Monroe County Sports Hall of Fame Announces Its 2026 Induction Class at Hoosier Hanks The Monroe County Sports Hall of Fame will announce its 12 Member Induction Class of 2026 with a live radio broadcast on WWZN 98.7 FM the Zone Bloomington’s Sports Station and broadcast live at Hoosier Hanks from 5-6 PM this evening and you can listen to the show online at www.TheZoneBloomington.com for those that are not in the Bloomington area. Hoosier Hanks is located at 1285 South College Mall Road in Bloomington. The public is invited to join for this celebration as the Monroe County Sports Hall of Fame will Induct its 16th class on Friday July 24th with a banquet at the Monroe Convention Center in Downtown Bloomington.
Longtime Monroe County Radio Sports Broadcaster and 2021 Monroe County Sports Hall of Fame Inductee Joe Smith will host tonight’s show as he will rundown the entire 12 member class and interview some of the new Inductees that will be in attendance this evening that will add to the lengthy list of Athletes, Coaches Contributors and Pioneers that have been inducted since 2011. The Monroe County Sports Hall of Fame was established in May 2009. Its purpose is to provide scholarships to scholar athletes through the Bob Hammel Memorial Scholar Athlete Award and to honor outstanding persons, living or deceased, who have gained prominence and have made substantial contributions on behalf of themselves and Monroe County in the fields of amateur and professional sports. The Hall of Fame is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and visit their website at www.monroecountyshof.org for more information.
Indiana University Men’s Basketball Looking to Complete LA Road Swing with a Win against USC The Indiana Hoosiers face the USC Trojans tonight at 10 PM Bloomington Time 7 PM Los Angeles Time at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, California with the game streaming on Peacock. The Hoosiers made their first ever trip to Pauley Pavillon Saturday afternoon beating the UCLA Bruins 98-97 in a double overtime thriller. This is the first time the Hoosiers have played in the Galen Center and the first time since December 30, 1960, the two programs have played in Los Angeles when USC beat Indiana 90-71. This will be the sixth all-time meeting between the two teams and the second since USC joined the Big Ten in 2024. Indiana leads the series 3-2 and the Hoosiers beat the Trojans 82-69 in Bloomington on January 8, 2025. The Hoosiers have conference road wins over Maryland, Rutgers and UCLA and would love to return to Bloomington with a fourth conference road win over USC and sweep the two game Southern California road trip.
Indiana is 15-7 overall and 6-5 in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers have won three in a row after they struggled losing four in a row that made Hoosier Nation wonder if this team was going to bounce back and they have showed in the last three games that they have done exactly that. The Hoosiers sit in a good spot to make the NCAA Tournament after high profile wins over Purdue and UCLA. The Hoosiers average 81.5 points, 17.5 assists and 10.4 turnovers per game. Indiana shoots 47% from the field, 35% from three-point range and 78% from the free throw line. Nick Dorn has been a difference maker for the Hoosiers scoring 81 points in the last four games averaging 20,2 points per game. Dorn has started the last three games replacing Tayton Conerway who has missed the last two games with an ankle injury and played a total of 18 minutes scoring 6 points against Michigan and Rutgers. Head Coach Darian DeVries has a tough decision to make once Conerway returns healthy if he will return to the starting lineup or keep Dorn in there which has brought his game to the next level. Dorn is averaging 9.7 points and shooting 48 percent from the field and 44 percent from three-point range. Conerway averages 11.2 points and leads the team in steals with 1.4 per game.
Lamar Wilkerson leads the Hoosiers with 19.2 points per game as the Senior has scored 70 points in the last three games for 23.3 per game scoring average. Tucker DeVries averages 14.1 points per game and leads the team with 5.5 rebounds per game. DeVries has pulled down 10 rebounds per game in the last three games. Reed Bailey averages 10 points per game and his 24 points off the bench against UCLA was critical along with his 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Conor Enright leads the Hoosiers with 4.4 assists per game. Enright has dished out 97 assists and committed 27 turnovers along with 17 steals and 68 rebounds. Enright has been the defensive stopper getting the assignment on Purdue’s Braden Smith and UCLA’s Tyler Bilodeau and keep them in check. Sam Alexis has blocked 25 shots on the season leading the Hoosiers with 1.1 per game. Freshman Trent Sisley hit the game winning free throw with 0.2 seconds left in double overtime to give the Hoosiers the win.
USC is 16-6 on the season and 5-6 in the Big Ten. The Trojans held off Rutgers 78-75 at home on Saturday after the Scarlet Knights went on an 11-2 run with 2:23 left in the game as Tariq Francis scored 9 points during the stretch as the Scarlet Knights scored with 36 seconds left after they trailed by 19 points early in the second half. Chad Baker-Mazara missed a jumper with 5 seconds left and forced a turnover to end the game as he finished with 17 points. Ezra Ausar led USC with 21 points and Jacob Cofie had a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Chad Baker-Mazara leads the Trojans with 18.8 points and 3 assists per game. Jacob Cofie leads the team with 7.4 rebounds, 1.7 blocks and 1 steal per game and Averages 9.9 points. Erza Ausar averages 16.6 points and 6 rebounds per game. The Trojans are without leading scorer Rodney Rice who is out with Injury and averaged 20.3 points and 6 assists in six games for the Trojans. USC is averaging 81.5 points, 15.6 assists and 12.5 turnovers per game. USC shoots 47% from the field, 32% from three-point range and 71% from the free throw line.
The Trojans have a 17-player roster that includes five players from California along with players from Georgia, Utah, Washington, Maryland, Ohio, Kentucky, North Carolina, Alabama and the Dominican Republic. USC has 8 Seniors, 3 Juniors, 3 Sophomores and 3 Freshman for Head Coach Eric Musselman. The Trojans do not want to have a second half meltdown like they did Saturday Night against Rutgers. Indiana wants to not give USC a chance to win the game late like they did against UCLA. The Hoosiers tried to give that game away Saturday and figure out how to win it and keep the winning streak alive. The Hoosiers are starting to peak at the right time as there are nine games left in the Big Ten Conference schedule with the Big Ten Tournament on the horizon in March as all 18 teams make it the United Center in Chicago for this year’s tournament.
Bloomington North Opens the Girls Basketball Sectional Tournament at Terre Haute North The Road to Gainbridge Fieldhouse starts tonight for 393 Girls Basketball Teams in the State of Indiana with one goal in mind. Become a State Champion at the end of the month and four teams will be crowned IHSAA Girls Basketball State Champions and the 51st annual State Tournament begins with sectional action at 64 Sites around the State in four different classes.
In Class 4A Sectional 13 at Terre Haute North it will be the host Patriots taking on the Bloomington North Cougars at 7 PM this evening with the winner Advancing to Friday’s Semifinal to face Bloomington South at 7:30 PM. Bloomington North is 11-11 on the season and beat Terre Haute North 49-30 last Thursday in the final game of the regular season at Terre Haute North. The Patriots are 7-16 on the season and enter tournament play on a five-game losing streak. Bloomington South comes in with 17-5 record and are the defending Sectional Champion. On the other side of the bracket Martinsville 6-15 will face 15-7 Terre Haute South in the first Semifinal Friday Night with the Championship Game scheduled for 6 PM Saturday.
In Class 3A Sectional 27 at Edgewood the Mustangs will await the winner of this evening first game between 12-10 Cascade and 10-9 Speedway which starts at 6 PM this evening followed by 4-9 Indianapolis Washington and 16-6 Northview at 7:30 PM. Edgewood is 16-5 and will play in the first semifinal on Friday and Owen Valley 14-6 will play in the second semifinal and championship game will be Saturday at 6 PM. Edgewood, Northview and Owen Valley all finished the Western Indiana Conference Title with a 6-1 record as Northview is the defending Sectional Champion.
In Class 2A Sectional 47 at Eastern Greene 5-15 West Vigo will face 7-13 Eastern Greene at 6 PM followed by Defending Class 2A State Champion South Knox 17-3 against 11-11 Sullivan at 7:30 PM. Linton 13-7 will face the game one winner at 6 PM on Friday followed by 16-5 North Knox against the game two winner at 7:30 PM. The Championship game is Saturday Night at 7:30 PM.
The Class 1A Sectional 61 at Clay City will have a doubleheader tonight and tomorrow with eight teams competing. Tonight at 6 PM it’s 7-14 Bloomfield against 10-10 White River Valley followed by 4-17 Dugger Union against 10-11 Lighthouse Christian at 7:30 PM with the winners meeting the first semifinal on Friday at 6 PM. Tomorrow night 11-9 Shakamak takes on 9-12 Cloverdale at 6 PM followed by 10-10 Clay City against 3-16 North Central (Farmersburg)) at 7:30 PM with the winners advancing to play each other in the second semifinal Friday at 7:30 PM with the Championship Game scheduled for 7:30 PM Saturday Night. North Central (Farmersburg) is the two-time defending Sectional Champion.
Addison Nyemchek Becomes the First Indiana University Women’s Basketball Signee named a McDonalds All-American Indiana women’s basketball incoming freshman Addy Nyemchek has been named to the 2026 McDonald’s All-American game. She becomes the program’s first-ever signed player out of high school to play in the prestigious high school game. Nyemcheck will take part in the 2026 game with the East Tem, on March 31 at Desert Diamond Arena in Phoenix and will air live on ESPN. Currently, the 6-2 guard out of Oceanport, N.J. is averaging 19.7 points for Red Bank Catholic in her senior season.
She is the top-rated player out of the state of New Jersey, a ESPw four-star and the No. 28 nationally ranked recruit. During her time at Red Bank Catholic, she has guided the team to a 2024 New Jersey state championship and First Team All-State honors by scoring over 1,000 career points. She has been the leading scorer with Red Bank Catholic for the previous three years which consisted of six Division 1 committed players in her 2026 class. With the Philly Rise, Nyemchek was part of a NCAA Basketball Academy Club Championship in 2024 and U16 and U17 Gym Rat Live Tournament champion.
Lawrence Central High School Girls Basketball Player Lola Lampley Named a McDonalds All-American Lawrence Central’s Lola Lampley has been selected for the 2026 McDonald’s All-American Games in Phoenix. The Lawrence Central basketball star is a 6-foot, 2-inch forward who is ranked No. 29 in the ESPN SC NEXT TOP 100. Lampley committed to LSU in October 2025. Lampley will represent the East team at this year’s games. She was the only player from the state of Indiana to be selected. The East team will be coached by Ben Davis High School’s Stan Benge, with assistant coaches Porchia Green of Ben Davis and Curt Benge of Plainfield High School. The games will take place Tuesday, March 31 at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Ariz.
An independent committee of top analysts, prep scouts, media and coaches’ hand‑selected the final 24 girls and 24 boys from more than 700 nominations of the nation’s best high school prospects. “Nearly five decades into the McDonald’s All-American Games, I continue to be amazed by the talent who raise the bar every year, and the fans who show up and show out to support them,” said Elizabeth Campbell, vice president of marketing for McDonald’s USA. “We can’t wait to welcome the Class of 2026 into this storied legacy and cheer them on as they write the next chapter of basketball history.”
Indiana Pacers Star Pascal Siakam Named an NBA All-Star for the Fourth Time Fourth time’s a charm. Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam was named an NBA All-Star for the fourth time in his career Sunday night. Siakam’s spot on the Eastern Conference roster marks the second-straight year the 31-year-old from Cameroon will be an All-Star. He joins Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell, Atlanta’s Jalen Johnson, New York’s Karl-Anthony Towns, Miami’s Norman Powell, Toronto’s Scottie Barnes and Detroit’s Jalen Duren as the Eastern Conference’s reserve selections. The five Eastern Conference starters will be Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, New York’s Jalen Brunson, Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey, Boston’s Jaylen Brown and Detroit’s Cade Cunningham.
Siakam is one of 16 Pacers players who have had the honor of being an All-Star. The list includes Don Buse, Billy Knight, Reggie Miller, Detlef Schrempf, Rik Smits, Dale Davis, Jermaine O’Neal, Brad Miller, Ron Artest, Danny Granger, Roy Hibbert, Paul George, Victor Oladipo, Domantas Sabonis and Tyrese Haliburton. The NBA All-Star Game will take place Sunday, February 15 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, home of the Los Angeles Clippers.
Eastern Conference- Donovan Mitchell, G, Cleveland, Giannis Antetokounmpo, F, Milwaukee Bucks, Jalen Brunson, G, New York Knicks, Tyrese Maxey, G, Philadelphia 76ers, Jaylen Brown, G, Boston Celtics, Cade Cunningham, G, Detroit Pistons, Scottie Barnes, F, Toronto Raptors, Jalen Johnson, F, Atlanta Hawks, Norman Powell, G, Miami Heat, Karl-Anthony Towns, F, New York Knicks, Jalen Duren, F, Detroit Pistons and Pascal Siakam, F, Indiana Pacers
Western Conference -Steph Curry, G, Golden State Warriors, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, G, Oklahoma City Thunder, Victor Wembanyama, F, San Antonio Spurs, Luka Doncic, F, Los Angeles Lakers, Nikola Jokic, F, Denver Nuggets, Deni Avdija, F, Portland Trail Blazers, Kevin Durant, F, Houston Rockets, Chet Holmgren, F, Oklahoma City Thunder, Jamal Murray, G, Denver Nuggets, Devin Booker, G, Phoenix Suns, Anthony Edwards, G, Minnesota Timberwolves and Lebron James, F, Los Angeles Lakers
Taylor University Baseball’s Jake Boyer Named Crossroads League Pitcher of the Week Taylor University’s Jake Boyer has been named Pitcher of the Week in the Crossroads League’s first weekly baseball awards announcement of the season, the league office revealed Monday. Boyer, a senior from Fort Wayne, Indiana, delivered 5.1 innings of dominant relief work in a combined one-hitter as No. 9 Taylor defeated Benedictine-Mesa 11-1. The 6-foot-4 righty struck out four batters and retired the final 11 hitters he faced while posting a 0.19 WHIP and 0.00 ERA in the outing. Boyer earned the win in the contest.
This marks the second weekly honor of Boyer’s career with the Trojans, having previously received the award last season. Boyer has been exceptional through three appearances, posting a 1-0 record with 10 strikeouts while allowing just one hit and no walks. He recorded his ninth career save in Taylor’s ranked victory at Arizona Christian, striking out five batters across three perfect innings. Boyer, a 2025 first-team all-league selection, carries a career 2.56 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 122 strikeouts with a 12-3 record across 50 mound appearances. No. 9 Taylor returns to action Feb. 12-14 for a four-game series at RV St. Thomas in Miami Gardens, Florida.