Rob York of Greencastle, Ron Kahle of Gibson Southern and Bill Thomas of Fishers will receive special awards from the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association.
The three coaches each will be recognized as a 2026 IBCA Assistant Coach of the Year. York has been a Greencastle boys' assistant for 19 seasons. Kahle has been a Gibson Southern girls' assistant for 20 seasons after many years in other coaching roles, including time as a state championship baseball coach at Tecumseh and also serving as the Gibson Southern boys' track head coach. Thomas has been a Fishers' girls assistant for nine seasons after previous roles at IUPUI, Hamilton, DeKalb, Carroll (Fort Wayne) and Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian.
This is the ninth year that the IBCA is recognizing assistant coaches with an award. The awards are going to three coaches who have contributed in a significant way to their respective schools' athletic programs.
These awards will be presented during the 2026 IBCA Clinic on April 23-24 at Mt. Vernon High School in Fortville.
York has been an assistant coach in the Greencastle boys’ basketball program for the past 19 seasons, long providing support for coaches and players alike.
York has been a part of the program since 2007, assisting former coach Troy Greenlee for nine seasons and current coach Bryce Rector for the past 10 seasons. His contributions are considered vital to the Tiger Cubs.
“Rob was one of the first people I met when I became head coach, and I immediately could see that he was going to be a key part of the program,” Rector said in his nomination of York. “ In the first meeting, I remember Rob telling me that he was there to do whatever he could to support me and the program.
“While running a large business, Rob rarely misses a practice or game and always is willing to do whatever is needed of him. One time a few years ago, I saw Rob out to eat lunch with a former player who had recently graduated. When I talked to Rob later, I asked what the lunch was about. He said, ‘Oh, I just wanted to catch up with him and see how he was doing before he left for college.’ Rob's work with our guys goes far beyond the basketball court and our players are better off because of their time spent with him.”
In addition to supporting the Greencastle boys’ basketball program, York also supports the Greencastle community, serving on multiple boards and contributing to various efforts. Among those was serving as fund-raising chairman for the Putnam County YMCA, where funds were raised for a new facility that opened in 2025.
Greencastle High School principal Yolanda Goodpaster has observed York’s contributions.
“Rob is highly respected by players and coaches alike for his integrity, dedication and positive approach,” she said. “He consistently models sportsmanship and emphasizes character development, teaching young men the importance of being good teammates, friends, sons, students, employees, and, if they eventually choose, fathers. His influence extends well beyond the basketball court, shaping lives through example and encouragement.”
David Taylor, a parent of three alumni in sons Cory, Conner and Carson, concurred.
“All three benefited from spending time with Rob both on and off the court,” Taylor said. “They share countless ‘Coach York stories,’ and they grew to appreciate Coach York and the way he coached them and cared about them. They all would agree that Coach York was tough but at the same time compassionate.
“Now I sit across the gym watching the current Greencastle team play. I see this same coach interact with the current players the exact same way he interacted with my boys. I know that this current group of boys, each one, is benefiting from having Coach York at their practices, at their games and in their lives. It truly is what coaching high school basketball is about and why my family and I continue to support this coach, all the coaches and the entire program.”
York is a 1987 graduate of Greencastle, where he competed in basketball and golf. He went onto Indiana University, earning a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice in 1991. He and his brother, Nick, operate York Automotive Group, an auto dealership with locations in Brazil, Greencastle, Plainfield and Crawfordsville.
York is married to Tammy, and he has four children – Trey, Brady, Colin and Meilani – and three grandchildren.
“Rob York is one of the most dedicated coaches I have been around,” Rector said. “He is always the positive voice in practice, whether that be serving as a positive supporter for our players after a tough loss or pulling a player who is struggling on or off the floor aside and having a heart-to-heart conversation with him. He is a coach who truly cares about the players during their time in our basketball program but also their life after playing basketball at Greencastle.”
Previous IBCA Assistant Coach of the Year honors have gone to Roger Bowling of Union County in 2018; Clark Miles of Jeffersonville and Danny Pierce of Crawfordsville in 2019; Jim Brothers of North Putnam and J.R. Moffatt of Hamilton Heights in 2020; Hassan Abdullah of Penn and Jim Higdon of Edinburgh in 2021; Ray Weatherford of Eastern (Pekin) and Scott Reid of Crown Point in 2022; J.D. Miller of Connersville and Stephanie Richie of Evansville Central in 2023; Dean Scott of Barr-Reeve and Bill Lane of Jennings County in 2024; and Josh Wetzel of Heritage Hills and Brian Samples of Oldenburg Academy in 2025.
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