Gabe Cupps

Gabe Cupps (born July 6, 2004) is an American college basketball player for the Indiana Hoosiers of the Big Ten Conference.

He was a four-star recruit coming out of high school with multiple scholarship offers from major NCAA Division I programs.

Cupps was born on July 6, 2004 in Dayton, Ohio to Brook and Betsy Cupps.

Cupps grew up on a farm in St. Paris, Ohio before moving to Centerville, Ohio, a suburb of Dayton, in the third grade.

Brook has been the head coach of the Centerville High School Elks boys' basketball team since 2013.

Before that, he was the head coach and athletic director at Graham High School in St. Paris.

So as a young child and a coach's son, Cupps was introduced to basketball immediately.

He loved it and absorbed his dad's work ethic according to his older sister Ally Cupps, "I watch how hard Gabe works, and then watch how hard my dad works. My whole life he’s just been basketball, basketball, basketball. And he loves his guys, and he gives them absolutely everything that he has. And then to see Gabe mirror that and to see how grounded he is..."

As a young child, Cupps often worked on his skills at home in the basement.

He would pick a spot on the wall and practice passing the ball to that exact spot 50 straight times with each hand.

Cupps explained that his dad would reward him with stickers, "I had a giant sticker board in my room, and I put all the stickers I got on it, so I could keep track. It was setting mini-goals for me, and I think that helped develop my passion."

He played alongside Bronny James on the North Coast Blue Chips AAU team in middle school and then the Cincinnati-based AAU team Midwest Basketball Club.

He led his high school team to a record of 95–20, with only eight losses coming after his freshman year.

In 2019, Cupps enrolled at Centerville High School.

On December 7, 2019, he played his first game under his dad's tutelage as the boy's varsity basketball head coach.

In his debut, Cupps scored 10 points in a close 46–47 loss to Trinity High School in Louisville, Kentucky.

On January 11, 2020, he scored a season-high 22 points in a 52–36 win over Springfield High School.

The season ended with an overall record of 15–12, with Cupps playing in 25 of the 27 games.

For the season, Cupps averaged 11.2 points, 2.1 assists, and 1.8 rebounds per game.

His field goal percentage was 40.3%, and he made 3-point shots at a 38.1% clip.

He also shot 77.1% on free throw attempts.

Things were a bit different in Cupps' sophomore year.

After losing 66–74 to St. Vincent–St. Mary High School on January 30, 2021, Centerville amassed a 45-game winning streak, which would carry over into the final game of his junior year.

Playing in all 29 games of the season, Cupps improved in almost every statistic: 48.9% in field goals, 35.2% in 3-point shots, 81.9% in free throws, 15.2 points, 4.9 assists, and 2.2 rebounds.

Going 26–3 that season, the Elks reached the OHSAA D1 state championship game at UD Arena in Dayton.

On March 21, 2021, the Centerville Elks faced the Westerville Central Warhawks for the trophy.

Cupps led the team with 16 points, making 3 of his 5 3-point attempts.

He also had three rebounds and three assists.

The final score, 43–42 came down to the wire after a missed 3-point attempt at the buzzer.

It was the first boys' basketball title in school history.

In pursuit of back-to-back championships, Cupps and the Elks continued on their 45-game winning streak.

Cupps had a few high scoring games, including a career-high game of 30 points in a victory over Huntington Prep School, 85–72, on February 13, 2022.

Posting his best stats yet, he averaged 14.2 points, 6.8 assists, and 2.5 rebounds.

He shot 50.3% on the season, 44.3% on threes, and 85.2% on free throws.

It was during this season that Cupps became just the fourth Elks player overall to eclipse 1,000 points.

Riding on the high of an undefeated season, the Elks once again reached the OHSAA D1 state championship game on March 20, 2022.

This time they faced the Pickerington Central Tigers led by Devin Royal (who would later on be named 2023 Ohio Mr. Basketball).

While the score was close throughout the game, the Tigers never relinquished the lead.

After winning 45 games, the Elks finally lost, falling 48–55.

Cupps led the Elks with 14 points.