Indiana University Men’s Basketball opens the season with a win over Morehead State
The Indiana Hoosiers Men’s Basketball opened the 2022-23 regular season with 88-53 win over the Morehead State Eagles Monday night in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The Hoosiers are 6-0 all time against Morehead State and 26-0 all time against teams from the Ohio Valley Conference. Indiana is 1-0 on the season and will host Bethune-Cookman Thursday Night at 8:30pm. Trayce Jackson-Davis and Freshman Malik Reneau led the Hoosiers with 15 points apiece, Jordan Geronimo added 10 points and gave his father a shoutout in the post-game press conference to wish him a happy birthday. Playing his first game Malik Reneau added 5 rebounds and he plays at his own pace and not where teams force to speed him up. “You can’t speed him up. That’s one of his biggest strengths.” Said Race Thompson after the game about Reneau. Freshman Jalen Hood-Schifino started his first game and finished with 7 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds and 1 steal in 27 minutes.
The Hoosiers jumped out to a 10-3 lead with 16:18 left after Morehead State took a 3-2 lead 49 seconds into the game. Morehead State led 17-16 with 12:00 minutes before halftime and then tied the game when Mark Freeman hit a free throw after being fouled on a three-point shot by Xavier Johnson with 9:17 left in the first half. IU Fans thought Freeman should have been called for an offensive when he kicked his leg out trying to draw contact. Indiana outscored the Eagles 20-8 to take a 41-29 lead into the locker room. Indiana outscored the Eagles 47-24 in the second half. Morehead State head coach Preston Spadlin was assessed a technical foul with 11:01 left in the game. Jake Wolfe who barked at the IU student section in the first half fouled out and finished with 9 points.
The Hoosiers shot 61 % from the field, 4-11 from three-point range for 36% and 12-21 from the free throw line for 51%. Head Coach Mike Woodson was not happy about the free throw shooting. ” I hate that we are missing free throws that really bothers me as a coach” Woodson said after the game. Indiana pulled down 33 rebounds, 16 assists, 9 steals, 4 blocks and 12 turnovers. The Hoosiers had 12 of 14 players that paid scored with Anthony Leal and walk on Nathan Childress the only two players not to score. Indiana also got 45 points off the bench, and this is a big part of what the mantra of this Hoosier team will be this season. “I feel we have 10 starters out there when the second unit comes in there is no drop off its a lot of fun” said Race Thompson after the game.
Morehead State was led in scoring by Mark Freeman finished with 14 points all in the first half. Drew Thelwell finished with 11 points. The Eagles had 2 players from Indiana. Graduate Student Alex Gross from Hauser HS northeast of Columbus had 8 points in 26 minutes and Freshman Julian Norris from Evansville Bosse did not play. The Eagles shot 37 % from the field, 9-30 from three-point range for 30 percent and 4-5 from the foul line for 80%. The Eagles pulled down 28 rebounds. 8 assists, 4 steals, 1 block and 21 turnovers.
Indianapolis Colts fire Head Coach Frank Reich and name Jeff Saturday interim Head Coach
A season spiraling out of control will continue without Frank Reich. The Indianapolis Colts fired their fifth-year head coach Monday morning. The decision came after one of the worst offensive performances in franchise history – a 26-3 loss at New England Sunday in Foxborough, Mass. but speculation of Reich’s departure had been mounting as a once-encouraging season began unraveling. The Colts have lost three straight and fallen to 3-5-1, and Jim Irsay had seen enough. He assumed ownership in 1995 following the passing of his father Robert, and this marks the first time he’s fired a head coach during the season. The decision comes 15 months after Irsay extended the contracts of Reich and general manager Chris Ballard through the 2026 season. He considered them two pillars of the franchise moving forward.
Reich’s progression, though, was impeded by the franchise’s inability to adequately address the quarterback position following the August 2019 retirement of Andrew Luck. During Reich’s five seasons, the team had five different starting QBs: Luck, Jacoby Brissett, Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz and Matt Ryan. Ryan was benched after seven starts and replaced by Sam Ehlinger. Everything has disintegrated this season, and the most damaging aspect has been Reich’s offense. It ranks 32nd in scoring (14.7 points per game) and has scored more than 20 points just once in nine games. In the loss to the Patriots, the offense was limited to 121 total yards, the 9th-fewest in franchise history, and set a club record by going 0-for-14 on third-down conversions.
Reich’s dismissal is the latest domino to fall. On Oct. 24, the team benched Ryan in favor of Ryan and replaced him with Ehlinger. Last week, Reich fired offensive coordinator Marcus Brady, and running back Nyheim Hines was traded to Buffalo. The only remaining logical tile: Reich. He departs with a 41-33-1 overall record, but the Colts are 3-7-1 in their last 11 games. The team reached the playoffs as a wild card twice. In 2018, it won a first-round game at Houston 21-7 but fell in round 2 at Kansas City 31-13. In ’20, the Colts dropped a 27-20 first-round game at Buffalo.
In an unusual move, the Indianapolis Colts have named Jeff Saturday their interim coach in the aftermath of Frank Reich’s firing. Saturday. 47 joined owner Jim Irsay and general manager Chris Ballard at a Monday evening press conference at the team headquarters. Saturday is no stranger to the Colts but has zero experience as a coach at the collegiate or NFL level. He’s been head coach at Hebron Christian Academy in Dacula, Ga., and current is an analyst for ESPN. Also, Irsay bypassed two individuals of the staff with head coaching experience: defensive coordinator Gus Bradley and senior defensive assistant John Fox. Saturday is a member of the Ring of Honor on the strength of a 13-year career that included 202 starts, five Pro Bowl selections, two first-team All-Pro recognitions and one world championship. The Colts travel to Las Vegas Sunday at 4:05pm for a matchup with the Raiders.
Indiana University Women’s Basketball opens regular season hosting Vermont
Regular season action begins tonight when No. 11 Indiana hosts Vermont inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Tipoff is set for 7pm. Indiana hosted its only exhibition of the season on Friday night when it defeated Kentucky Wesleyan, 86-43. Senior forward Mackenzie Holmes led the way with 22 points while three others scored in double figures. Indiana shot 58.6 percent from the floor as a team and got 29 points out of its bench. All-time in season openers, the Hoosiers are 35-13 to begin the season and have won the last 10-straight opening night matchups. The Hoosiers will not have Junior Forward Kiandra Browne who has a thumb injury and will be out for a couple weeks. Teri Moren begins her 9th year at IU with 172-89 record along with an overall record of 328-204 in 20 seasons.
Indiana has a lot more depth to this team this season with a balance of seven returning and seven new players to this year’s team. Freshman Yarden Garzon from Israel started the exhibition game and finished with 3 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds in 23 minutes of action. Garzon is 6-3 and is tall for a guard, she has played against pros at the Club and International level and can-do multiple things on the court. Freshman Lilly Meister scored 12 points in 10 minutes Friday Night. The 6-3 Rochester Minnesota native had a steal, assist and rebound. Indiana had 12 of the 13 players score in Friday Night’s game. Sara Scalia the Minnesota Transfer scored 14 points and hit three 3 pointers. Grace Berger scored 16 as the Hoosiers had 24 assists along with 16 steals and committed 12 turnovers.
Vermont went 20-11 and 13-5 in the American East last season, advancing to the conference tournament semifinal. A pair of Indiana natives highlight the returning core in senior guard Emma Utterback from Center Grove HS, who led the team in scoring with 13.5 points and 3.9 assists per game in 2021-22. Senior forward Delaney Richason from Zionsville HS also hails from the Hoosier state, who averaged 9.8 ppg. Junior forward Anna Olson is also back after her sophomore campaign where she averaged 12.3 points and a team-high 6.5 rebounds. Vermont has six international players with two from Spain and one player from Serbia, Croatia, Norway and Lativa. In addition to the two players from Indiana the Catamounts have players from Florida, New Jersey Washington, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Minnesota and Massachusetts. Vermont is coached by Alisa Kresge who begins her fourth season at the school with a 36-41 record.
Kyle Schwarber hits three home runs in World Series as Houston Astros take the Philadelphia Phillies in Six Games
Former Indiana University Baseball player Kyle Schwarber hit three home runs in the World Series as the Philadelphia Phillies came up short against the Houston Astros losing game six 4-1 Saturday night in Houston as the Astros win the series 4-2. Schwarber got the only run of the game for the Phillies Saturday night in top of the sixth inning hitting a home run as the Astros responded with four runs in the bottom of the sixth to give the franchise its second World Series championship with Astros taking down the Los Angeles Dodgers in seven games to win the 2017 World Series.
Schwarber hit home runs in Games 3, 5 and 6. In the World Series he went 5-21 at the plate with 5 runs, 4 runs batted in, 1 stolen base, 6 walks and 7 strikeouts. In the postseason Schwarber played 17 games going 12-55 at the plate with 13 runs, 10 runs batted in, 6 home runs, 15 walks and 18 strikeouts. The 29-year-old from Middletown Ohio was drafted four overall by the Chicago Cubs in the 2014 MLB Draft. Completing his eighth season in the Major Leagues Schwarber played 5 seasons with the Cubs from 2015-20 winning the 2016 World Series. He went to Boston Red Sox to begin the 2021 season and then was traded to the Washington Nationals and was an All Star in that season. He signed with the Phillies in the offseason and hit a National League leading 49 home runs and was an All Star for the second year in a row. He will start next season with 199 career home runs. Schwarber played for Indiana University from 2012-2014 and led the Hoosiers to the 2013 College World Series. He won 2 Big Ten Regular Season and Tournament titles in 2013 and 2014.
Linton Volleyball falls in IHSAA Class 2A State Championship Game
The Linton Miners made their first ever IHSAA State Volleyball final as the lost to the Wapahani Raiders 3-1 in the Class 2A Final Saturday Afternoon at Worthen Arena on the Ball State University Campus in Muncie. Wapahani won the first game 25-18 with Linton taking game 2 25-22 and the Raiders controlled game 3 25-15 and won game 4 25-8. The Raiders win their sixth state title and first since 2016. Linton finished the season at 28-6 as Audriana Hale had a team-high eight kills for coach Scott VanderKolk. Linton became the third school from Greene County to compete for a volleyball state title. Bloomfield lost in 1998 in Clinton Pararie in the Class 1A Title Game 2-0 and Eastern Greene lost to Wapahani 3-0 in 2011 in the Class 2A title game at Worthen Arena.
In Class 1A Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian defeated Tecumseh 3-2 (21-25, 25-13, 12-25, 25-20, 15-5) for its second state title and first since 2016. Junior Allie Boyer led the winners with 17 kills and Abbie Cressy added 11. Leena Leichty had 40 assists as Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian finishes the season with a 34-4 record. Tecumseh 31-5 got 12 kills from Ava Kissel and 10 from Jenna Donohoo. Katelyn Marx served up a match-high five aces. Tecumseh, coached by Katie Johnson, was making its first appearance in the state finals since three-straight trips from 2002-04.
In Class 3A top ranked Providence defeated Bellmont 3-1 (25-15, 25-16, 22-25, 25-16) for its fourth state championship to go with victories in Class 2A in 2013 and 2014 and a 3A title in 2015. Providence also finished as runner-up in 2A in 2012 and 3A in 2016. Providence finishes the year 31-6. Sophomore Abby Julius led the hitting parade for the winners as she recorded 15 kills, while teammates Lilly Kaiser and Makenzie Wagner each had 14 and Lilly Tappel chipped in with 12. Tappel also had a match-high 23 digs. Fourth-ranked Bellmont (30-7 got 15 kills from Hailey Cole and 13 from Delaney Lawson. Coach Craig Krull’s Braves have now finished as runner-up in three of the last four years (also in 2019 and 2021) after winning titles in 2007 and 2010.
In Class 4A top ranked Hamilton Southeastern defeated second ranked Yorktown 3-1 (25-17, 13-25, 25-23, 25-18). In the first matchup of the No. 1 vs. No. 2 ranked teams in the final season poll since 2016, the Royals awoke from a mid-match slumber to take control of the last set and a half to claim their first-ever state championship. Coach Jason Young’s squad finished as runner-up in 2019. The Royals claimed the title after losing their first match of the season, then running off 34 straight wins – losing only six sets in the process. Hamilton Southeastern handled game one easily, only to see No. 2 Yorktown 34-3 come back with a dominating win in set two. The Tigers of coach Stephanie Bloom then ran out to leads of 10-5 and 15-8 in set three before HSE put its game back together. The Royals caught Yorktown at 17-17, then broke from a 23-23 tie on kills by Lindsey Mangelson and Avery Hobson (on match point) to take a 2-1 lead. In the fourth set, HSE took an 11-10 lead on a Lauren Harden kill and never trailed again. Hobson’s kill on match point sealed the victory. Hobson, the only senior on the HSE roster, led all hitters with 17 kills, while Charlotte Vinson led Yorktown with 15 kills.
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