Hamilton Southeastern High School

FISHERS — Brian Satterfield has coached a couple players at Hamilton Southeastern whom he would rather shoot an open 3-pointer than have someone else attempt a layup. The first, he said, was 2014 grad Eric Davidson, who shot 54% from 3 as a senior and totaled 123 triples in his two varsity seasons at HSE, then shot 54% (214 makes) in four seasons at UIndy. The other? Maya Makalusky. "If Maya has a wide-open 3, you know she's probably going to hit at least 2-of-3, if not all three," Satterfield said. "That's the type of confidence I had in her, and I know she has that same confidence in herself." Makalusky's reputation as a shooter preceded her and has commanded the attention of both opposing defenses and fans around the state these past four seasons. Defined by her range and efficiency, the IU signee finished her career shooting 48% from the field, 40% from 3 (247 makes) and 80% at the line. Satterfield was coaching the HSE boys team when he first saw Makalusky. He watched from afar as she worked in the gym with her mom, Villanova grad Jenn Sliwa Makalusky, and older sister, Riley, then began following her more closely the summer before her freshman year (his first as girls head coach). "I knew the type of player she was and how special she was" right away, he said, recalling a story from early in Makalusky's freshman year. The team was shooting free throws at the end of practice with everyone required to run after a miss. There was a stretch when everyone was missing, Satterfield explained, so he issued a call-out. Who wants to step up there and do it? "So Maya, as an incoming freshman, steps in and hits the free throws. All the girls were really happy," Satterfield laughed. Makalusky's shooting prowess immortalized her in the annals of Indiana high school girls basketball history and positioned her to overtake Sydney Parrish — a player she idolized growing up — as the program's all-time leading scorer with 1,933 career points. But it was the evolution of Makalusky's game, her willingness to sacrifice for the betterment of the team and continued progression as an all-around threat, that defined her senior season and fueled Hamilton Southeastern's run to its first sectional and regional championships since 2018-19, and a Class 4A semistate runner-up finish. Now the 6-4 guard's jersey will be displayed alongside those banners inside the Royals gymnasium. Maya Makalusky has been voted 2025 IndyStar Miss Basketball, presented by the Indiana Fever. One of four finalists, Makalusky received 131 votes to finish ahead of Lawrence Central's Jaylah Lampley (80), Noblesville's Meredith Tippner (41) and Columbia City's Addi Baxter (30). Twenty players in all received votes. Makalusky is the second Hamilton Southeastern player to be named Miss Basketball, following Parrish, who won the award in 2020. "This means so much to me," Makalusky said Wednesday morning, pausing briefly to wipe away a tear. "It's such an honoring and humbling experience. I'm so honored to even have the ability to put this jersey on with a great group of girls. I'm still in shock." Makalusky, who is in a boot after spraining her ankle during the opening round of sectionals, was ushered into the Hamilton Southeastern gym under the guise of seeing her Gatorade Indiana Player of the Year banner. When she walked in, she was greeted by teammates, coaches and dozens of family members and friends. She managed to maintain composure — "I had one tear, then I pulled it together, but it was hard (not to cry)," she laughed — as she embraced Satterfield and received the No. 1 Indiana jersey as the crowd cheered her on. "It's been a blessing to have the opportunity to coach Maya, the special talent that she is," said Satterfield, who also coached IndyStar Mr. Basketball recipients Zak Irvin (2013) and Gary Harris (2014). "I look forward to seeing what's on the horizon for her, because I know with her ability and the things she can do that she's got some special things ahead." 'She's leaving a legacy' Makaluksy was the first player to address the team following HSE's season-ending loss to Warsaw in the semistate final. It was a moving speech, Satterfield recalled, with his senior standout telling her teammates and coaches how special their group was, highlighting the way everyone bought in and contributed to their 27-1 finish. We're family and at the end of the day, we live and die together. I'm proud to call you girls my sisters, my teammates. "These girls are like sisters to me," Makalusky said afterward. "I haven't found a team like that. I couldn't get it done for them, but I have sisters, I have best friends from this team and we have nothing to hang our heads about." "What she said inside the room was amazing," Satterfield later observed, "but it was also a reflection of the leadership that she brought to the entire group." The 2024-25 campaign was preceded by a complete tear-down over the summer, Makalusky said, an overhaul necessary to achieving their goals. That process required changes from her, as well. Makalusky met with the HSE coaches before the season. They knew what she could do, but if everyone else could step up and have an impact, it would make life exponentially tougher for their opponents. No. 3 remained the centerpiece, but there would be games (and stretches within games) when they would run plays for her teammates instead. There were, of course, still Makalusky takeovers. She opened the season with a 31-point explosion vs. eventual 4A state champion Lawrence North, then scored a season-high 37 points (plus six rebounds, four steals, two blocks and two assists) a few weeks later vs. conference foe Brownsburg. By season's end, Makalusky had accumulated 618 points, an average of 22.1 per game. Those points were accompanied by a career-high 6.8 rebounds, two steals and an assist per game, and underlined by a significant improvement defensively. Makalusky was more engaged and her positioning improved, Satterfield said. She successfully blended her athleticism with anticipation to ensure she was in the right spot at the right time, and finished the season with a team-high 90 deflections. Those improvements to Makaluksy's overall game were accompanied by a willingness — a dedication — to get her teammates involved. They were a group at the beginning of the season, but by the holiday break they were a team, Satterfield said, citing the Hall of Fame Classic as their launching point. Hamilton Southeastern punctuated the season's marquee regular-season event with a buzzer-beating win over then-undefeated Lawrence Central. Makalusky, who finished with 10 points on 3-of-9 shooting, was a decoy on the game's final play, setting a screen at the top of the arc to clear space for fellow senior Addison Van Hoesen, who laid in the sideline inbound from teammate Kayla Brinley as time expired. "Maya's willingness to sacrifice for the team was special," Satterfield said. "She got others involved and the leadership she provided — she gave us that spark when we needed it. She could take over when she needed to, offensively, but tried getting everybody else involved, too, and that was huge. … You think about Syd (Parrish) and the legacy she left — it's been a few years and now Maya's broken her scoring record. Maya has done a lot of things, won a lot of awards and now she's leaving her legacy for future Royals." 'She's always trying to include everybody' Satterfield will often walk downstairs during his prep period to find Makalusky working with a group of special needs students. She's always spending time with them, he said, oftentimes on the sidewalk or at the picnic table outside the HSE auxiliary gym, doing activities or talking with them. "She has the heart for them, just trying to make them feel special," Satterfield said, citing similar examples with the youth campers and even within the program when a foreign exchange student joined them during the season. She's also involved with the Best Buddies program as well as HSE's Unified basketball and track teams. "That's something Maya's always done and been an important part of our group," Satterfield continued. "She's always trying to include everybody." After hugging her parents and teammates, and putting on the number one jersey, Makalusky posed for photos and interacted with a few young fans, one of whom was holding a "Maya Miss Basketball; Go Royals!" sign. "Am I your bestie?" she playfully asked. "You never told me that until now." When the celebration concluded and the gym had mostly emptied out, a class of exceptional learners paraded into the gym. Makalusky greeted each student as they came in and posed for photos with the entire group. "Everybody is important in this community," Makalusky said. "I've always had those people in my life who came to me when I didn't really think I was worthy of it. I love hanging out with the special needs kids. They're one of my greatest families here in this community, but neighbors, teammates — they all make my big family and you see it here. There are a bunch of people who've supported me and kept me going through really tough times." Asked how she hopes her legacy is defined, Makalusky pointed to the impact she tried making away from the floor. "I hope it's more about the person I am than my game, just being a kind, loving person; someone that a little girl looks up to, not just on the court, but off of it, because that's of huge importance." - Brian Haenchen, IndyStar