How a SW Indiana girls basketball team is rallying around coach's breast cancer battle

WASHINGTON, Ind. — Some moments make an impact even if you don’t know it.

Gretchen Miles can think of a few. She knew every Sunday meant spending afternoons in the gym with her father, Tom. No begging or pushing to get either out the door. It could have been Christmas Day. That was their time together with the game of basketball.

Moments like these growing up sparked a passion for a sport that ultimately brought her back to Washington High School. A game that offered an escape every time she entered those four walls.

A feeling that rings true possibly more now than ever.

Miles, now in her 16th season leading the Washington girls basketball team, was diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer in September. Yet, she continues to smile each time she walks through the doors of the Hatchet House.

“Basketball has been a great distraction,” she said.

Gretchen Miles is the winningest coach in program history at her alma mater

It’s difficult to remember a time she wasn’t impacting the game in Daviess County.

The 1997 Washington graduate was a four-year starter at point guard during arguably the best stretch in program history. The Hatchets won four regional championships – the postseason tournament was single-class until 1998 – and lost by one point to Carmel in the Final Four in ’95.

Miles remains second all-time in program history with 1,588 career points, second only to former teammate Julie (Helm) Chapman. She was a Junior All-Star and then the Courier & Press Player of the Year as a senior before playing collegiately for two years at the University of Southern Indiana.

“My job as a point guard was super easy,” said Miles. “The other four averaged double digits. I was very fortunate to surround myself with players who really set the tone of what it’s like to be a competitor, a Lady Hatchet basketball player and what it takes to win.”

The passion for this game never subsided even when her playing career ended. Miles eventually found herself coaching, eventually being named the head coach at Washington in 2008. Those early years were spent side-by-side with her father. Tom Miles never missed a game and even went on trips to scout opponents with his daughter. He passed away in 2014 following a heart attack.

"My best friend and always there to support," said Miles. "He really got the spark and love of the game for me."

Her father would likely be thrilled at the state of the program now. Take in these numbers since Miles took over: 13 straight years with at least 14 victories, two sectional championships (2020, 2021) and 251 career wins. Miles passed her high school coach, Steve Brothers, on Dec. 7 for the most in program history.

Miles is simply the face of that success. She points to a feeder system with minimal turnover from second grade on up. Anything the varsity does from verbiage to community projects, the elementary teams are involved. She credits her coaching staff and players who worked through the gym doors every day with having one focus.

“It's who you surround yourself with,” said Miles. “Any job you do is not a job alone. It always starts at the ground level and keeps building. You don’t stop being a student of the game.”

This is year six for David Harman on staff. What separates her in his mind is her dedication, not just for getting wins on the scoreboard but making the players better individuals. Miles creates a welcoming environment that extends beyond the court. Her office has an open-door policy. She is there to listen.

And no matter what else is going on, basketball practice is their “happy spot.”

“I’ve always said she’d be the mayor of basketball in Southern Indiana,” said Harman. “I don’t think I’ve met a coach that didn’t really like her. She goes at everything 100 percent. It’s the drive to come here every day and make (them) a better person, athlete and student.”

'We all have a story. We’re all hitting adversity.'

Miles says it was a regular mammogram screening.

She already had a history with breast cancer after her mother, Phyllis, succumbed to the heartbreaking disease a few days after Christmas in 2021. Ever since, she gets regular checkups much like the one in the fall. Except on Sept. 1, Miles received the news: Stage 1 cancer.

Such a moment is a shock to the system. According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer accounts for 30 percent of all new female cancers each year. The ACC estimates there will be 310,720 new cases of invasive breast cancer in women in the United States in 2024.

Miles determined at that moment to adhere to what she tells her players: The only way to go is forward. She underwent surgery on Oct. 27 and attended a scrimmage the next day — "It was a home game," she quips. Miles is currently nearing the end of a 21-day radiation treatment in Evansville. There hasn't been any chemotherapy required.

"I get back here and go to basketball and keep trucking," said Miles. "We all have a story. We’re all hitting adversity."

The players received the news soon after the diagnosis. For a group considering themselves family, this was one of their own about to undergo a different battle. On the first day of practice, the Hatchets arrived with custom shirts saying, "We Fight Together."

"We were upset and ready to fight for her," said senior Hayleigh Cummins. "Everything is for her. It’s been a rough year. We’ve gone through so much adversity. (This season) shows how much hard work we’re willing to put in for each other."

What shouldn't have been surprising is the response from other programs throughout the state. Miles says not a day goes by where someone doesn't reach out by text, email or sends an old-fashioned card. She's even heard from coaches from other corners of the state. There have been multiple Coaches vs Cancer fundraising opportunities at Washington games, both at home and on the road.

One was at Gibson Southern on Jan. 13. Titans coach Kyle Brasher considers Miles not just a competitor but also a friend. He remembers being a new head coach and attempting to learn the ropes. Miles was always there to discuss ideas and Brasher learned quickly how difficult it can be to beat the Hatchets in 2019 despite having one of the top Class 3A teams in the state.

"I don’t think you’ll find a better person than Gretchen Miles," said Brasher. "She realizes all of us coaches are in this to better student athlete’s lives. You look at the culture she’s created up there and it’s a testament to who she is as a person. In the coaching fraternity, you won’t find a better colleague to work with or go against us. We want to measure ourselves against the best. Going against her, you’re doing that all the time."

The Hatchets have rallied around their leader to become one of the best teams in Southwestern Indiana

This wasn't how the season was meant to go.

Three losses in the first five games. A varsity roster limited to six players after multiple injuries. Add all of that to Miles having surgery a week before the season started. The program was being tested out of the gate.

What happened next? Only one of the best stretches from any team in Southwestern Indiana. Washington won 15 straight games while limiting opponents to 34 points per game. Ten were conference opponents. A young team – the Hatchets have only two seniors – was growing and maturing in real time.

"The adversity these kids fought through since day one," said Miles. "Showed a lot of guts and pride of handling hard things better. It showed what we as coaches knew."

The lineup was one potential future star in forward Katie Reed (13.6 points, 6.4 rebounds), who Miles has to remind herself constantly she's only a sophomore. But the Hatchets' true strength is the depth. Junior Olivia Gilley (7.3 points) works hard on the other block and rebounds well. The frontcourt also includes defensive stopper, sophomore Ella Williams plus talented freshman London Gilley, both of whom missed multiple weeks with injuries.

Then you have the backcourt. Junior Aubrey Frank (7.0 points) is the same mold as her coach, a point guard who values the ball but can shoot. Junior Kenna Garland (9.9 points) is an athletic shooter becoming more comfortable off the dribble as opponents adjust. Sophomore Shay Hawk (8.2 points) provides energy and an additional scoring punch off the bench. The rotation is completed by Cummins (4.3 points, 5.0 assists, 4.4 rebounds), the glue that arguably brings the entire team together.

Washington (19-4) believed this was possible after 14 games last year despite an overhauled roster. Another year older and better. The coaches also describe them as true students of the game based on preparation. A group that will be the Sectional 31 favorites this week.

"I think it’s our team chemistry," said Frank. "We spend a lot of time together and pretty much like a family. We have a wristband that says ‘Handle hard better’. Whether that’s in real-life situations or in basketball. Handle hard better."

Miles wears the bracelet on her hand. It's perhaps a small reminder of her journey since September. One that's had its highs and lows much like running a successful high school basketball program in one of the hotbeds of Indiana.

Nothing is done alone. Miles fully believes that.

"As much as the kids learn from their coaches' life skills, we also learn from them," she said. "They’ve helped me more than what they know to get through all this."

Follow Courier & Press sports reporter Kyle Sokeland on X (formerly Twitter) @kylesokeland.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: IHSAA girls basketball: Washington coach Gretchen Miles battles cancer