Indiana University Football lands 3-star running back Da’Jon Talley-Rhodes IU football has received a verbal commitment from class of 2027 running back Da’Jon Talley-Rhodes. The commitment was announced just days after Talley-Rhodes visited Indiana, a visit he moved up as he narrowed in on his college decision. Why did he pick the Hoosiers? “I come from a big family, and Indiana when I got there it felt like family,” Talley-Rhodes said after his announcement on Rivals. “That’s a big thing for me, and I can’t ask for no more than that.
“They’re getting a dawg, somebody’s who’s hungry, somebody’s who’s gonna want it. I can’t wait to be there.” Based on the national average of the recruiting outlets, Talley-Rhodes is a 3-star, the No. 35 overall running back in the 2027 class, and the No. 466 overall player. Around 6-foot and 210 pounds, Talley-Rhodes attends St. John’s College H.S. in Washington D.C. He had 1,600 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns as a junior in 2025 and was named first team All-Washington D.C. metro area. Talley-Rhodes picked Indiana over Penn State, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Washington and Boston College. Talley-Rhodes is the 11th commit in the 2027 class for Indiana, and the first running back. He joins the following 10 verbal pledges who preceded him.
Indiana University Women’s Volleyball Wraps Up Its Foreign Tour in Libson, Portugal The third country that IU got the chance to experience provided some amazing views and weather as the volleyball program wrapped up a terrific foreign tour. Stops at the beach, historic castles and shopping tours were interwoven into a pair of competitive matches in the capital city. IU’s foreign tour ended with head coach Steve Aird’s group winning all 24 sets that it played. That included a tremendous comeback in the third set of the Tuesday win in Portugal. The Hoosiers made a successful return to the United States after a long flight on Thursday morning.
Monday, June 1st-The Hoosiers made the journey through Spain and Portugal down to the capital city of Lisbon for the final leg of the tour. After spending all day on the bus, IU was welcomed with a big dinner of chicken, steak, salad, rice and beans at a restaurant in the town square. Everyone went directly to sleep after the long travel day.
Tuesday, June 2nd-To start the first full day in Portugal, IU was given the chance to tour the Castelo de San Jorge – a massive castle overlooking the entire city. From there, it was a full day of shopping, exploring and walking the beautiful city of Lisbon. Portugal plays matches late in the night, so everyone got the morning and afternoon away from the court before heading 25 minutes to Leiria. The Hoosiers played their first match in a charity exhibition against a group of Lisbon All-Stars. The match was dedicated to the small town of Leiria that had been devastated by storms just months prior. A big crowd was on hand as IU battled the group of professionals in a late-night match. IU prevailed in a sweep (25-20, 25-10, 27-25, 25-20) that included a big comeback in set three. Junior outside hitter Izzy Clark had 13 kills. Sophomore outside hitter Jaidyn Jager was the MVP of the match. As has been the case in Europe, IU has eaten late dinners starting after 10 p.m. local time. Both squads joined together for a dinner, that included three separate birthdays, at a small joint in the middle of Lisbon. Meals including tuna and chicken were served late into the night’s hours before heading off to bed.
Wednesday, June 3rd-The final day of the tour featured a day at the beach just outside of Lisbon. Players and families got the chance to hang out in the sun and eat a meal on the water before preparing for the last match of the week. Even after a long 11 days of traveling through Europe, IU played its best match of the tour. The Hoosiers provided a commanding sweep (25-18, 25-12, 25-11, 25-21) of Next Level Sports to end an awesome display of volleyball overseas. IU won all 24 sets it played and had just one deuce set on the entire trip. Four different players had at least 10 kills in the win in Lisbon. Sophomore middle blocker Victoria Gray had 10 including seven in a strong second set. Freshman outside hitter Sara Snowbarger chipped in 10 kills as well.
Thursday, June 4th-A long journey came to an end in Europe as IU departed Lisbon Airport on a flight back to Chicago and a return to the United States.
Edgewood Names Bloomington North Graduate Connor Bayse as Boys Basketball Head Coach The Edgewood High School Athletic Department is thrilled to announce the hiring of Connor Basye as our new Head Boys Basketball Coach, pending board approval. Coach Basye comes to Edgewood following a highly successful tenure as the Varsity Assistant Coach and Offensive Coordinator at Crispus Attucks High School, where he helped guide the program to back-to-back City Championships and a 2025 State Runner-Up finish. Bayse replaces Matt Wadsworth who left to become the Head Coach at Hauser High School located Northeast of Columbus.
We are incredibly excited for the future of Edgewood basketball and the positive impact Coach Basye will bring to our student-athletes, our school, and the entire community. Please join us in giving a warm Mustang welcome to our new leader! “First and foremost, I want to thank Coach Hawkins, the entire staff, administration, student body, and every player at Crispus Attucks, as the last six years meant everything to me. To Coach Hodson, Coach Hudson, Coach Carmichael, and everyone who invested in me at Bloomington North, thank you for shaping how I view the game of basketball. To my dad John and my brother Jordan, you two have been putting up with me in gyms since before I can remember, and I owe you more than I can say. To Mr. Bland, the administration, and the Board, thank you for this opportunity and for trusting me with this program. My goal is simple. I want to make Edgewood basketball a competitive, fun place that kids want to be part of, and the community wants to show up and support. My staff and I cannot wait to get to work!”
Former Indiana University Men’s Basketball Player OG Anunoby scores 17 Points for the New York Knicks as they win Game 1 of the NBA Finals The New York Knicks’ winning streak lives on, and they struck first in the NBA Finals. Jalen Brunson scored 30 points, Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds, and the Knicks erased a 14-point second-half deficit to beat the San Antonio Spurs 105-95 in Game 1 of the finals on Wednesday night. Former Indiana University Star OG Anunoby had 17 points for New York — which has won 12 consecutive playoff games, the seventh team to have such a streak in NBA history. And the Knicks, who finished on an 11-0 run, made a little more history. They became the first team to beat San Antonio in a Game 1 of the title series — the Spurs were 6-0 in those — and this is also the first time the Spurs have ever trailed a finals before the finish. Victor Wembanyama had 26 points and 12 rebounds for the Spurs, but he shot 6 for 21 from the field in his finals debut. Stephon Castle scored 17, while Julian Champagnie and Dylan Harper each had 16 for the Spurs.
Game 2 is Tonight in San Antonio. Former San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich was at the game, as he’s been for every finals game in Spurs history, albeit watching from a suite and not stomping the San Antonio sideline. The Spurs legends — David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Bruce Bowen and more — were there, too. So were Knicks great Patrick Ewing and the world’s most recognizable New York fans: Spike Lee, Tracy Morgan, Ben Stiller, Fat Joe, Timothée Chalamet and more. Plenty of non-celeb Knicks fans made the trip as well; Tommy Sherlock, a auto sales manager from Brooklyn, said it cost less for two Game 1 tickets in San Antonio, with hotel and airfare, than Game 3 tickets in New York would have set him back. “First-class air, too,” Sherlock said. “By a lot.”
The Knicks led 14-7 early, the Spurs answered with a 20-13 run to go up by 10, the Knicks rallied and the second quarter saw six lead changes before San Antonio took a 55-48 lead into the break. San Antonio pushed the lead to 14 midway through the third quarter before the Knicks stormed back, finishing the period on a 22-9 run and sending the game into the fourth tied at 76. New York’s lead was eight midway through the final period. Wembanyama made a pair of free throws with 2:16 left to put San Antonio up 95-94, but Brunson made a corner 3 on the next possession to put the Knicks on top for good. San Antonio’s run of never trailing the finals had some close calls over the years. The Spurs were tied twice with New Jersey in 2003 finals, tied with Detroit twice in 2005, tied with Miami three times in 2013 — they lost that series in seven games, so they only trailed when it was over — and then were tied with the Heat once more in 2014.
Purdue University Athletic Director Mike Bobinski Set to Retire Purdue athletic director Mike Bobinski plans to retire at the end of the year. Bobinski has been Purdue’s athletic director since 2016. “The time is right for me, both personally and professionally, to step away from one of the absolute best jobs in college athletics,” Bobinski said in a statement. “And it is the right time for Purdue to have the opportunity to identify the next person to lead our athletic program through the ongoing cycle of change and evolving new era of intercollegiate athletics.
“I am beyond grateful for the opportunities Purdue has provided me these past 10 years,” Bobinski added. “I’m so thankful for the incredible staff, extraordinary and inspiring coaches, and outstanding student-athletes whom I’ve been fortunate to know and work alongside. Purdue is a special place that uniquely lives and remains true to its values, and it will continue to be that thanks to the supportive and principled leadership of our board and our presidents.” During his time in West Lafayette, Purdue men’s basketball has made it to each NCAA Tournament, including a run to the Final Four in 2024. Prior to Purdue, Bobinski was the athletic director at Georgia Tech.
Trine University Softball Finishes as National Runners-Up Another historic season for the Trine University softball team ended in heartbreak with the University of Redlands winning 7-6 in the final game of the 2026 NCAA Division III Softball Championship. “We didn’t come into today with much of a gameplan,” explained Karley Trine, “We just said no matter what happens we are going to have the most fun possible. The most fun of any team here. No matter what we were going to go out on top by enjoying our last outing and leaving it all on the field.”
The Thunder again opened the final game with runs in their favor. Karley Trine got things going with a single before moving to second with another hit from Tyra Marcum. Both moved up on a passed ball before Debbie Hill walked the bases loaded. Emma Lee brought in the first run with a sacrifice fly before Macy Rocha cleared the bases with her sixth home run of the season. “I think that any team that faces us had to face a great lineup from one to nine,” said Rocha, “It’s a lot of pressure to know that there isn’t an easy out and we’ve applied that pressure early all week.”
The Bulldogs responded in the second manufacturing a pair of runs to cut the deficit in half. They did so again in the fourth with a single run to make the score 4-3. Trine mounted a response of their own in the fifth. Hill reached on a single with one out bringing Lee to the plate. The senior hit her 17th homer of the season to bring in two and build the lead to 6-3. “Unfortunately, we have a tendency this season to get up and then take our foot off the gas,” said Jo Trine, “Today we huddled up and reminded ourselves that yesterday that didn’t work. Then we took what they were giving us and scored again.”
Kami Arnett took her day into the sixth inning after making the start in the circle. The freshman weathered the opening salvos by Redlands well, minimizing damage until the fateful sixth inning. It was then that the Bulldogs worked their leadoff to third and then replaced them at second after a single scored the first run. The bases loaded after that before a single to center field tied the game at six. Hill got the team out of the inning after the runs, but gave up a few hits in the seventh that scored the winning run for Redlands. Trine was unable to score a run in the bottom of the seventh and the game ended on a flyball to right center. Arnett finished the game with 5-and-two-thirds innings of work allowing six runs on eight hits and four walks. She struck out six. Hill was the pitcher of record allowing one run on three hits. Arnett and Marcum earned All-Tournament Team honors as the top performers for the Thunder.
“I couldn’t be more proud of this group, especially our senior class. They have done it all, but most importantly they are just great human beings,” summed up Head Coach Donnie Danklefsen, “This is one of the closest group of seniors I’ve had, I am going to miss them not just as players, but as friends.” With the loss the Thunder finish the season 41-8. It is the fourth straight season they reached the 40-win mark and just the fifth ever. They have reached the championship series four of the past five seasons. The pair of home runs today bring the season total to 80, surpassing the previous program record by four. “What this senior class has accomplished is really special. They might not feel I right now, but hopefully soon they can truly understand that,” finished Danklefsen, “They willed us to this point. Now I’m excited to see what they do in life and my door will always be open to them.”
Former Purdue star Braden Smith’s work out with the Indiana Pacers Has been Canceled Former Purdue star Braden Smith was to work out with the Indiana Pacers ahead of the NBA Draft, but the Pacers announced on Thursday that will not happen. Smith had a record-breaking career with the Boilermakers. He is the NCAA all-time assists leader, breaking the record in the NCAA Tournament this year. He had 1,103 career assists. Smith was a two-time All-American and was the Big Ten Player of the Year in the 2024-25 season. He helped lead Purdue to two Big Ten regular season championships and two Big Ten Tournament Championships. He also helped lead Purdue to the Final Four in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Smith averaged 13.0 points and 7.4 assists per game in his career in West Lafayette. Smith, a Westfield native, was also Indiana Mr. Basketball in 2022. Former IU forward Sam Alexis is working out with the Pacers today.