Build-A-Team: Putting together the best Madison Heights basketball team

IndyStar high school sports Insider Kyle Neddenriep identified the 64 “best” high school teams of all-time. That means the best team you can put together, not just the 1971 East Chicago Washington team, but players across all eras of basketball.

One rule: No school would have more than a 10-player roster. There are some that have eight or nine, but most have 10.

BUILD-A-TEAM: Check out more historic rosters Kyle has put together

Our second matchup in the northeast bracket features No. 8 Fort Wayne South vs. No. 9 Madison Heights. Check out Fort Wayne South's roster and compare it to Madison Heights', then vote for the team you'd think would win.

Jim Cottrell – Cottrell averaged 15.2 points per game as a senior for a Madison Heights team that reached the regional final before losing to Kokomo by two points. Cottrell went on to play at Iowa Central Community College.

Chris Falker – The 6-4 Falker played on the same frontline with Ray Tolbert and earned all-state recognition as a senior in 1976 as he averaged more than 20 points a game. Falker was all-conference for two seasons, leading the Pirates in scoring (15.2 ppg) and rebounding (10.5) as a junior in 1974-75 for a 20-6 team that reached the semistate. Falker signed with Kent State and played three games in 1976-77. He transferred to Georgia State, where he averaged 11.0 points and 5.6 rebounds over two seasons from 1978-80.

Ike Jackson – As a senior, the 6-5 Jackson was a big piece of Madison Heights’ 1971 team that reached the final game of the semistate before losing to Elkhart. Jackson went on to play at Indiana Central for coach Angus Nicoson, where he became a standout as an undersized interior player. Jackson was the team’s top rebounder as a junior in 1973-74 and also averaged 13.1 points per game.

Winston Morgan – The 6-5 Morgan averaged 21.8 points and 13 rebounds to earn a spot on the Indiana All-Star team in 1981. He went on to play at Indiana, where he averaged 4.5 points and 2.9 assists in 107 career games. As a senior in 1985-86, he started 21 games and averaged 6.6 points and 4.6 assists for a 21-8 team. Morgan went on to play professional for nearly a decade in France, Brazil and elsewhere.

Jim Regenold – The 6-3 Regenold, after graduating from Madison Heights in 1968, went to break records at Ball State, scoring a then-record 1,685 career points. He led the Pirates to their first two sectional titles in 1967 and ’68 before falling in the regional championship both seasons to Marion. As a senior in 1971-72, he averaged 27.5 points and scored a single-season record 716 points. He was named Ball State’s most valuable player as a junior and senior. Was named to the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame’s Silver Anniversary team in 1993.

Stew Robinson – The 6-2 guard was an Indiana All-Star in 1982 after he averaged 23.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 4.3 assists. He set school records for single-season scoring (628 points) and career points (1,656) as well as five other school records. Also averaged 21 points as a junior for a 23-2 team. He started 46 games over four seasons at Indiana and averaged 5.6 points and 3.5 assists. Robinson twice led the team in assists, helping the Hoosiers to two NCAA tournament Sweet 16 appearances.

Milan Stubblefield – The 5-7 guard was a big-time scorer as a senior in 1987-1988 to earn all-state mention as he averaged 20.2 points per game. He scored 33 points in an upset win over third-ranked Richmond as a senior for his season high. Madison reached the regionals finals before losing to Kokomo by two points. Stubblefield cracked the starting lineup as a junior.

Clarence Swain – The 6-4 Swain backed Bobby Wilkerson with an 18.7-point scoring average and a team-high 12.7 rebounds per game as a senior in 1972 to help Madison Heights to a final four appearance and a 24-4 record. Madison Heights lost in the afternoon game to Gary West. Swain was a four-year letterman at Indiana Central. In nine games as a freshman, he averaged 11.3 points and 5.6 rebounds and followed that with 13.9 points and 8.5 rebounds as a sophomore. Swain was a four-year starter at Indiana Central.

Ray Tolbert – Tolbert accumulated 1,259 points and 750 rebounds and was named Mr. Basketball in 1977 when he averaged 25.1 points, 13.4 rebounds and blocked a school record 124 shots. In one game vs. New Castle, had had 33 points, 18 rebounds and 16 blocked shots. Madison Heights was defeated by Anderson by three points in the sectional championship in 1977. The 6-9 Tolbert went on to be a four-year starter at Indiana, where he averaged 11.2 points and 6.9 rebounds for his career and helped the Hoosiers to the 1981 national title. He averaged 12.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.1 blocked shots per game as a senior. Tolbert played parts of five seasons in the NBA with New Jersey, Seattle, Detroit, New York, the Los Angeles Lakers and Atlanta, averaging 3.6 points and 2.3 rebounds. He also played professionally in the CBA and overseas. Tolbert was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 2005.

Bobby Wilkerson – Wilkerson led Madison Heights to the state finals as a senior in 1972 and was named to the Indiana All-Star team as he set a single-season school scoring record with 530 points. He averaged 18.9 points, 12.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists and was one of the state’s top defensive players. The 6-6 Wilkerson was a starter on Indiana’s national championship team of 1975-76 and averaged 7.8 points, 5.3 assists and 4.9 rebounds. Went on to play seven seasons in the NBA, where he averaged 10.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists with Seattle, Denver, Chicago and Cleveland. Wilkerson was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012.