Indiana University Athletics Confirms “Hoosier the Bison” as New Mascot beginning this fall IU Athletics has concluded a series of teaser videos on social media with a confirmation for the first time in decades there will be an Indiana mascot in 2025. The department released a video Tuesday morning confirming the news “Hoosier the Bison” is the new mascot’s name. This marks the return of the bison, as it was previously the official mascot of IU Athletics from 1965 to 1969, and answers longstanding calls to “bring back the bison” by a segment of the fan base. In explaining the rationale for a bison mascot, IU says bison once walked for centuries through Bloomington, Ind. along the Buffalo Trace. As a result, bison imagery has appeared on the IU campus for 200 years and is a distinguishing feature of the Indiana State Seal. Indiana is still maintaining some element of surprise, as the below video released on Tuesday morning does not give a close look at the mascot’s costume.
Bloomington South Graduate Drew Adams Joins the Indiana University Men’s Basketball Staff Indiana head men’s basketball coach Darian DeVries announced the addition of assistant coach Drew Adams to his staff on Wednesday. “Drew has been successful every place he has coached,” DeVries said. “He has deep recruiting ties to the state of Indiana and will work tirelessly to make sure we are able to put the best product on the floor. He is a highly respected young coach, and we are excited to be able to bring him and his family back to Bloomington.” A Bloomington High School South graduate, Adams was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for head coach Wes Miller for two seasons at Cincinnati. During his time with the Bearcats, the program won 41 games and made a pair of postseason tournaments.
Before his Big XII stop, Adams spent seven seasons (2015-22) as an assistant coach at Bradley. He helped the Braves to a complete rebuild that resulted in consecutive Missouri Valley Conference Championships for the first time in school history. Adams earned Top 50 Most Impactful Mid Major Assistants distinction from Silver Waves Media in both 2020 and 2022 and was also named one of the top five assistant coaches in the Missouri Valley Conference in 2020. Adams played an important role in reestablishing Bradley to the peak of the Missouri Valley. He helped turn the nation’s youngest team with just five wins in 2015-16 into conference champions and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament just three years later in 2018-19 – Bradley’s first MVC Tournament title since 1988. BU then repeated as conference champions in 2020, marking the first time since 1954 and 1955 the Braves qualified for the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons.
He coached 10 all-conference players and seven MVC All-Freshman recipients. Adams joined Bradley after four seasons at New Mexico, where he helped the Lobos to a 99-36 (.733) overall record, including a 45-21 (.682) tally in the Mountain West Conference. During his tenure in New Mexico, Adams helped the program to two regular-season league titles, three Mountain West postseason tournament crowns, and three top 7 seeds in the NCAA Tournament. He initially joined the staff in 2011-12 as Director of Operations for Steve Alford, was promoted to assistant coach for the 2012-13 season, and remained on Craig Neal’s staff his final two seasons. Adams, who played for Alford during the 2006-07 season at Iowa, began his coaching career as a student assistant at Tennessee, helping the Volunteers to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and the program’s first No. 1 national ranking during the 2007-08 season.
After graduating from Tennessee in 2009, Adams spent two years on Tom Crean’s staff at Indiana, first as Coordinator of Basketball Systems in 2009-10 before being promoted to Director of Operations for the 2010-11 season. He also has coached on the AAU level for the Indiana Elite program. Adams began his collegiate playing career at Florida Community College of Jacksonville where he was team captain as a sophomore in 2005-06 before transferring to Iowa. A 2004 graduate of Bloomington High School South, Adams spent three years playing for head coach J.R. Holmes. During his senior season at South, the Panthers won Conference Indiana, and he was selected as team captain, was the team’s leading scorer, and was an all-conference selection. He earned his bachelor’s degree in sports management from Tennessee in 2009. Adams and his wife, Brooke, have three daughters, Quinn, Ava and Sloane, and one son, Nolan.
Mikail Kamara Selected to the Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List After his first season ended with a finalist nomination for the award, redshirt senior Mikail Kamara was named one of 42 selections to the Lott IMPACT Trophy preseason watch list, which is bestowed upon college football’s best in character and performance. A finalist for the 2024 Lott IMPACT Trophy, Kamara was tabbed semifinalist Bednarik Award and second-team All-America by The Athletic after helping IU to the College Football Playoff. The first Indiana defensive lineman since Greg Middleton (first team) in 2007 to earn All-America status, he was a first-team All-Big Ten selection from the conference coaches and media.
He Led the FBS in total pressures (73) and graded as the No. 4 edge rusher in the Big Ten and No. 15 in Power 4 (86.7) per Pro Football Focus. Kamara helped the Hoosier defense set program bests for games holding an opponent under 100-yards rushing (8), fewest total yards rushing allowed (1,043), lowest opponent scoring average (15.6) and fewest yards of total offense (3,332) and total offense per game (256.3). Kamara finished No. 3 in the Big Ten in sacks (10.0) and tackles for loss (15.5) in 2024 and posted a sack in eight of the first 13 games of the season. The 10.0 sacks on the season rank tied for No. 5 in the IU record books and mark the first double-digit sack season since defensive lineman Jammie Kirlew (10.5) in 2008. It is just the sixth double-digit sack season in Indiana history. The redshirt junior was tabbed national defensive player of the week after IU’s victory at Michigan State with seven tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks. His 4.5 tackles for loss in the game tie for the No. 3 on the single-game IU charts and are the most since Damian Gregory against Michigan State in 1997. His 2.5 sacks are tied for No. 6 on the single-game ledger at IU and the highest single-game total since Tegray Scales had 3.0 against Penn State in 2017.
The mission of The Pacific Club IMPACT® Foundation is to recognize and support both national and local charities that serve the youth of America with a focus on education and have a positive IMPACT® on the lives of young men and women. The Foundation raises money for these charitable purposes from events surrounding and associated with the awarding of The Lott IMPACT® Trophy to College Football’s Defensive Player of the Year who demonstrated the greatest IMPACT® both on and off the field.
The Lott IMPACT® Trophy is unique because it represents the first college football trophy to give equal weight to personal character as well as athletic performance. The Lott IMPACT® Trophy has become a symbol of the positive attributes many college athletes represent. Several LIT alumni have gone on to excel in areas outside of football including medicine, business, broadcasting and charitable work. The Lott IMPACT® Trophy was named in honor of Ronnie Lott, a two time All-American for USC and College Football Hall of Fame Inductee. Ronnie Lott went on to win four Super Bowl rings with the San Francisco 49ers, ten trips to the Pro Bowl and a spot in Pro Football’s Hall of Fame. He was a leader who made an IMPACT® both on and off the field and continues to exemplify character in his personal life.
Taylor Minnick & Brianna Copeland Honored as NFCA All-Americans Indiana Softball seniors Taylor Minnick and Brianna Copeland were both recognized with All-American honors from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Wednesday afternoon. The NFCA’s All-American teams were announced at the Women’s College World Series press conference. Minnick received First Team honors while Copeland was named to the Third Team. Each of the senior duo are now both two-time All-Americans as both were NFCA Third Team All-Americans in 2023. The two are only the fifth and sixth Hoosiers in program history to be two-time All-Americans and the first since Moni Armendarez was an NFCA All-American in both 1997 and 1998.
In Minnick’s senior campaign, she hit .484 at the plate with 76 hits, 26 doubles, three triples, 18 home runs and 71 RBI. She also charted a 1.019 slugging percentage and a .592 on-base percentage. For Copeland’s senior season, she hit for a .331 batting average with 57 hits, 12 doubles, 13 home runs and 40 RBI. She also recorded a .628 slugging percentage and a .440 on-base percentage. In the circle, she posted an 18-10 record while throwing 148 strikeouts and holding opposing batters to a .274 batting average.
Through Minnick and Copeland’s outstanding play, they brought Indiana Softball to historic success and have elevated the standards of program expectations. They led the program to three NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time in program history from 2023-25. Minnick and Copeland also helped the team make back-to-back Big Ten Tournament Final appearances in 2023 and 2024 while winning 40-plus games in each of those seasons. In their four years on the team, Minnick and Copeland propelled Indiana to a 145-80 record from 2022-25. Minnick also was recognized as a First Team All-American this season by both Softball America and D1Softball.
Indiana University Volleyball Announces the 2025 Season Schedule Head coach Steve Aird and the Indiana Volleyball program announced its 2025 schedule, aligning with the release of the full Big Ten slate by the conference office this afternoon (May 28). The Hoosiers will play the traditional 20-game league schedule on top of 10 contests in the non-conference. “We have assembled a very competitive non-conference schedule that will test us against many NCAA Tournament-level teams,” Aird said. “We will open the 2025 campaign in Coral Gables and are excited to continue our series with Miami (Fla.). We will host our first matches at home on the second weekend before heading to some local stops against tough opponents.”
Aird and his coaching staff put together a well-designed non-conference slate, built to attempt to maximize a strong strength of schedule and as many RPI points as possible. The Hoosiers open the season at Miami (Fla.) (Aug. 29), playing the Hurricanes for the third-straight year. Four of IU’s non-conference opponents made the NCAA Tournament last season (Miami, Western Michigan, Loyola (Chicago) and Western Kentucky. Three of those teams won their respective conferences. Miami, Loyola and Western Kentucky all won at least one game in the tournament.
For the second-straight season, all Big Ten teams will play each other once in the regular season. Each school will play three of the league opponents both home and away. IU’s double play slate last season featured Ohio State, Illinois and Purdue but it will now pivot to playing Purdue, Maryland and Northwestern twice in the same year. “The Big Ten schedule is as challenging as ever,” Aird said. “We feel we have a deep roster that will be tested over the 10 weeks, hopefully preparing us for the postseason. Our goal is to get this program back to postseason competition and it will take our entire roster to help achieve that goal.”
The rest of IU’s conference schedule will flip designated home sites from last season. The Hoosiers’ west coast trip will be to Los Angeles to face USC (October 3rd) and UCLA (October 4th) on the first weekend of October. Washington (Sept. 27) and Oregon (Nov. 14) will make their first trips to Bloomington this year. IU opens the conference slate on a Wednesday evening with a trip to play Northwestern (Sept. 24) in Evanston. Five of the first six matches in league play come away from Wilkinson Hall. IU’s only game at home in the first three weeks of conference action is against Washington.
However, IU will have two separate four-game homestands: one in October and one in November. The Hoosiers do the Michigan road swing in the second weekend of October, taking on Michigan (Oct. 10) and Michigan State (Oct. 12). The Hoosiers have won four-straight games against the Wolverines and five-straight contests against the Spartans. The Monon Spike game with Purdue (Oct. 16) will be played at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, home of the Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever. It is believed to be the first-ever IU matched played in the famous NBA arena. It is followed on the schedule by a run of three-straight games at Wilkinson Hall against Ohio State (Oct. 19), Minnesota (Oct. 24) and Northwestern (Oct. 27). The Hoosiers finish out the month with a trip to Maryland (Oct. 31).
November begins with a trip to take on the defending National Champions, Penn State, at Rec Hall. IU will host five home games in the final month of the season against Iowa (Nov. 7), Oregon (Nov. 14), Maryland (Nov. 15), Rutgers (Nov. 20) and Nebraska (Nov. 22). The contest against the Huskers will be IU’s senior night. Thanksgiving break will be spent playing two local rivals. A trip to Huff Hall and Illinois awaits IU on the night before thanksgiving (Nov. 26) before finishing out the regular season at Holloway Gymnasium and Purdue on Nov. 29. That game will be played the same day as the Old Oaken Bucket contest in West Lafayette.
2025 Volleyball Schedule
Non-Conference
(Miami, Fla.)
Friday, Aug. 29 – at Miami (Fla.)
Saturday, Aug. 30 – vs. VCU
(Bloomington, Ind.)
Thursday, Sept. 4 – vs. SEMO
Friday, Sept. 5 – vs. Northern Kentucky
Friday, Sept. 5 – vs. Western Michigan
(Chicago, Ill.)
Thursday, Sept. 11 – vs. Bowling Green
Friday, Sept. 12 – vs. Loyola (Chicago)
Saturday, Sept. 13 – vs. Stephen F. Austin
(Bowling Green, Ky.)
Friday, Sept. 19 – at Western Kentucky
Saturday, Sep. 20 – vs. Bradley
Conference
Wednesday, Sept. 24 – at Northwestern
Saturday, Sept. 27 – vs. Washington
Friday, Oct. 3 – at USC
Saturday, Oct. 4 – at UCLA
Friday, Oct. 10 – at Michigan
Sunday, Oct. 12 – at Michigan State
Thursday, Oct. 16 – vs. Purdue*
Sunday, Oct. 19 – vs. Ohio State
Friday, Oct. 24 – vs. Minnesota
Sunday, Oct. 26 – vs. Northwestern
Friday, Oct. 31 – at Maryland
Sunday, Nov. 2 – at Penn State
Friday, Nov. 7 – vs. Iowa
Sunday, Nov. 9 – at Wisconsin
Friday, Nov. 14 – vs. Oregon
Saturday, Nov. 15 – vs. Maryland
Thursday, Nov. 20 – vs. Rutgers
Saturday, Nov. 22 – vs. Nebraska
Wednesday, Nov. 26 – at Illinois
Saturday, Nov. 29 – at Purdue
* – (Indianapolis, Ind.)
Gainbridge Fieldhouse to Host Monon Spike Volleyball Match between Indiana and Purdue Volleyball in Indiana will take center stage at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis as the state’s two premier programs meet for the 45th edition of the Monon Spike Match on Thursday, October 16th. Indiana will be the designated home team in the first meeting of the year between the two sides. “We are honored to be playing a match this season at Gainbridge Arena,” head coach Steve Aird said. “I felt it was a great opportunity for our program, great for the sport and just the right thing to do. We invite Hoosier fans from all over to attend the match before homecoming weekend and a home football victory.” Gainbridge Fieldhouse – home of the NBA’s Indiana Pacers and WNBA’s Indiana Fever – is set to become the new epicenter of volleyball in the Hoosier state. The IHSAA Girls’ Volleyball State Finals will move to the arena this November for the first time ever.
As the sport of volleyball continues to grow at the collegiate level, a number of programs around the country have moved big games to basketball arenas. Wisconsin and Marquette will meet again at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee this season while Kansas City’s T-Mobile Center will host the NCAA Women’s National Championship game in 2025. IU has struggled in the all-time series against Purdue, but it did win the last Monon Spike Match when it was the designated home team. Former All-American setter Camryn Haworth had a near triple-double in 2023 when the Hoosiers snapped a long losing streak to their in-state rivals. The two teams will play their second match of the season on Saturday, November 29th at Purdue’s Holloway Gymnasium. Last year’s contest in West Lafayette was played in Mackey Arena and saw over 14,000 fans fill the gym for the rivalry game. Ticket sales and information will be announced at a later date.
The Indiana Pacers take down the New York Knicks to lead the Series 3-1 The Indiana Pacers took down the New York Knicks, 130-121, in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The Pacers have a 3-1 lead in the series after the victory, needing just one more win to make the NBA Finals for the first time since 2000. Tyrese Haliburton had a triple-double, scoring 32 points, and adding 12 rebounds and 15 assists. He did all of that without having a single turnover. Haliburton is the first player to have at least 30 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds without committing any turnovers in NBA playoff history. “For me, it’s just about winning,” Haliburton said. “I think, I just want to be able to prove that I can respond when my backs against the wall, when our team’s back is against the wall. This is a big win for us because if we go back down there 2-2, it’s probably a little different, momentum wise. So, felt like we responded the right way. Just really proud of our effort as a group. Just trying to play the right way, and I felt like we did that for 48 minutes and that’s why we came away with the win.”
Pascal Siakam added 30 points and Bennedict Mathurin had 20 points off the bench for the Pacers. “Every time we come in here, and if we have a W, I’m good,” Siakam said. “I’m sleeping well. That’s my mindset going into this. That’s been the mindset of our team, and it’s going to continue to be like that for us to be successful.” “The goal is pretty clear for us,” Mathurin said. “Everybody wants to win a championship. But you have to be willing to do the right things, and I feel like tonight was a great step in the right direction.” Game 5 is scheduled for tonight at 8 p.m. at Madison Square Garden.