New Bloomfield hoop coach may be young, but he brings A LOT to the Wildcat program

BLOOMFIELD – It would have been understandable if the leadership at Bloomfield Schools had some trepidation at the thought of hiring Ben Sindle as its next varsity boy’s basketball coach.

After all, the former Dexter High School standout shooter was playing against the Wildcats just five years ago and has only been coaching at the high school level for one year. However, those concerns ended up being outweighed by the multitude of positives that Sindle brings to the iconic gymnasium in Bloomfield.

Not only is Sindle incredibly familiar with the Bloomfield facility, having been training in it (more on that in a minute) since he was nine years old, but he knows the history of the Wildcat program – and its peak of success – as well as anyone.

“I remember that state team,” Sindle said of the 2016 Bloomfield squad that advanced to the MSHSAA Class 2 Final Four.

Sindle remembers that group of Wildcats because he played against it. So, if anyone can comprehend the potential of Bloomfield basketball, it is Sindle.

“I tell these kids,” Sindle said of his first Wildcat squad, “that (2016) team wasn’t the most athletic team, but they held everyone accountable.”

Thus, the mantra of “Count on me,” which Sindle has adopted for the 2023-24 season.

“It means that you can count on each other to be a good teammate,” Sindle explained. “You can count on me to dive on the floor after a loose ball. You can count on me to bust my butt to get a rebound.

“I want them to hold me accountable, but also their teammates.”

Sindle had access to the Bloomfield gym as a youth due to his father, Darrell Sindle, being employed at Bloomfield and having keys to the historic building.

“We used to come here, and he would make me work,” Ben laughed. “But he said, ‘If I worked hard when we would get halfway done, then I could get a ball out and shoot on the court.’”

Sindle may be a former Bearcat, but he holds a very special place in his heart for where he is going to coach.

“This is the best atmosphere,” Ben said. “You can’t beat this.”

Not only did Sindle bring knowledge of Bloomfield’s tradition with him through the interview process, but he also knows what it takes to have a successful high school program.

When he played for former Bearcat coach Josh Dowdy, Dexter won 52 games and a pair of Bloomfield Christmas Tournament titles over his final three years.

“The (2016 Bloomfield team) were just hard-working kids,” Sindle said. “I want these kids to buy into that because we actually have athletes.

“I have also told them that this is the first time in my 23 years of being alive that Bloomfield has length. We have to use our athleticism, but we also have to work hard in the process of doing that. That is how you are going to build a really good team.”