Refined Indiana is a new basketball program run by Hamilton Heights graduate AJ Field, seen below. Refined Indiana is a faith and family-oriented program that has already seen success at Midwestern tournaments. (Photo provided)
By RICHIE HALL
AJ Field always had a dream of running his own youth basketball program.
This past March, Field realized his dream, not too far from where he played high school basketball.
AJ Field
Field, a 2019 graduate of Hamilton Heights, has started Refined Indiana. The new program’s website, www.refined-indiana.org, says that its goal is to provide “top-notch sports instruction while fostering a strong connection with God.”
“Me and my dad (Robert Field) wanted to have our own faith-based basketball team,” said Field. “We had a really great group of parents that wanted us to start a Christian-based basketball team. That had always been my dream to start my own program. One of the parents of that team approached me around Thanksgiving, and said, ‘I’m building this facility and I want you to run Refined Indiana out of the facility.’”
Refined Indiana began about two and a half years ago with the program’s first team, which consisted of players from the Class of 2028. The team was practicing at local schools at first, then moved into a new facility called The Shop about a year ago.
The Shop is located at 21213 Oak Ridge Road (technically in Westfield, although it has a Sheridan address) and was fully finished in May. “I have been training and coaching teams out of there ever since,” said AJ Field.
Refined Indiana currently has four teams, starting with two Class of 2028 teams (this year’s sophomores). There are also one 2029 team (current freshmen) and a 2030 team (current eighth graders). All are boys teams, but Field said Refined Indiana is “100 percent wanting to start a girls side of the program.”
Field said that running the program has been “awesome” and “very fulfilling.”
“It’s always been something I wanted to do, run things the way I think they should be ran,” he said.
“On the training side, it’s been amazing watching players of all ages, young elementary through college develop and learn different aspects of the game and to the game as I see it. I’ve learned from them just as much as they’ve learned from me. It’s been very, very rewarding. It’s been very successful so far.”
Refined Indiana’s teams played in local tournaments during the summer, with the 2028 team competing on the PrepHoops circuit. That team finished 4-0 at the Queen City Clash event, which took place April 18-19 in Cincinnati, when the players were still freshmen.
The Refined Indiana team placed second in the standings and won their games by a point differential of plus 42. The 2028 squad also went 3-0 at the Midwest Clash, which took place during early May in St. Louis, and were 4-0 at the Next Level Invitational in Indianapolis May 16-18.
“They were very successful over the summer,” said Field. He said the 2028 team has “six players that are definitely college-basketball bound,” with the younger teams fielding players that also have college potential.
While the early success has been fun, Field said he wants Refined Indiana to be a family- and faith-oriented program.
“Obviously, we want to push God into their lives, however that looks, which is different for every player,” said Field. “We want to create disciples out of each player that comes into the program. We want them to go to their schools or to their communities and make an impact on people around them. Everyone needs a little bit of Jesus in their life and can’t go wrong with it.”
Field also wants his players to make an impact on their local schools as well.
“This program is going to be geared towards developing players for varsity basketball,” said Field. “I am familiar with most of the county schools, offensive and defensive philosophies and I’m very big on pushing those and creating an identity in being a successful program that develops varsity players and successful humans out in the real world.”
Refined Indiana is offering tryouts later this month, with the dates Sept. 27 for high school players and Sept. 28 for middle school players. More information is available on http://www.refined-indiana.org.
