Vaughn Karvala Scores 32 as Team USA (Indiana Hoosiers) Men’s Basketball Wins over the U.S. Virgin Islands in the FISU America Games Long-range shooting? Check. Dunks to put rims in jeopardy? Check again. Team USA flexed basketball muscle everywhere you looked during its 120-63 victory over Virgin Islands Thursday night in the FISU (International University Sports Federation) America Games. From freshman Vaughn Karvala (32 points, seven 3-pointers) to transfer veteran Aiden Sherrell (15 points) to former Indiana Hoosier Sam Alexis (15 points) and more, it was a second straight dominating performance to propel Team USA into Saturday’s elimination round. The top two teams in each pool advance. Virgin Islands had earlier defeated Peru 93-73. That made no difference against a Team USA squad that had beaten Peru 115-36. For the 6-foot-7, 190-pound Karvala, it was an impressive follow up a strong performance off the bench against Peru. “Vaughn has done a great job,” coach Darian DeVries said. “He’s really bought into doing the things we ask. He’s got great size, athleticism. He can really run. He’s skilled, and you got to see a little bit of all that. “He was aggressive attacking the glass. He’s someone who is going to continue to get better and better because I think there’s a lot there for him to continue to grow.”
Markus Burton, Darren Harris, Jaeden Mustaf, Sherrell, and Trevor Manhertz started for Team USA. Manhertz replaced Trent Sisley in the starting lineup. Alexis played early and often. The Virgin Islands jumped ahead 7-4, 11-10 and 14-13 before Team USA took a 15-14 lead then pushed ahead 30-20 after the first quarter. Guard Bryce Lindsay led with nine points. Karvala had eight. Team USA led 37-22 early in the second quarter, then pushed ahead 42-23 then 69-39 at halftime. Karvala led with 19 points. Sherrell and Alexis each had 10. Team USA cruised to victory from there, reaching 100 points early in the fourth quarter. Through it all, DeVries continues to focus on building team chemistry and development in this event as well as prioritize winning.
True freshmen Manhertz, Prince-Alexander Moody, and Vaughn Karvala are getting extensive minutes, as are walk-ons such as Ben Winker and Ian Stephens. “The hardest part when you’re doing events like this is we’re only allowed to play 12 guys a night,” DeVries says, “so there’s going to be a couple guys every night who won’t be able to participate.” IU has 16 players on its roster, although in its Team USA set up, it’s 15. Big men Samet Yigitoglu and Clemens Sokolov are ineligible because they were born outside of the United States. Alexis helps make up for that size loss. “It can be a little challenging with rotations because you’re trying to get everybody some time, trying to give them reps and trying to give them experience,” DeVries says. “At the same time, you’re trying, with some of those guys that are potential starters, to give them the opportunity to play together because they’re all new to each other, too. “We want to do a mixture of both — get the young guys their minutes but also get some older vets a chance to play with one another in different situations.”
Communication is another priority. DeVries says it’s improving, with more work needed. “That’s going to be a process that takes a little bit longer. It’s getting guys to recognize the importance of communicating, especially at the defensive end. “Great communicating teams can eliminate mistakes. Even when there is potential for a breakdown, it allows guys to cover for each other, react a little bit better. Guys are starting to understand that it’s something that, as this group has gone on over the summer, we saw it as something that maybe we’re not great at, and we want to be the elite at it. We’ll continue to make that a focus point.” The America Games is for college athletes from North and South America, Central America and the Caribbean involving 15 sports. Basketball teams include Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Columbia, Virgin Islands, and Chile.
Indiana University Football gets a commitment from Lukas Prock who is a top 10 Quarterback in the 2028 Class Indiana’s first commit in the 2028 class is one of the nation’s top rising junior quarterbacks. Lukas Prock announced Thursday afternoon he has committed to IU over fellow finalists Florida, Michigan, Notre Dame and Ohio State. Following the commitment of 2027 5-star Monshun Sales, IU has now landed the top-two highest-rated recruits in program history — in less than a week. Prock comes in second after Sales, and they project to connect on the field as a quarterback-receiver duo in a few years. “I have a ton of belief in Coach Cignetti that he is going to sustain the success at Indiana, and he is going to surround everyone with the right people,” Prock told Steve Wiltfong of Rivals. “My thought process was, if I feel comfortable enough and the staff feels the same way, then what’s the point of waiting?” he told Rivals’ Chad Simmons. “There’s no spot I’d rather be than Indiana, so why would I wait for somebody else to take that opportunity?”
The 6-foot-2 Prock attends Hun H.S. in New Jersey. He’s from Massachusetts. As a sophomore he completed 226 of 309 passes (72%) for 4,330 yards with 41 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also rushed 11 times for 154 yards and a score. He ended the 2025 season as the Rivals’ New Jersey high school football Player of the Year. Based on the average of the national rankings, Prock is a 4-star, the No. 68 overall player in the 2028 class, and the No. 7 quarterback. He’s a consensus top 10 quarterback across the national recruiting sites. Prock visited Indiana in June. He also had offers from Penn State, Illinois, Auburn, LSU, Nebraska, Georgia, South Carolina and many more Power Four schools.
Former Indiana University Football Quarterback Fernando Mendoza Signs with the Las Vegas Raiders Former IU football quarterback Fernando Mendoza has signed his first NFL contract with the Las Vegas Raiders. Mendoza was selected in the first round by the Raiders in April’s NFL Draft. According to Spotrac, Mendoza signed a 4-year, $57,270,598 contract with Las Vegas, including a $38,111,344 signing bonus, $57,270,598 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $14,317,650. The Raiders took Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick. He will continue to wear No. 15 in the NFL. He is one of five former Hoosiers at Raiders training camp, joining Roman Hemby, E.J. Williams, Jonathan Brady and Ian Thomas. Raider’s rookies reported to training camp Thursday. Mendoza is competing with veterans Kirk Cousins and Aidan O’Connell for the starting job. Cousins currently has taken the most first team reps during offseason activities to this point.
In 2025, Mendoza led the Hoosiers to their first national championship and an undefeated 16-0 season. He started all 16 games and finished 273-of-379 passing (72.0%) for 3,535 yards, 41 touchdowns and six interceptions. He led the FBS in passing touchdowns (41) and set a single-season school record with a 72.0% completion percentage (third in FBS). Mendoza was the only FBS quarterback since at least 1996 with multiple games of at least a 90.0% and four touchdown passes against Power 4 opponents, while also being the only FBS quarterback with six games of four-plus touchdown passes and zero interceptions. Mendoza was named Heisman Trophy winner, Associated Press Player of the Year, Associated Press All-American First Team, Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, All-Big Ten First Team, and the Walter Camp, Davey O’Brien and Maxwell Award winner.
Indianapolis Colts Owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon to present Adam Vinatieri at Hall of Fame induction Indianapolis Colts owner and CEO Carlie Irsay-Gordon will present former Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri at the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction on Aug. 8, 2026, in Canton, Ohio. Vinatieri was selected to the Hall’s Class of 2026 in early February, in just his second turn of eligibility. Irsay-Gordon’s appearance will be her first time presenting an inductee. The late Jim Irsay previously presented three former Colts into the Hall of Fame: wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (2016), running back Edgerrin James (2020), and defensive end Dwight Freeney (2020).
Vinatieri, widely regarded as the greatest kicker in NFL history, finished a 24-year NFL career as the league’s all-time leading scorer (2,673 points), achieving the mark while with the Colts. He spent 14 seasons in Indianapolis (2006–2019) and, during the team’s 2006 Super Bowl run, set an NFL record with 14 made field goals across four playoff games. Vinatieri also ended his career with the most made field goals in NFL history (599), most postseason points (238) and most postseason field goals made (56). Additionally, Vinatieri will be inducted into the Colts Ring of Honor during the Colts’ Week 6 game against the Tennessee Titans at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Candlelight Vigils Planned for Boxer and Indiana Native Hannah Rapp Following Fatal Crash Loved ones will hold simultaneous candlelight vigils across three locations for Hannah Rapp, the championship-contending boxer from Yorktown who was tragically killed while biking in Texas. Dark Side Boxing Club-Vigil begins at 8:30pm ET, community lighting of candles at 9:30pm- 1433 East Dollar Court Brookston, Indiana 47923. Morrow’s Meadows Pavilion-9:30pm ET-9300 W Canal St Yorktown, IN 47396-Attendees are asked to “wear bright colors for Hannah”. Bryan Boxing-8:30pm CT-107 E Martin Luther King Jr St-Bryan, TX 77802.
In June, Rapp challenged for the WBC Featherweight World Championship. She previously won a North American Boxing Federation title. Both organizations are asking people who can’t attend a vigil to post a picture of themselves on social media holding a candle, with the message “Prayers for Hannah.” The 26-year-old is remembered for her warm, welcoming presence and smile. “She had positivity just coming from her. You could feel it when she walked into the gym,” Bryan Boxing Head Coach Carl Perry said, “If there truly are angels on Earth, she was one of them.” Rapp had an 8-1-1 professional boxing record, with 5 wins by knockout. Perry believed she was on the way to becoming a world champion. “I think she would have become a hall of famer.” Investigators say 31-year old Charles Medina drove past Rapp, stopped, then reversed into Rapp, killing her. Medina is charged with manslaughter. A petition for “Hannah’s Law”, an initiative to strengthen legal tools to protect the public from people with documented criminal histories, has garnered thousands of signatures.
Caitlin Clark is One Technical Foul Away from Receiving a One-Game Suspension On Wednesday night against the Connecticut Sun, the Indiana Fever set a franchise record with 123 points while recording the second-largest win in team history with a 35-point victory. Indiana was three points shy of the WNBA record for most points in a game, and Caitlin Clark’s 27-point, 11-assist performance moved her into sole possession of fourth place for the most points/assists double-doubles in WNBA history. Clark has accomplished that 23 times in her career. Despite the many positives from Indiana’s 123-88-win, one thing stood out as not so positive. On Wednesday, Caitlin Clark received her seventh technical foul of the season, putting her one technical away from a one-game suspension. The technical occurred with under a minute left in the third quarter when Indiana led by 28. As Clark began dribbling across the top of the key, she was guarded by Connecticut’s Saniya Rivers and then fouled by Olivia Nelson-Ododa.
After the reach-in foul, Clark and Rivers began jawing at each other, and both were assessed technical fouls. “She said she was locking me up, so I said, ‘Scoreboard,’ and the ref didn’t like that,” Clark said, jokingly. The Fever hold a 17-10 record entering the All-Star break and have 17 games left on the schedule. Clark said she won’t let the possibility of a future technical affect the intensity she brings to the court. “I’m never going to back down,” Clark said. “That intensity and that fire are what make me, me. I also know my team needs me, so it’s about finding a good balance, but I don’t think I’m going to be playing with that in the back of my head. I don’t think that might hinder my play.”
When asked if picking up her eighth technical foul is inevitable, Clark jokingly said, “I don’t know, I can’t predict the future. You’ve got to ask the Magic 8 Ball.” Clark is still on a minutes restriction as she manages a lingering back injury, but that hasn’t slowed her dominance this past week. Just two days ago, Clark was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week after averaging 25 points and 7.6 assists per game over the three games leading into Wednesday’s matchup against the Sun. The Fever are back in action on Tuesday, July 28, on the road against the Seattle Storm.
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing purchases one IndyCar charter from Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Rahal Letterman & Lanigan Racing announced Wednesday that the team sold one of its three NTT IndyCar Series Charters to Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. Once approved by IndyCar, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing will return full-time to NTT IndyCar competition with a one-car entry starting in the 2027 season. It will mark DRR’s first full season since 2012. Rahal Letterman & Lanigan Racing released the news publicly on X (Formerly Twitter). “I have always had tremendous respect for Dennis Reinbold, both as a fellow team owner and as a fellow automobile dealer,” RLL co-owner Bobby Rahal said in a statement. “His dedication to INDYCAR and the legacy he built over many years earned the respect of everyone in the paddock. As we evaluated the long-term direction of our organization, we made the strategic decision to return our full-time program to two cars beginning in 2027. We believe this positions our team to be able to maximize our level of competition while allowing us to focus our resources as we prepare for the introduction of the new car.” The team announced that driver and partner details for next year’s campaign will be released at a later date.