Jeremy Willis is a former Evansville high school basketball standout and basketball coach best known for his playing career at Evansville Day School and his tenure as head boys basketball coach at Boonville High School. Willis was one of the most prolific scorers in Evansville high school basketball history, finishing his Day School career in 1999 with 1,899 points.

Evansville Day School Career

Willis graduated from Evansville Day School in 1999 after establishing himself as one of the city’s top high school basketball players.

He finished his career with 1,899 points, breaking the Evansville city career scoring record previously held by North High School standout Bob Ford, who had scored 1,815 points.

Willis held the Evansville city scoring record for 19 years, from 1999 until 2018, when Bosse High School star Mekhi Lairy surpassed him. Day School later reclaimed the city record when Tyler Myers broke Lairy’s mark in 2022.

Willis’ 1,899 points remain among the highest career totals ever recorded by an Evansville high school basketball player and also place him among Indiana’s notable all-time high school scorers.

As a senior in 1999, Willis received Indiana Basketball Coaches Association All-State honorable mention recognition.

His connection to Evansville Day School extended beyond his playing days. Willis later returned to the school as an assistant basketball coach, spending three years on the Eagles’ coaching staff.

Coaching Career

Willis eventually joined Austin Brooks’ coaching staff at Boonville High School. He spent three seasons as an assistant with the Pioneers before being named Boonville’s head boys basketball coach in 2022 after Brooks left to become the head coach at Evansville Reitz.

The Boonville position had a personal connection for Willis. He grew up in Chandler, Indiana, and has described the Boonville area as home. His mother taught at Evansville Day School for 35 years, which played a role in Willis attending Day School rather than Boonville.

Willis coached three seasons as Boonville’s head coach, compiling a 28–43 record. His first team finished 12–12, and the program later showed improvement during his final season, finishing 10–13.

In September 2025, shortly before the beginning of the 2025–26 season, Willis stepped down as Boonville’s head coach. He cited the demands of balancing basketball with his family and business as the reason for the decision.

Willis had spent approximately a dozen years coaching basketball at various levels by the time he stepped away from the Boonville position.

Evansville Basketball Legacy

Willis occupies an important place in Evansville basketball history because of the longevity of his scoring record.

When he finished his Day School career in 1999, his 1,899 career points surpassed a city record that Bob Ford had held for more than three decades. Willis then remained Evansville’s career scoring leader for nearly two decades himself.

The progression of the city record eventually became:

Bob Ford (North) — 1,815 points
Jeremy Willis (Day School) — 1,899 points
Mekhi Lairy (Bosse) — 2,237 points
Tyler Myers (Day School) — 2,835 points

Willis remains one of only a small group of Evansville boys basketball players to approach or surpass 1,900 career points and is one of the most accomplished scorers in Evansville Day School history.

Sources

• Evansville Courier & Press, “Jeremy Willis takes over as Boonville boys basketball coach: ‘It’s always been home’,” April 27, 2022.
• Evansville Courier & Press, “Jeremy Willis steps down after three seasons as Boonville High School basketball coach,” September 26, 2025.
• Indiana Basketball Coaches Association, 1999 Boys Basketball All-State selections.
• Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame / IBCA Club 1,000 career scoring records.