Former @bhsdogsbhoops head coach Steve Brunes, 70, passes away

By Sam Weiderhaft

"Varsity Gym was rocking when his teams played there."

That same gym was silent on Thursday evening, as former Brownsburg boy's basketball head coach Steve Brunes passed away at his home in Lebanon, Indiana, at the age of 70. 

Brunes made many stops in his 39-year Indiana high school basketball coaching career, but none more memorable than his time with the Bulldogs between 1987 and 1998. In his 11 seasons with the purple and white, he collected 190 wins, with five regional titles for his teams as well. 

His son, Craig, was a member of two of those regional championship teams, in 1988 and 1991. Brunes is the all-time leading scorer in Brownsburg school history, a 3rd place finisher for 1992 Indiana Mr. Basketball, and a 1992 Indiana All-Star.

Craig Brunes gave credit to his father for all of his accomplishments during his time with the Bulldogs. "He was definitely the catalyst for my success," Brunes said. "He knew how to push my buttons to get that extra out of me when he felt I wasn't giving my best." 

Craig reflected on his relationship with his father, saying that it wasn't always the things Coach Brunes taught in practice, but rather the hard work around their house that taught him discipline and commitment to the task at hand.

The two had a special bond through basketball. "It ran through our blood and to share that excitement and passion with him was something really special for both of us," Brunes said. 

When his son Craig graduated, Coach Steve Brunes turned toward 6-2 shooting guard Eric Riggs to fill the spot. "I looked up to his son Craig, I got to guard him in practice and learn from him," Riggs said in an email. "Coach wanted me to be that same type player once I got the chance to play for him."

Riggs would win two more regional titles in the 1994 and 1995 seasons for Brunes, and even broke his son's school record for points in a game with 50. Riggs credits all of that success to his coach for his three seasons with Brownsburg. 

"On the court he believed in me and my teammates," Riggs said. "From the time I stepped foot at tryouts as a Sophomore, he told me this was my team and to be a leader."

Brunes was a motivator. Riggs mentioned how his favorite memory with the coach was right before every game, how he'd give the team "goosebumps" with his intensity and how the team "wanted to run through a brick wall for him."

Craig Brunes felt that same emotion.

"He would use something another coach or player would say as motivation because we liked being from the small town playing the city schools," Brunes said. "We could hear the Bulldog fans getting fired up from the locker room before we even went out on the floor, that got all of our blood pumping including my father's."

He had an eagerness for the sport of basketball, making himself one of the bigger names in coaching in Indiana high school basketball. His journey took him to Mooresville, Cowan, North Newton, Blackford, and East Central before his tenure with the Bulldogs. After his time in the Varsity Gym, he would coach at Castle, Columbus East, before finishing his career in 2012 with Alexandria.

"He lived and breathed basketball – that was obvious," Riggs said. "After a win or loss, he'd be finding ways to get his players to play better."

Riggs would go on to play baseball at the University of Central Florida, before jumping around different minor league teams in professional baseball. He still looks back on his years with Coach Brunes with great memories.

"He was hard on his players, but he was the first one to slap them on the butt when they did something good. He knew what he was doing, and I am glad I got to play 3 years for him – some of the best years of my life," said Riggs. 

Visitation for Coach Steve Brunes will be 10 AM to noon on Saturday at David Hall Mortuary in Pittsboro, with a celebration of life starting at noon.