Ball State Daily

MUNCIE, Ind. — The Muncie Central boys basketball team has turned things around this season as they are 7-6 through the first half of the season. If they stay on this pace, they will finish with their best record since the 2022-23 season. One bright spot in the season so far is sophomore guard Jaxson Johnson jumping in points per game, going from 11 last season to 18 PPG this season.

“ My teammates are trusting in me, and my coaches are trusting in me. They put me in the right positions to score… also, my confidence last year as a freshman, I was trying to figure things out, and this year I have more confidence,” Johnson said.

Another reason why the team is having so much success this season is that they brought head coach Jeff Holloway back, who last coached for the team in 2016.

“The more I thought about it, this is home. I graduated from here so it just felt right to come back and give back in that way.” Holloway said.

Holloway has been around the game of basketball for a majority of his life, as he not only played for and graduated at muncie central but also played college basketball at Arkansas State University and played some basketball overseas as well. Holloway takes these experiences and brings them to his current team.

“The way things are kind of taught, I was fortunate enough to play for certain guys in high school, certain guys in college, and I got to play overseas a little bit. Got to see how the game played internationally,” Holloway said.

And like any team, Holloway already has his goal set in his mind for the team for the rest of the season.

“ I think our team goal for the most part is 500 or better and then win a sectional game, and then go from there, everything else is a bonus,” Holloway said.

At the end of the day, no matter how the rest of this season goes, things are looking good for the Muncie Central boys basketball team. Their next game is at home on Tuesday, January 27, against Hamilton South Eastern. The tipoff for that game is at 7:30 p.m.