In a season full of questions, doubts and unpredictability for the Edgewood Mustangs (8-4, 5-1), there still remains a calming, yet forceful presence. The presence isn’t exactly quantifiable, though it demands the attention of those in the same gym. It’s Edgewood senior Coleman Sater.

As the Mustangs’ lone returning starter this season, Sater’s expectations, both within himself and from his peers, have reached new heights. But after averaging 16.2 points and 7.7 rebounds per game as a junior, the expectations hardly come as a surprise.

“My whole life I’ve been in leadership roles,” Sater said. “So this year, it’s been kind of a culmination of everything I’ve learned in the past, and it’s something that’s come together well.”

Asked not only to lead Edgewood but also guide it through a rugged Western Indiana Conference, Sater has risen to the occasion. Through 12 games, the Ellettsville native is posting career-best marks of 17.3 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.

However, Sater’s steady development and success isn’t as clear-cut as the numbers may seem. 

While some may look at the 6-foot-4 senior as too big to be a primary ball-handler or too small to guard most frontcourt players, Edgewood head coach Matt Wadsworth has other ideas of what Sater can and can’t do -- and the word “can’t” is rarely part of his lexicon.

“He is going to guard the other team's best player regardless of their position,” Wadsworth said Tuesday afternoon in an email.

Sater’s defensive versatility didn’t magically appear overnight, though, and neither did his improving offensive skill set. 

As a sophomore, Sater said he would almost never even think about shooting a three-pointer. But in his fourth and final campaign, he’s already 5-for-8 from beyond the arc and continuing to build confidence with each jump shot he takes. 

Similarly, Wadsworth in the offseason challenged Sater to work on his ball-handling as it would likely be needed this season. A few short months later and Sater is leading the Mustangs with 3.3 assists per game.

It’s a culmination of the mindset and preparation that’s long been brewing inside Sater.

“It all goes back to the summer, just getting yourself back into the right shape to do it,” Sater said. “It’s going to be tough guarding their best player, handle it, score, rebound, do it all. It just goes back to all the work I put in during the summer and not taking any days off.”

Sater’s hard work has seemingly come full circle as he begins to close in on 1,000 career points and 500 career rebounds as a Mustang.

For all the uncertainty surrounding Edgewood entering this season, Sater’s performance has put to rest many of those lingering fears. Factor in the breakouts of junior Caden Huttenlocker (14.3 points per game) and senior Zeke Powell (9.7 points per game) and Edgewood looks primed to top its 15-11 record from a season ago.

Following a strong showing in the Wabash Valley Classic where Edgewood knocked off perennial mainstays Terre Haute North, 53-51, in the opening round, the Mustangs have since cruised to win five of their last seven games. They also currently stand alone atop the Western Indiana Conference.

“Everyone’s really come together this year and we’re out to prove people wrong,” Sater said.

But even beyond this season, Sater still has choices to make and even more people to prove wrong, especially with a college decision looming in the not-so-distant future.

As things stand, Sater said his top four schools are Anderson, DePauw, Franklin and Wabash. Though he’s heard from several programs outside of the state, Sater said he doesn’t want to venture too far from his home and family.

Regardless of where Sater’s recruitment eventually takes him, though, the lessons from his final season at Edgewood are sure to follow.

Through a global pandemic, a year's-worth of senior experiences taken away, and a season full of mostly empty bleachers, for Sater, there’s a light at the end of this uncertainty.

“It’s going to be a really good life lesson two or three years from now,” Sater said. “Life’s going to look really easy a couple years from now.”