Larrabee, unbeaten 2006 Golden Bears honored at Garrett Gymnasium

Unexpected phone calls from home when you are far away can be filled with bad news. So when Harry Larrabee saw he had a voicemail from John Heaton, concern jumped to the front of his mind.

In this case, Larrabee listened to the message and started to smile.

“My first reaction was did something bad happen because it’s happened to me three or four times in the last couple of years, from people I really respect and haven’t been in touch with.”

The call came from one former Golden Bears coach to another former Golden Bears coach regarding Larrabee joining Heaton in the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.

“When he said that, I was shell shocked,” admitted Larrabee. “I was lost with words. What an honor. What probably makes me as proud as anything, it shines light on Shelbyville basketball. This is an iconic, historic program when you look at the state history.

“You don’t have to look any further than 1947 … Bill Garrett, Frank Barnes, state championship and what it meant. There was a significance for all the right reasons with that team. This shines a bright light on Shelbyville, this honor, and I am really happy to be a big part of that.”

On March 18, 2026, Larrabee (photo) will become the ninth Shelbyville Golden Bear to enter the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame during the ceremony for the 2026 Men’s Induction class.

The announcement came last week as Larrabee and his wife, Betsy, were traveling to Shelbyville from their home in San Marcos, Texas, for the 20^th Anniversary reunion of the 2005-06 Golden Bears that went undefeated during the regular season (21-0) under the direction of Larrabee, who was an Indiana All-Star as a Golden Bear in 1970 and later returned to have a successful run as coach of both basketball programs at Shelbyville and as athletic director.

Larrabee replaced Heaton as Shelbyville boys basketball coach for the 2000-01 season and started a slow build to the greatest regular season in the history of the program. The Golden Bears finished 8-15 but won a Class 3A sectional title in his first season, defeating New Palestine, 62-51, in the sectional championship before losing to Brebeuf Jesuit, 62-54, in the regional.

The Golden Bears went 11-10 and 15-6 in subsequent seasons then moved up to Class 4A where records of 13-9 and 15-7 followed ahead of the 2005-06 season.

Shelbyville opened that season with a resounding 69-46 win over Bloomington North and followed with a 68-32 win at Triton Central, a 90-87 overtime win at Columbus North and a 58-50 win at Columbus East.

A win over Indianapolis Roncalli, 52-44, in the Shelby Shootout emphasized just how good the unbeaten Golden Bears were at 9-0.

Shelbyville became buzz worthy with a 58-55 win at Garrett Gymnasium over Bloomington South to improve to 13-0.

The Golden Bears finished off their unblemished Hoosier Heritage Conference schedule with a 44-37 win at Delta ahead of two final home games against Centerville, a team that finished 16-9 and lost in a regional championship game, and a Batesville team that was 18-1 upon arrival at Garrett Gymnasium for the regular-season finale.

Both games produced huge crowds and Larrabee credits a close friend with an inspiring idea.

“Centerville was obviously a good crowd but then Batesville, I remember coming in for the JV game and people were already here,” said Larrabee. “You can almost feel the atmosphere and the all-time hype. I got a good suggestion from Bob Gardner. He called me the night before, as a coach it was completely off my mind. He said if you win against Batesville, they are 18-1 and you are undefeated, if you win with a great crowd, cut down the nets because you deserve it.

“So I got with (assistant athletic director) Paul Heidenreich and told him to handle it. If this happens, let’s party and have fun and enjoy it. It was a great suggestion because I never would have done that without Bob’s input.”

Shelbyville beat Centerville, 63-46, and completed the program’s first, and only, unbeaten regular season with a 77-62 win over Batesville to improve to 21-0.

The Golden Bears started the postseason the same way it started the regular season – with a 70-49 win over Bloomington North at the Columbus North Sectional. Shelbyville then dispatched of the host Bull Dogs, 67-47, to set up a second meeting with Bloomington South in the championship game.

That’s where the Golden Bears’ run came to an end. The Panthers held off Shelbyville for a 46-45 victory and went on to defeat Evansville Harrison (58-55) and Jeffersonville (72-67) to win a regional title.

Lawrence North then defeated Bloomington South, 54-36, in the semistate and went on to capture the state title and finish off a 29-0 season with an 80-56 win over Muncie Central.

“A single memory is really hard,” said Larrabee, who arrived at Garrett Gymnasium for the reunion with a large suitcase full of memorabilia from that season. “At this point, 20 years is so hard to believe. What a team it was. Nobody cared who got the credit. We had to have James (Douglas) most of the game (because of his size around the rim) but we had some interchangeable parts. It was a true team all the way through that was unselfish and it shows how powerful (it can be) if you don’t worry about a lot of the other things getting in the way. That is what gives me the most satisfaction.

“We played so well in the clutch in many games. Then, the community … it started to roll around the Shelby Shootout and beating Roncalli. We come out of that, and I think Pendleton Heights might have been next (actually it was Greensburg) and then Bloomington South came in. From then on, home or away, there was an atmosphere of electricity … and we had a tough stretch with a lot of them on the road down the way.”

Current Shelbyville boys basketball head coach John Hartnett spearheaded the reunion Wednesday that was well attended.

“Every one of them wanted to be here,” said Larrabee. “Another thing about coach John Hartnett calling me and setting this up, it gave me an opportunity to reach out and reconnect with players, coaches and athletic staff. Everybody wanted to be here if they could.

“Obviously, it’s a tough time. There are a couple of guys really far away and Chad Batton is a fireman, he tried to get off, he texted me today and said he couldn’t make it. Everyone indicated they really wanted to come here. That was so satisfying for me, and I know the people that are going to be here tonight or listening on the radio will have memories … we all get to go down memory lane together and that’s a neat thing.”

The Larrabees are still ardent fans of the Golden Bears, frequently listening to the GIANT fm radio broadcasts while in Texas. The future Hall of Fame coach is impressed with Hartnett’s 2025-26 Golden Bears.

“I watched the team (at practice). John asked me to speak a little bit afterward and I spoke from the heart,” said Larrabee. “My evaluation in being around and in gyms, I think they have a chance to have a special year. I was very impressed with the maturity, the confidence and you could tell right from the beginning, they are playing for something bigger in their minds. They have five seniors (in the starting lineup) with a lot of experience, and I think, from what I saw, they will have a little bit of depth to which is always important. I am excited to see them play tonight and I will be listening again when I can in Texas.”

The Golden Bears defeated Rushville Wednesday, 64-36. The 2005-06 squad was presented at halftime. Larrabee’s induction into the Hall of Fame also was celebrated as Larrabee pointed to the crowd and student section and then to his heart.

Here are Shelbyville’s current representatives in the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame, located in New Castle:

• Nate Kaufman (1967 inductee)
• Willard Kehrt (1973)
• Bill Garrett (1974)
• James Campbell (1981)
• Gary Long (1994)
• Brenda (Kelsay) Simmons (2014)
• John Heaton (2018)
• Ken Gunning (2023)

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