville and Turkey Run are tough minded team first type of kids. I am proud of Rich, his staff and his players for staying tough during tough times.”

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  • Northview needs a coach like Schelsky. A coach that is invested in the community he lives in with a passion for working with our local youth basketball players.

    -- Posted by bafstear on Sat, Mar 20, 2021, at 8:26 PM
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