Published on January 21, 2026 10:39 am
Last Updated on January 21, 2026 10:39 am
#4 ALTAMONT INDIANS
Coach: John Niebrugge
Record at Seeding: 12-7, 2-2 NTC
by DUSTIN WHITE
No Class 1A boys basketball team in the state of Illinois has played a tougher schedule than Altamont High School as the Indians get set to host the 90th Annual National Trail Conference Tournament.
That isn’t conjecture. That isn’t hyperbole. That’s straight from the hallowed spreadsheets of Aaron Britton, proprietor of nestohoops.com and widely regarded as the state’s unparalleled resource for all things IHSA boys basketball.
“I like to say we’re the best 10-7 team in the state,” said Altamont Coach John Niebrugge after his Indians hosted and defeated Woodlawn, then the top-ranked team in 1A, by a 53-42 final. Since then, Altamont has added wins over Central A&M and at North Clay, the latter a 65-64 overtime doozy.
“We are all 6-foot-2 and taller,” continued Niebrugge. “When we shoot the way we’re capable, we can play with anyone in the state.”
It’s hard to argue with what the 14th year Altamont coach is saying. The Indians played Waltonville, currently the No. 5 team in Class 1A, to five points in the semifinals of the Sesser-Valier Holiday tournament and lost to DuQuoin by just three in the third place game. An overtime loss to Cumberland (votes in 1A), along with competitive defeats at the hands of Newton, Tuscola (state-ranked in 1A), Teutopolis (state-ranked in 2A) and Dieterich (votes in 1A), dot the Altamont schedule.
Still, at a certain point, the success of a season hinges on not just competing with those top teams, but knocking some of them off. The Woodlawn and North Clay victories are evidence that perhaps the corner is being turned by Niebrugge’s boys and a good showing as the No. 4 seed at the NTC tournament would strengthen the case.
“The mental focus and intensity needs to be on point every game,” said Altamont’s coach, who has presided over championship runs in 2014, 2022 and 2023. “A 5-0 run at any point could determine a game. Execution and knowing the scouting report needs to be brought to the playing surface or a good player will hurt you.”
Three Indians average double figure scoring so far this year, led by senior Kade Milleville’s 14.3 per game. He’s also the team’s leading rebounder and the guy on Niebrugge’s roster most capable of flat-out taking over a game. Look no further than the win at North Clay to support that assertion: Milleville led Altamont in scoring (21), rebounding (14), assists (3) and blocked shots (3). He’s a three-year varsity player and recently eclipsed 1,000 points for his career.
Junior Zaine Miller (10.7 ppg) and sophomore Cooper McManaway (11.3 ppg) are also double-figure scorers for Altamont while sturdy senior Jacob Johnson contributes a handful of buckets and boards each game, classmate Cooper Pals guards the opponents’ best player and chips in timely buckets here and there, and junior Parker Bell is the first man off the bench to the tune of more than eight points per game.
The test will be immediate for Altamont on its home floor: the Indians take on fifth-seeded North Clay in a Tuesday quarterfinal. Both teams are or have been regarded as top 25 1A teams in Illinois and one of them is going to have to settle for playing toward a consolation championship. If that’s not a compelling sales pitch for this year’s NTC tournament, maybe basketball just isn’t your thing.