Elkhart High School did not have to look far to find its new boys basketball coach.
Bodie Bender, who has spent the past three seasons as the Mishawaka High School coach, was hired as the new Elkhart coach Tuesday night.
Bender replaces Will Coatie, who resigned in April after two seasons in charge of the Lions.
“I’m a very lucky guy to be picked for this job,” said Bender by phone Tuesday night after being approved at the school board meeting in Elkhart. “It’s surreal. We have a lot of work to do, but I’m very fortunate.”
Bender, a Jimtown High School product, was 45-33 at Mishawaka. He guided the Cavemen to a 20-7 season and a Class 4A sectional title in 2023 and then directed them to a 20-8 campaign with Class 4A sectional and regional championships in 2024. The regional title was the program’s first since 1955.
The Cavemen finished 5-18 overall and 1-6 in the Northern Lakes Conference during the 2024-25 season. Mishawaka had just three seniors on its roster this past season.
“Some of the memories we made at Mishawaka I’ll never forget,” Bender said of his three years guiding the Cavemen. “I’d be lying if I told you that I don’t go back still and watch some of those games. I’ll remember the players at Mishawaka and always be there for them if they need something.”
Bender is 111-62 overall in seven seasons as a high school coach. He posted a 66-29 mark at Carroll High School in Flora over four seasons prior to coming to Mishawaka. His final two teams at Carroll went 45-6, including a 24-2 mark in 2021-22 with a sectional title and the program’s first-ever regional crown.
Bender takes over an Elkhart program that went 8-38 the past two seasons under Coatie. The Lions finished 5-18 overall and 2-5 in the Northern Indiana Conference during the 2024-25 season with a team with just two seniors. Elkhart was 6-17 each of the prior two seasons under Kyle Sears before Coatie took over.
Bender’s Mishawaka team topped Elkhart, 48-45, during the 2023-24 season. The two did not play this past season.
“There are some good players at Elkhart and good size, too,” Bender said. “I’ve had a lot of luck with size in the past, so that’s exciting for me.”
Bender, who noted that he will teach at Elkhart High School next school year, also previously served as an assistant coach at Elkhart Central High School.
Bender, a 2001 Jimtown graduate, pointed to a couple of keys as he tries to get the Lions program to being in contention in a tough NIC.
“Our success will be based on the consistency of what we do in practice,” Bender stated. “We want to keep it simple. We want to allow the kids to use their talent and play.”
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: HS Basketball: Bodie Bender named new Elkhart boys basketball coach
Reporting by Scott Davidson, South Bend Tribune / South Bend Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
