Indiana Fever Sign Aari McDonald and Waive DeWanna Bonner Wednesday the Indiana Fever have announced the signing of guard Aari McDonald, who previously featured in three games via the WBNA’s emergency hardship exception. Additionally, the Fever have waived guard/forward DeWanna Bonner. Over her three games with the Fever this season, McDonald averaged 11.0 points per game, 3.0 assists per game and 2.0 steals per game. Prior to her time with the Fever, the 26-year-old guard played for the LA Sparks and Atlanta Dream, averaging 8.6 points per game, 2.8 assists per game, and 2.0 rebounds per game over four previous seasons. “I’m so excited to rejoin the Fever. Although my time with the team was brief, it immediately felt like the place to be,” McDonald said. “I’m grateful for the warm welcome from the coaches, teammates, and fans—and most of all, I thank God for the incredible journey I’m on.”
“From the moment she arrived in Indy, Aari was a clear fit with the style and mentality we are building here with the Fever,” said COO & General Manager Amber Cox. “Though only here a few games, her impact as a playmaker and a defender was evident. We are very excited to welcome her back for the remainder of the season.”
Bonner, 37, signed with the Fever as a free agent ahead of the 2025 season. Over nine games played, Bonner averaged 7.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists. “I want to sincerely thank the Indiana Fever for the opportunity to be part of the Fever franchise. Despite our shared goals and excitement heading into the season, I felt the fit did not work out and I appreciate the organization’s willingness to grant my request to move on, particularly at this point in my career,” Bonner said. “I wish the Fever great success as they continue to build around this dynamic group of young players.” The Fever return to action on this evening hosting the LA Sparks at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in a 7 pm tipoff.
Indiana University Football Commit Lawrence “Jay” Timmons Flips to Florida State Indiana’s strong class of 2026 took a big hit on Tuesday evening. Just days after his official visit to his father’s alma mater, 4-star defensive back Jay Timmons announced he’s flipping his verbal pledge from IU to Florida State. As we’ve covered here in recent weeks, Timmons telegraphed this move with his comments about Florida State and ultimately his decision to visit Tallahassee over the weekend. Timmons verbally committed to IU in April right after an official visit in Bloomington, but ultimately the draw to FSU was too much for the Pennsylvania product.
Timmons is the son of former Pittsburgh Steeler first round draft choice and Super Bowl champ Lawrence Timmons, who played linebacker at Florida State. His mother attended the school as well. The junior Timmons said FSU was a dream school in reports after he received an offer from the school. The 5-foot-11 Timmons was one of the highest-rated players in IU’s 2026 class. He is the No. 342 overall player in the 2026 class and the No. 32 cornerback according to the industry average. Indiana’s 2026 class dropped three spots in the national rankings to No. 30 at 247Sports following this development, and five spots to No. 32 at On3. IU currently has one cornerback in its 2026 class, Indianapolis-based high-end 3-star Kasmir Hicks.
Indiana University Men’s Basketball Target Sammy Jackson picks Virginia Commonwealth University Darian DeVries suffered his first high school recruiting decision day loss Wednesday afternoon. 4-star wing Sammy Jackson surprised many Wednesday when he picked perennial mid-major power Virginia Commonwealth over Indiana and Texas, along with St. Joe’s. Jackson announced the decision at his high school. His father, long-time NBA player Marc Jackson, also started his college career at VCU before transferring to Temple. A Philadelphia product, Jackson chose to play at VCU for another product of his hometown. New VCU head coach Phil Martelli, Jr. played at St. Joe’s in Philadelphia. Jackson took an official visit to IU earlier this month. DeVries and the IU staff have several other wing players on their 2026 board, including Prince-Alexander Moody, who is on an official visit in Bloomington this week.
Ball State University Men’s Tennis Coach Bill Richards announces Retirement after 53 Seasons After more than five decades of shaping one of the most respected programs in collegiate tennis, Ball State University head men’s tennis coach Bill Richards has announced he will retire June 30, 2025. Richards’ remarkable 53-year career has left an enduring mark on Ball State Athletics, the Mid-American Conference (MAC) and college tennis. Richards, the winningest coach in Ball State and MAC men’s tennis history, took over the reins for the Cardinals in 1972. Since then, he has amassed an extraordinary 769-482 (.614) overall record and a 243-88 (.734) league ledger. Under his leadership, the Cardinals captured 38 MAC regular season and/or tournament titles, made eight NCAA Tournament appearances and had 17 undefeated regular seasons.
“Ball State University has been immeasurably enriched by the talents of Bill Richards for more than five decades,” Ball State Director of Athletics Jeff Mitchell said. “His remarkable career exemplifies the model of excellence for which Ball State is known, and his leadership has made a positive impact on generations of student-athletes. I am grateful to Coach Richards for his devotion to our men’s tennis program and his commitment to making Ball State athletics a valuable asset in our community.”
A 15-time MAC Coach of the Year, Richards has coached numerous players to national acclaim. Standouts include Matt Baccarani and Patrick Thompson, ranked as high as No. 4 in NCAA doubles during the 2005–06 season, and John Amos, who won a first-round singles match at the 1994 NCAA Championships. In 1991, Dan Kronauge and Paul Kruse captured the Volvo Collegiate Fall Championship and earned the No. 1 doubles ranking in the nation. In 1987 the doubles teams of Todd Hershey and Eric Nixon along with Gene Orlando and Marty Reist met in the finals if the Mid-west regional championship and were the only two teams from the Midwest NCAA Region to be selected to play in the NCAA tournament. The MAC Player of the Year award began in 1997 where Richards saw eight of his student-athletes earn the accolade while 75 received First Team All-MAC honors. In addition, he coached 12 individuals who have been inducted into the Ball State Athletics Hall of Fame, along with the 1989-90 men’s tennis team.
For his outstanding achievements on and off the court, Richards was inducted into the Ball State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1993 and received the Benny Award, the highest honor for services from the Ball State Alumni Association, in 2006. Richards also became the only coach in Ball State history to receive the President’s Medal of Distinction, at the 2012 spring commencement ceremony. In addition, Richards received the 2014-15 NCAA Bob Frederick Sportsmanship Award and was recognized by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) with the 2018 ITA Meritorious Service Award.
Along with his work at Ball State, Richards served on the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Board of Directors and worked with the U.S. National Team, accompanying top junior players to major international tournaments including Wimbledon, the French Open and the U.S. Open. A native of Sturgis, Michigan, Richards earned his bachelor’s degree from Western Michigan University and a master’s degree from Bowling Green State University. He played collegiate tennis at Western Michigan, where he was a MAC champion in both singles and doubles. Richards started his collegiate coaching career as a graduate assistant coach at Bowling Green. He then served as the head tennis coach at Portage Central High School for one season before his appointment at Ball State. Richards and his wife, Sue, have two children, Rob (wife Wendy) and Kristi, and two grandchildren, Leah and Ryan. Ball State will announce Richards’ successor at a later date following his official retirement.
The Indiana Fever beat the Seattle Storm on the Road The Indiana Fever (7-7) closed out a three-game road trip with a 94-86 win over the Seattle Storm, during which Aliyah Boston scored a career-high 31 points and Lexie Hull’s first career double-double. The Fever and Storm traded buckets throughout much of the first quarter, with Indiana taking the 27-24 lead thanks to an 8-0 run in the final 1:05 and eight-point quarters from Boston and Damiris Dantas. The Fever continued their lead through the second quarter with eight points scored from Kelsey Mitchell and six points from Boston to put Indiana up 45-39 at halftime. The visitors controlled the third quarter, establishing a 17-point lead after 30 points scored, including a 10-point quarter from Hull and eight additional points from Boston and Mitchell. Boston’s nine points in the fourth quarter helped to seal victory, while setting a new career-high for points scored in a single game, recording her 31st point off a free throw with 42 seconds remaining.
Aliyah Boston recorded her 800th career rebound in the first quarter, becoming the ninth fastest player in WNBA history to do so. Aliyah Boston scored a career-high points with 31 points. In her home state of Washington, Lexie Hull earned her first career double-double, scoring 15 points and grabbing 11 rebounds, the latter surpassing her previous high of nine rebounds set against the Minnesota Lynx on September 6, 2024. Kelsey Mitchell finished the night with 26 points, extending her double-digit scoring streak to 14 games, posting 10+ points in every game so far this season. Kelsey Mitchell scored a season high 26 points, also totaling a season high five three-pointers made.
Indianapolis Indians Fall to the Omaha Storm Chasers in 10 Innings Ronny Simon launched a grand slam to put the Indianapolis Indians up5-0 after three innings, but they could not stave off a comeback in a 7-5 loss to the Omaha Storm Chasers in 10 innings on Wednesday afternoon at Victory Field. After Omaha (32-44) tied the game in the top of the eighth, the teams went scoreless through the ninth to send the game to extras.
MJ Melendez, on the third pitch of the 10th by Cam Sanders (L, 1-1), roped a triple down the left-field line. He was then immediately driven in on a sacrifice fly. The scoring began for the Indians (43-33) with a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the second. Following three consecutive one-out singles, Simon launched the Indians third grand slam of the season in the fourth to break the game open. It was Simon’s second career grand slam after launching his first on Aug. 17, 2024, with Triple-A Durham vs. Nashville. A pair of two-run homers by Joey Wiemer in the sixth and Harold Castro in the eighth sandwiched an RBIdouble to tie the game for Omaha.
The Storm Chasers bullpen combined for 5.0 shutout innings as the offense rallied, capped by Andrew Hoffman (W, 3-3) and Evan Sisk (S, 4).Liover Peguero led the Indians offense with a 3-for-4 performance. Simon’s four-RBI Day was one shy of his career high and was his first game with at least four RBI since Aug. 21, 2024, with Durham at Syracuse. The Indians and Storm Chasers continue their six-game set tonight at 7:05 PM. RHP Thomas Harrington (4-7, 5.58) will take the mound for the Indians against LHP Rich Hill (3-1, 4.29)