Former Indiana University Men’s Basketball Player Steve Alford to be Honored During Final Four Weekend in Indianapolis During the excitement of Final Four weekend, one event will recognize and honor individuals in basketball who display outstanding leadership, character and integrity on and off the court. This year’s honoree is no stranger to Indiana basketball. Hosted by the international sports ministry Athletes in Action, the 29th annual event will feature the presentation of the “Keys to Life” Award. Named after the legendary UCLA coach John Wooden, the award is given to a current or former basketball figure who exemplifies the character and leadership traits for which Coach Wooden was most known. This year’s “Keys to Life” Award will be presented to Indiana Hoosiers legend and University of Nevada men’s basketball head coach Steve Alford. This event will occur on Saturday April 4th at the Indiana Convention Center Ballroom in downtown Indianapolis at 8 AM.
An Indiana native who was named Indiana’s Mr. Basketball in high school, Steve Alford led the Indiana Hoosiers to an NCAA national championship in 1987 and was a two-time consensus First-Team All-American during his junior and senior campaigns. He was also First-Team All-Big Ten in his sophomore, junior and senior seasons, and was named the conference MVP in his senior year after leading Indiana past Syracuse to win the national championship. Alford also earned a gold medal as a member of the U.S. men’s basketball team at the 1984 Summer Olympics. Alford was drafted 26th by the Dallas Mavericks in 1987 and spent the majority of his four-year NBA career with the Mavs before moving into coaching. Alford has since become one of only two Division I coaches in history to achieve 100 wins at four different schools and has led five different teams to the NCAA tournament. Currently head coach of the Nevada Wolf Pack, a position he has held since 2019, Alford has a 717-380 all-time coaching record. A profound Christian, Alford has used his platform to champion his faith and make an impact in his community.
Shay Ciezki To Participate In the 2026 Celsius Women’s 3-Point Championship at The Final Four in Indianapolis Indiana women’s basketball senior guard Shay Ciezki will participate in the 2026 Celsius Women’s 3-Point Championship as part of the 37th annual State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships on Friday, April 3 at 7 p.m. ET at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The event will be broadcast nationally on ESPN on Sunday, April 5 at Noon ET. The State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships invites a collection of the nation’s elite men’s and women’s college basketball players to compete for slam dunk and 3-point shooting bragging rights. The night features the yearly Slam Dunk Championship, the E*TRADE Men’s 3-Point Championship, the Celsius Women’s 3-Point Championship and the team shootout. The winners of the Men’s and Women’s 3-Point Championships will then compete in the Skechers Battle of the Champions. The Hoosiers will be represented in the contest for the second time in three seasons, following up on Sara Scalia winning the event in 2024 in Phoenix. Alum Aulani Sinclair also won the event in 2011.
In one of the most impressive single seasons in IU women’s basketball history, Ciezki averaged 22.8 points per game and scored 708 points while knocking down 79 3-pointers She finished second in a single season in school history while setting the school record for points per game in a single season. She is the second player in NCAA Division I women’s basketball to average a 50/40/90 while scoring 20+ or more (Eva Hodges, William & Mary 2019). The Buffalo, N.Y. native shot 52.6 percent from the floor, 44.6 percent from the 3-point line and 90.8 percent at the free throw line. She scored in double figures in 30 of 31 games played in her senior season, scoring 20 points or more 23 time and had seven 30-point games. In her four-year career, Ciezki connected on 264 3-pointers and holds a career average from beyond-the-arc of 40.5 percent. Her 79 3-pointers made this season ranks third all-time in a single season. Tickets for the 2026 State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships start at $29 and are now on sale by visiting here.
Taylor University Women’s Basketball Players Emma Fohl and Quinn Kelly Earn CSC Academic All-District Honor Taylor University women’s basketball student-athletes Quinn Kelly and Emma Fohl were named to the College Sports Communicators NAIA Academic All-District Team, announced Tuesday by CSC headquarters. Kelly, a senior biochemistry major, received her first CSC Academic All-District honor with a cumulative GPA of 3.67. The Greenwood native started all 30 games in her final season, averaging over six points and six rebounds per contest while shooting 44.6 percent from the field. Kelly scored double figures five times and pulled down double-digit caroms on six occasions, including a 10-point, 14-rebound effort during a Senior Day victory over receiving-votes Huntington. Appearing in over 100 games as a Trojan, Kelly previously earned NAIA Scholar-Athlete and Academic All-Crossroads League recognition.
Fohl, a sophomore marketing major, earned her first CSC Academic All-District award with a cumulative GPA of 3.79. The Liberty Township, Ohio native, who was named to the 2025-2026 Crossroads League Women’s Basketball Preseason All-League Second Team, appeared in all 30 games and led the team with 3.2 assists per game. The point guard dished out four or more assists in 14 outings during the 2025-26 campaign. Fohl scored double figures on five occasions including 13 points in a victory over receiving-votes Olivet Nazarene.
The CSC Academic All-District distinction is designed to recognize student-athletes for outstanding achievements in the classroom and on the field. To receive the honor, an athlete must have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.50 or higher on a 4.0 scale, must have reached sophomore status academically, and must have met the playing time criteria of 90-percent games played or 66-percent games started. Each university is limited to six individuals for the award and student-athletes are nominated for the honor by their own Sports Information Department. Kelly and Fohl will all advance to the ballot for CSC Academic All-American honors, which will be voted on by members of the CSC before being announced on Wednesday April 15, 2026.
The Trojans have started picking up awards and honors for the 2025-2026 year. TU has already garnered 53 Crossroads League, WHAC and MSFA Player-of-the-Week awards, six NAIA National Athlete-of-the-Week honors, 17 NAIA All-American honors, 73 all-league awards, two individual NAIA National Championships, two individual Crossroads League Championships, two league players of the year, one CL Freshman of the Year, two CL Newcomers of the Year, one National Athlete of the Year, 99 NAIA Scholar-Athlete awards, 79 Academic All-League nods, 25 CSC Academic All-District selections and four CSC Academic All-Americans.
Taylor’s Nate Paarlberg and Pete Combs Collect CSC Academic All-District Honors The College Sports Communicators announced its men’s basketball CSC Academic All-District awards winners Tuesday afternoon, with Nate Paarlberg and Pete Combs recognized for a second-consecutive season. Paarlberg collected a GPA of 3.88 in his computer science studies to earn the award. The senior also excelled on the court with 8.9 points 3.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists per contest. The sharpshooter shot 36.7 percent from the beyond the arc, splashing in 51 three-pointers this season. Pete Combs earned a 3.66 GPA in his finance courseload to receive the recognition. The junior averaged 14.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game, while shooting an efficient 62.8 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from beyond the arc. The junior forward’s incredible season
The CSC Academic All-District distinction is designed to recognize student-athletes for outstanding achievements in the classroom and on the field. To receive the honor, an athlete must have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.50 or higher on a 4.0 scale, must have reached sophomore status academically, and must have met the playing time criteria of 90-percent games played or 66-percent games started. Each university is limited to four individuals for the award and student-athletes are nominated for the honor by their own Sports Information Department. Combs advanced to the ballot for CSC Academic All-American honors, which will be voted on by members of the CSC before being announced on Tuesday April 14, 2026.
Taylor Trojans Men’s Lacrosse Bounces Back with Blowout Win at Siena Heights On the heels of back-to-back losses in top-10 matchups, No. 9-ranked Taylor rebounded with a lopsided win at Siena Heights. The Trojans put 23 goals on the scoreboard and were never threatened in the contest. Taylor’s 23 goals were set up by 14 assists, with both totals being the third-highest single-game marks in program history. TU also won 30 of 38 faceoffs in the game, setting the program record in that category. The game was never in doubt, as Taylor scored at will in the early going and bolted to a 16-2 lead at the break with 31 shots in the first 30 minutes of action. Jackson Dale had a historic performance with five goals, seven assists and 12 points, posting TU’s second-best single-game totals in assists and points. In all, nine Trojans scored at least one goal, with Henry Cooper netting four, Will Saxby and Mason Von Tholen scoring three and Jude Wood, Nate Jourdan and Jack Kaiser each adding two goals. In addition to his three goals, Saxby added a trio of helpers and Dimitri Williams posted a career-best 10 ground balls. No. 9 Taylor (6-3, 2-2 WHAC) will host Michigan-Dearborn (4-5, 1-3 WHAC) on Saturday, March 28 at 1:00 pm.
Taylor University Men’s Tennis falls to Grace College Freshman Tyler Lane pushed Grace’s No. 1 singles player to a match tiebreak, but No. 20 Grace proved too deep across the lineup in a 7-0 Crossroads League victory over Taylor on Tuesday afternoon at Taylor Tennis Complex. Taylor (3-6, 0-2 CL) faced a ranked opponent for the second time in four days as it continues the early portion of its Crossroads League schedule. Grace (7-5, 2-0 CL) claimed all three doubles matches and all six singles flights to remain unbeaten in conference play. Graham Beukelman and Lane made it competitive at No. 1 doubles, falling 7-5 to Mahefa Rakotomalala and Benjamin Rahine. Grace’s Andreas Polichronopoulos and Manuel Marques claimed a 6-2 win over Joseph Harper and Matthew Williams at No. 2, while Aurelien Coan and Stergios Papadoloulos defeated Ian Helfert and Andrew Roth by the same score at No. 3 to secure the doubles point.
Lane provided the Trojans’ strongest showing of the afternoon at No. 1 singles. After dropping the first set 6-4 to Polichronopoulos, Lane battled back to take the second set 6-4 and force a match tiebreak — the only Taylor player to win a set on the day. Polichronopoulos pulled away in the tiebreak, however, closing out the match 10-2. In the remaining five singles flights, Rahine defeated Harper 6-1, 6-0 at No. 2, while Coan topped Beukelman 6-1, 6-2 at No. 3 and Marques claimed a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Helfert at No. 4. Rakotomalala and Papadoloulos each posted 6-0, 6-0 wins at No. 5 and No. 6 against Josh Clegg and Williams, respectively. Taylor returns to action Saturday when it hosts receiving-votes Goshen at 11 a.m. ET.
Taylor-IU Kokomo Baseball Matchup Rescheduled for Monday, April 6 No. 3 Taylor has rescheduled its non-conference home game against Indiana University Kokomo for Monday, April 6. First pitch is set for 5 p.m. at Winterholter Field. The game was originally scheduled for late February but was postponed due to inclement weather. The Trojans return to Crossroads League play Friday and Saturday with a pair of home doubleheaders against Bethel.