TSI 2028 — THE PATH TO THE ADIDAS SHOE CIRCUIT
Eight summers, hundreds of practices and thousands of miles. More hotel rooms, 8 AM games, late nights, bad referee calls, postgame meals, parents having too much fun, and sweaty basketball uniforms than anyone could possibly count.
There have been championships and heartbreaking losses. There have been injuries. There have been players who stayed for nearly the entire ride and others who joined the journey for only a short time. There have been games in small Indiana gyms and games on some of the biggest stages in grassroots basketball.
And somehow, it all started with a bunch of 3rd graders from Southern Indiana getting absolutely smoked by 30 points in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
Seriously. Thirty.
Maybe that's actually the perfect place to start this story, because nothing about the TSI 2028 journey was handed to them.
This is the story of a basketball team, but it is also the story of what can happen when kids from small towns and communities throughout Southern Indiana stick together long enough to find out just how far they can go.
CHAPTER 1: THE BEGINNING
Everybody loves an underdog story. The problem is that being the underdog isn't nearly as much fun while you're actually living it. TSI 2028 learned that lesson quickly.
Their first real introduction to travel basketball came as 3rd graders at Rocky Top in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Beautiful mountains, a great family destination, and Zoder's Inn has a great creek. The basketball part? That didn't go quite as well.
Their opening opponent was the West Virginia Villains, and the final margin was about 30 points.
Welcome to travel basketball, boys.
That first season had an even bigger challenge. There simply weren't many 3rd-grade teams to play. While most kids their age were still learning the travel basketball world, TSI 2028 routinely found itself entering 4th-grade divisions as 3rd graders.
They were smaller and younger, and sometimes it showed. There were losses and some long weekends. There were probably plenty of parents wondering exactly what they had signed up for. But something important was happening at the same time: they kept showing up. They competed, learned, got tougher and slowly started becoming a team.
Then came 4th grade—and COVID.
Gyms closed, tournaments disappeared, schedules changed constantly and masks became part of everyday life. For young basketball players who simply wanted to play, there weren't many places to go. TSI 2028's season became mostly USAYH events in Westfield and Noblesville because nearly everything else had been shut down.
Strangely enough, in the middle of all that uncertainty, this team took off.
Two additions would play a huge role: Eli Gilpin and Ethan Noble.
The group started winning, and then they kept winning. In fact, as 4th graders, TSI 2028 won every tournament it played in except one.
Think about that progression. A year earlier, they were 3rd graders getting beat by 30. Now they were walking into gyms expecting to win.
Something was brewing.
Nobody knew where it would eventually lead. There was no Adidas circuit conversation, no 3SSB Finals, no college coaches watching and no national exposure. They were little kids playing basketball, but the foundation was being built.
Perhaps the most important part of the TSI 2028 story was already becoming clear: this was never going to be the story of only five players.
Over eight summers, a lot of kids have worn a TSI 2028 uniform. Some stayed for years, some for one season, and many filled in for a weekend. Some became stars, some defended, some rebounded, some hit big shots and some brought energy from the bench. Every family made sacrifices to get their kids to practice and tournaments all over the country.
They all own a piece of this story.
The current group includes the OGs: Hudson Smith — Floyd Central; Braxton Riley — Crothersville; Andrew Nussbaum — Southwestern; Eli Gilpin — South Ripley; and Ethan Noble — Floyd Central.
Along with Lucas Hobbs — South Central; Caiden Boswell — Scottsburg; Ethan Larrimore — Salem; and Ross Bevers — Trinity Lutheran.
And throughout the journey: John Paul Siltz — Crothersville; Noah Washington — New Albany; Micah Mohler — Austin; Nolin Pearce — Lanesville; Tracen Roush — Austin; Braxton Bowman — Crawford County; Gavin Scheich — CAL; Luke Morrow — Southwestern; Caden Booker — Brownstown; Kyron Johnson — Charlestown; Griffin Mayes — St. Mary; Bryson Dials — Lawrence County; Carter Jones — Crothersville; Cash Richardson — CAI; Evan Renn — Silver Creek; Landon Werner — South Ripley; Tyler Hilton — Crothersville; Kolton Blevins — Crothersville; Blake Gunter — South Ripley; Elijah Moffet — Scottsburg; and James Scruggs — Jennings County.
Different schools, different towns and different personalities, but one basketball journey.
And it was just getting started.
CHAPTER 2: EXPANDING THE MAP
By 5th grade, Indianapolis and Louisville weren't enough anymore. The kids were getting older, the team was getting better and it was time to see what else was out there.
Tournament weekends became road trips throughout the Midwest, and something funny happened along the way: TSI 2028 hardly lost.
The team that once struggled just to find games against kids its own age was now showing up at tournaments expecting to be playing on Sunday afternoon.
One of the personalities that helped define those teams was Andrew Nussbaum. Andrew could make life miserable for opposing guards. He defended, competed and annoyed people—exactly what you want from a teammate and exactly what you don't want from the kid guarding you.
But there was another side to Andrew's game. When things got tight late, he wanted the ball. Game-winners, big shots and pressure possessions—Andrew seemed to have a habit of making them.
Cold blooded.
Then there was Noah Washington of New Albany. Noah had battled back from a knee injury and returned as a major piece of the team. He was strong, athletic and relentless around the basket.
Coach Nussbaum probably had the best scouting report on Noah: his ability to get his own missed shot was a cheat code. Miss it, rebound it, go back up and repeat until someone finally stopped him.
Two championships from that 5th-grade season stand above the others.
The first required returning to the scene of the crime: Rocky Top in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
Remember that 30-point beating in their first game as 3rd graders? The boys certainly did. This time, the trip ended differently. TSI 2028 captured the Hoops Summer Championship.
Same mountains. Same destination. Very different ride home.
Then came Louisville. The Battle of the Bridges brought together a loaded field, and TSI once again found itself standing at the end as champions.
By now, this wasn't a cute little local team having a good summer. They could play.
Sixth grade brought more of the same—more miles, more tournaments and more championships. It also brought another important addition.
Gavin Scheich gave the roster something it badly needed: size. Suddenly, the team had more size to complement its guards and wings, and the group continued winning local tournaments and competing throughout the region.
But something else was happening away from the scoreboard.
The kids were growing up together.
Tournament weekends weren't simply basketball anymore. They were hotel pools, team dinners and long car rides. Parents became friends. Brothers and sisters grew up around the team. Coaches spent summer weekends with the same families year after year.
That's the part of grassroots basketball that doesn't show up on a tournament website. Eventually, you realize you aren't simply coaching a basketball team.
You're experiencing a group of kids grow up over night.
And the next stage of growing up was going to test them.
CHAPTER 3: THE MIDDLE SCHOOL YEARS
If the TSI 2028 story were a movie, 7th grade would be the part where the music changes, because winning suddenly wasn't so easy.
The competition got bigger, players hit puberty at different rates and teams changed. The same group that had spent years collecting championships suddenly found itself fighting through a difficult summer.
TSI 2028 won only three tournaments during its 7th-grade season, and the big events were particularly frustrating. They competed and battled, but they couldn't always get over the hump.
They even traveled to Jacksonville, Florida, for a national event. They didn't come home with the trophy they wanted, but the trip became memorable for reasons that went well beyond wins and losses. Jacksonville was a bonding trip—another shared experience for a group of kids who had already spent most of their childhood traveling together.
Maybe 7th grade was exactly what they needed.
Because 8th grade was coming.
And 8th-grade TSI 2028 was a problem.
The reinforcements arrived in the form of Braxton Bowman, Tracen Roush and JP Siltz. They were three huge additions, and suddenly the pieces fit.
The summer began with a statement at Nexus Fieldhouse, where TSI reached the championship game against Team Teague and won. That was the opening shot of what would become an incredible summer.
The group later traveled to Huntington, West Virginia, where it battled its way to another championship game. This time, On Point Ballers got them in a hard-fought title game.
Runner-up.
File that one away, because there would be a rematch.
TSI continued tearing through its schedule and returned to Rocky Top, where it once again captured the Hoops Summer Championship in Gatlinburg.
Then came another opportunity against On Point Ballers. Remember Huntington? Apparently the boys did.
This time there would be no close championship loss.
TSI beat them by 21 points.
Message delivered.
What made the summer even more impressive was that all of this was happening without one of the players who had helped change the trajectory of the team years earlier. Eli Gilpin was sidelined with a knee injury.
For a team accustomed to having Eli on the floor, that was a massive loss, and other players had to do more. They did.
But Eli's role in that summer shouldn't be overlooked either. He couldn't play and easily could have stayed home, but he continued traveling to most events with his teammates.
That's when you learn what a team really means to a kid. Not when you're scoring 20 points or holding a trophy, but when you can't play at all and you still want to be there.
The summer kept rolling until eventually TSI 2028 arrived in St. Louis, Missouri. This time, they weren't simply chasing another weekend championship. They were chasing something bigger: the Reebok World Championship.
Years of basketball had brought them to that point. The 30-point loss, playing up, COVID, Westfield, Noblesville, Gatlinburg, Louisville, Jacksonville and Huntington—it was all part of the journey.
And when the weekend ended:
TSI 2028 WAS A REEBOK WORLD CHAMPION.
Those little 3rd graders had come a long way.
But the biggest challenge was still ahead.
High school.
CHAPTER 4: WHEN SOUTHERN INDIANA MEETS THE SHOE CIRCUIT
High school grassroots basketball is different, especially in Southern Indiana.
Once players reach high school, talented kids wanting shoe-circuit exposure have historically looked north toward Indianapolis or elsewhere for opportunities. That creates a difficult decision: leave, split everyone up, or find a way to stay together and still compete.
For TSI 2028, the answer was simple: let's see how far we can take this ourselves.
So they stayed together, searched out the best tournaments they could find and started beating people again.
The final record that summer?
38–4.
They captured the WKS Blue Grass March Madness Championship in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and then came another trip to St. Louis.
One World Championship was nice.
How about two?
BACK-TO-BACK REEBOK WORLD CHAMPIONS.
At this point, the little team from Southern Indiana wasn't so little anymore.
Two players in particular were developing into major pieces. Eli Gilpin of South Ripley had become a dynamic two-way guard, while Ethan Noble of Floyd Central was emerging as a legitimate floor general.
Ethan could control a game in multiple ways. He could score, pass, rebound, defend and make the right read. The group now had size, guards, shooting, toughness and, maybe most importantly, years of chemistry.
The question was no longer whether TSI could win regional tournaments.
There was now a much bigger question:
Could these kids compete on a shoe circuit?
They were about to find out.
ADIDAS 3-Stripes Gold — WELCOME TO THE BIG STAGE
The opportunity finally came.
TSI 2028 would play its sophomore summer under the IBC Team Southern Indiana banner on the Adidas 3-Stripes Gold circuit.
For years, the goal had been to create an opportunity like this closer to home. Now the door was open.
There were questions. Could a team built primarily around Southern Indiana players really compete against established circuit programs? Was the jump too big? Would years of success in regional events translate to this level?
The boys didn't have to argue about it.
They could answer on the court.
First, though, there was some unfinished business. TSI returned to Bowling Green and defended its WKS Blue Grass March Madness championship.
Then it was time for the first Adidas circuit stop in program history.
Detroit.
New stage. New level. New opponents.
TSI's record?
4–0.
Not bad for an introduction.
More importantly, they looked like they belonged.
Next came Austin, Texas, where TSI went 3–1, giving the group a 7–1 record through its first two Adidas Gold circuit stops.
Ethan Noble's play earned recognition from Adidas as a notable 16U performer during the Austin event. At another Adidas Gold event, Caiden Boswell exploded for 21.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, earning recognition among the event's outstanding performers.
Suddenly, people weren't asking whether Southern Indiana belonged.
They were learning the names: Gilpin. Noble. Boswell. Smith. Nussbaum.
And the rest of TSI.
Then came the opportunity they had been chasing.
ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA — THE 3SSB FINALS.
This was the stage. Teams and players from across the country, college coaches and national competition—everything this group had spent years working toward.
Once again, there were moments that showed exactly how far TSI had come. Against Team Loaded, TSI posted an 81–73 victory, with Gilpin scoring 25 and Noble adding 21 points and six rebounds.
Gilpin's performance included 25 points, three assists, five steals and five blocks. Adidas ultimately named him to the 16U Gold Earn Your Stripes All-Tournament Second Team after he averaged 12.2 points and 2.8 steals.
Bryson Dials, a late addition from Lawrence County, gave the roster another weapon and provided another example of what the program was becoming—a destination where talented players from the region could come together and compete nationally.
TSI didn't win the 3SSB championship, but that really isn't the most important part of this chapter.
They got there. Southern Indiana got there.
The same basketball program that once struggled to find enough 3rd-grade teams to play had put a team on the Adidas stage.
Think about that.
THE FINAL CHAPTER: ONE MORE SUMMER
And now we arrive at the strange part of this story.
We don't know the ending.
For eight summers, these kids have grown up in front of us. They were elementary school kids when this started, and now they're preparing for their final grassroots season together as 17U boys.
There is one more summer, one more hotel season, one more schedule and another collection of long drives. There will be another summer of hearing coaches yell the same things they've probably heard 10,000 times, and another summer of parents sitting in gyms wondering how the years went by so quickly.
Most importantly, there is one more opportunity for this group to put on a TSI uniform together.
But something is different now.
TSI 2028 isn't simply playing for itself anymore.
They helped build the road for the next groups to come.
The upcoming season will feature IBC Team Southern Indiana 17U, IBC Team Southern Indiana 16U and IBC Team Southern Indiana 15U—three Southern Indiana high-school boys teams with the opportunity to compete against high-level programs from across the country.
That's bigger than one team.
It's a pathway.
A kid from South Ripley, Floyd Central, Scottsburg, Southwestern,South Central, Salem, Crothersville, Trinity Lutheran or another Southern Indiana community can look at this journey and know something that wasn't nearly as clear eight years ago:
You don't necessarily have to leave Southern Indiana to dream bigger.
That's probably the real legacy of TSI 2028.
Of course, don't tell the players we're talking about their legacy yet.
They aren't finished.
There are still games to play, shots to make, people to prove wrong and championships to chase. If history tells us anything about this particular group, the journey probably won't be boring.
Just remember where it started: 3rd grade at Rocky Top against the West Virginia Villains and a 30-point loss. Then came playing up, COVID, masks, Westfield, Noblesville, championships, Battle of the Bridges, Jacksonville, Nexus, Team Teague, Huntington, On Point Ballers, redemption, Rocky Top again, St. Louis and a World Championship.
Then another World Championship.
Rock Hill and the 3SSB Finals.
Eight summers ago, none of that seemed possible.
That's what makes this final chapter so much fun. Nobody knows what happens next.
Maybe there will be another trophy or another unbelievable finish. Maybe Nussbaum has another big shot hiding somewhere. Maybe Noble has a Triple-Double in the 3SSB Finals. Maybe Gilpin takes over and averages 30 on the circuit. Maybe Smith has an even bigger breakout summer. Maybe Boswell catches fire. Maybe Hobbs shoot 100% from the FT line—or somebody else entirely—who creates the moment everyone remembers.
That's been the beauty of this team: different kids have stepped up at different times for eight years.
And behind every one of them has been a family making the trip. Parents driving, grandparents watching, brothers and sisters tagging along, coaches giving up summer weekends and players sacrificing other things they could have been doing.
That's what built TSI 2028.
Not Adidas. Not Reebok. Not rankings. Not social media. People did.
The shoe circuit was never the beginning of the story. It was the destination these kids worked their way toward, and now, because of them, the next Southern Indiana kid has a path to follow.
So, we'll save the ending for later.
There is still one summer left. One final ride with a group that has been together, in one form or another, since they were little boys.
From a 30-point beating in Gatlinburg to standing on the Adidas 3SSB stage.
Not bad. Not bad at all.
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