In a modern sports world of coaching carousels and transfer portals, basketball coach Marc Urban’s postgame comments after winning his fourth sectional in 10 seasons at CHS reveal how much he appreciates the job he has

Tom Keegan
Onwardtrojans.com

In today’s sports world of coaching carousels and players switching uniforms as if they were sweatsocks, human nature makes it tougher and tougher for sports fans to appreciate the moment and not worry about the key parties who helped to bring it about finding another address.
Those fearing Chesterton boys basketball coach Marc Urban riding his fourth sectional title in 10 seasons to another job should consider how he talked about his players and the athletic department headed by director Jeff Hamstra and assistant Tommy Berry on Saturday night in the wake of a 59-50 win over Valparaiso.
Right after a sectional title is the best time to listen to coaches talk about the season because the tension releases and they don’t ramp it back up until they pour into film later that night or the next day. Then it’s all about the next opponent, which in Chesterton’s case is Crown Point (22-1) at Michigan City on Saturday, a 7 p.m. tipoff.
“We’re so lucky to have Jeff and Tommy who care so much about running a really good event,” said Urban, a big fan of Chesterton’s new scoreboard, especially when the numbers are in his team’s favor. “They ran a first-class event. It looked right and it was run right. Just watching them day in and day out, how hard they work to make Chesterton a first-class operation is so appreciated.”
Urban has been approached about multiple appealing jobs during his time at Chesterton and has decided to stay put, in part because of his relationship with his bosses.
“It’s nice to have athletic directors who dive in with you on a team and care about the success of you and your program because it’s not like that everywhere,” Urban said. “Some people just do it as a job, but those guys really do care about the success of all their programs, and it’s fun. They’re very fun to work with and it’s very, very appreciated.”
Urban’s .767 winning percentage ranks fourth among active Indiana boys high school basketball coaches, behind only Garrett Winegar of Fishers (.829), Matt Roth of Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian (.816) and Chris Giffin of Lawrence North (.771).
Urban (197-60) needs three more wins to reach the 200 milestone, but he’s not thinking about three more, he’s thinking about one more.
Before turning his attention to Crown Point, Urban expressed Saturday night his appreciation for his players and he shared a conversation he had with his best player, senior Logan Pokorney.
A freshman playing for the varsity, Pokorney came off the bench for the Trojans when they defeated Valparaiso 66-50 in the Crown Point sectional final on March 6, 2023. The five starters, Tyler Parrish, Owen Guest, Sean Kasper, Nick Furmanek and Justin Sims combined for all 66 points that night, so Pokorney gives all the credit to that group.
“After the (Feb. 5) City game, Logan and I met and we talked and one of the things he said was, ‘I just want to win. The guys before me won and I haven’t won one yet,’ so I felt the pressure to do whatever I can to put these guys in a position to win because that comment he made means more to me than a lot of things,” Urban said. “And for him and the seniors and our team to be able to accomplish that, that’s why I do what I do. It was really fun to see him go up there and cut down the nets because he deserved it.”
Chesterton starts games with seniors Pokorney, Jaylon Watts and Caden Schneider, junior Tobias Ray and sophomore Bradly Basila.
Urban relies more heavily on his bench than in most seasons because of how much he trusts the players to bring it when called upon.
Juniors Malachi Ransom, a quick guard, and Gunner Ello, a bruiser of a post player, usually are the first to enter, followed by sophomores Cooper Huwig, a smart player with a deep lefty stroke, and speedy “Turbo” Tommy Kostbade, a leaper blessed with a deadly 3-point shot from the corners and sure hands to corral rebounds.
They all have a piece of the sectional net, tucked away for safekeeping, but for now their minds are on being the best versions of themselves they can be for 32 minutes of game clock Saturday night.