Indiana University Men’s Basketball travels to Minnesota Indiana University continues its 123rd season of competition in men’s basketball with a road game at Minnesota. Tip is scheduled for 9pm this evening from Williams Arena on Big Ten Network. Indiana earned a third-straight conference win for the first time since the 2018-19 Big Ten season with an 82-69 result over the Michigan State Spartans on Sunday to go to 13-6 overall and 4-4 in Big Ten play. Senior forward Trayce Jackson-Davis registered his second-consecutive 30-point game with 31 points, 15 rebounds, four assists, and five blocked shots in the victory. The Greenwood native is the first major-conference player in 25 seasons of men’s college basketball to secure at least 65 points, 20 rebounds, nine assists, and eight blocks in a two-game span. Junior guard Trey Galloway scored 17 points, the second most of his Big Ten career, on 5-of-8 shooting from the floor and 3-of-3 shooting from the 3-point line. He added three assists and one rebound. Sophomore guard Tamar Bates added 17 points to the IU ledger off the bench. He canned 5-of-6 shots from behind the 3-point arc to go along with three rebounds and one steal. The Indiana bench out-scored Michigan State by a tally of 25-9 in the win.
During Indiana’s three-game winning streak, senior forward Trayce Jackson-Davis is averaging 28.0 points, 12.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 4.3 blocks per game. Jackson-Davis has made 34-of-52 (65.4%) of his shots from the floor and 16-of-19 (84.2%) of his free throw attempts during that stretch. For the second time in his career, TJD posted back-to-back 30-point games with 35 points at Illinois (Jan. 19) and 31 points against Michigan State (Jan. 22). He has posted nine or more rebounds in six-straight games, the longest streak of his career. During that stretch, Jackson-Davis is averaging 13.3 boards per game. Sophomore guard Tamar Bates, nicknamed “Scoop”, has taken a second-year leap for the Hoosiers. He has upped his minutes per game from 14.3 to 23.1, points per game from 3.9 to 98.7, and 3-point percentage from 29.8% to 42.0% from his debut collegiate season. The IMG Academy product scored 32 points off the bench on 6-of-11 (54.5%) shooting from the 3-point line against Nebraska (Dec. 7) and Arizona (Dec. 10). Scoop scored 17 bench points on 5-of-6 shooting from the 3-point line against Michigan State on Jan. 22. Bates became a father to his daughter, Leilani, on March 20, 2022, two days after his freshman season concluded. On Sunday, the 10-month-old won the halftime show Baby Race in come-from-behind fashion.
The Gophers, led by second-year head coach Ben Johnson, enter Tonight’s contest with a 7-11 record and a 1-7 mark in B1G play. Minnesota has lost three-straight games. Indiana has won 106 games in 175 chances against Minnesota, including a pair of wins in the 2021-22 season. In the first game, Indiana secured a 73-60 home victory before earning an 84-79 win in Minneapolis. IU led by as many as 27 points in the second game but had to withstand a furious comeback attempt from the home team to secure the win. Guard Xavier Johnson averaged 19.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 6.5 assists in the two wins. Head coach Mike Woodson averaged 18.1 points in his seven career contests against the Gophers. Indiana has won five-straight games against Minnesota dating back to the 2019-20 season. IU has claimed victory in 10 of the last 12 contests in the series.
Jasper Indiana native Scott Rolen inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame Finally, Jasper’s hero got the call. Scott Rolen, who was a star at Jasper High School before embarking on a 17-year Major League Baseball career that was decorated with accolades from start to finish, is a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. He was voted in on Tuesday, being named on 76.3% of ballots. The threshold for enshrinement is 75%. The 2023 induction ceremony will take place on July 23 in Cooperstown. Longtime first baseman Fred McGriff will also be enshrined.
Before he was winning eight Gold Gloves or earning seven All-Star nods, Rolen was a sensation in southern Indiana. Born in Evansville, he was a multi-sport standout. One of his first mentions in the local newspaper wasn’t for his accomplishments on the diamond, but in basketball, as Rolen scored 25 points in a seventh-grade pickup game. At the age of 12, he was the age-group winner for the Jasper Optimist Tri-Star Basketball contest. In a middle school football game, he rushed for 129 yards and two touchdowns, and threw a touchdown pass for good measure. It was a sign of things to come: He could do it all. During his senior season at Jasper in 1993, he was the runner-up for IndyStar Mr. Basketball and the Indiana Mr. Baseball winner. The opening game of the 1993 basketball sectional round is still considered iconic. Jasper trailed 58-43 with six minutes to play. Rolen hit seven 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and scored 47 points in the game. His 3-pointer with 12 seconds left got Jasper within one point. Jasper was called for an intentional foul, allowing Forest Park to ice the game at the line and retain possession.
He finished his career with 1,123 points and averaged 26.9 during his senior season, earning an Indiana All-Star nod. He was even more successful on the diamond during his senior season, he batted .547 with eight home runs and 35 RBIs. On the mound, he had a 0.75 ERA with 52 strikeouts in 53 innings. Rolen originally intended to play basketball and baseball at the University of Georgia but was drafted in the second round of the 1993 MLB Draft by the Philadelphia Phillies. He made his Major League debut briefly in 1996, and made an immediate impact the following season, winning the National League Rookie of the Year award. He won his first Gold Glove the following season and earned his first All-Star nod in 2002. The best season of his career came in 2004, when he finished fourth in the National League MVP voting and batted .314 with 34 home runs and 124 RBIs. He helped the St. Louis Cardinals to the National League pennant that season. Two years later, he earned his first and only World Series ring. Even at the age of 36, in the penultimate year of his career, he was named an All-Star. He retired after the 2012 season. In 2019, he was inducted into the St. Louis Cardinals’ Hall of Fame.
Many thought there was no doubt Rolen was destined for Cooperstown. He is one of only four third basemen in MLB history with at least 2,000 hits, 500 doubles, 300 home runs and 1,200 runs batted in. His career WAR (wins above replacement) of 70.1 is ninth among all-time third basemen. But the voters weren’t immediately convinced. In 2018, his first year of eligibility, he got just 10.2% of votes. By 2020, he was up to 35.3%, and up to 52.9% in 2021. Rolen has maintained his Indiana ties. In 2018, he joined the Indiana University baseball coaching staff as director of player development.
Edgewood HS Football Head Coach Caleb True steps down after two seasons Edgewood HS football coach Caleb True has stepped down after 2 seasons as the Mustangs head football coach. True ends his run with a 4-16 record. True took over after Brian Rosenburgh stepped down 2 years ago and have a tough challenge ahead on and off the field. Injuries made acquiring any consistency and momentum a tough task as True looked to implement his offensive and defensive systems. In 2021, the Mustangs, with a smaller than usual coaching staff, also lost a game due to COVID, but did manage to win a sectional game. The 2022 season saw more assistants brought on board but was pockmarked by a trail of injuries to key skill players and linemen. At the same time, there are good memories and a positive legacy left behind for the new coaching staff.
As the off-season went on True found his head and heart focused anywhere but on football. “I was losing the passion to get back in it right away and get into a new season,” True told the Bloomington Hearld-Times. It felt like it was an unusually steep climb the entire time and issues outside of football started to make things harder. That all conspired to make him step away, at least temporarily, from the program. The Trues moved back to Bloomington five years ago from Florida. True was an assistant at South, then at Edgewood for a year and was approached about taking over when Rosenburgh resigned. True is also an algebra/geometry teacher, covering six class periods, and as head coach, was the only member of the staff in the building. In November, the passing of his wife’s mother in Florida and the fact his own children are starting to get old enough to participate in clubs and organized sports made him recognize just how precious time is.
The schedule next year will have a different look in Weeks 2 and 3, with Washington and Cascade filling in for Monrovia and the slot filled recently by Indianapolis Washington and Peotone (Ill.). Cascade is rejoining the Western Indiana Conference in 2024 and will play in the Gold Division with Edgewood. As far as the search for a new coach, the job has been posted statewide, though a targeted hire date has not been set yet. That said, Edgewood is making a new commitment to bringing in the best coach, regardless of teaching openings.
There are plenty of incentives to drive applications, with a relatively new field turf, stands and locker room facilities. Edgewood is also investing in its weight room, looking to update it with new flooring and equipment. The Mustangs have also hired a strength coach, all of which will benefit more than the football program. A large number of athletes at the junior high level are participating in weight training, giving more hope for the future. That commitment is needed more than ever with Edgewood elevated to Class 4A and a much tougher sectional at the top, but one in which it should be able to compete with most of the other teams. Given East Central’s recent success, it’s likely the powerhouse Trojans will soon find themselves in 5A anyway, opening the door, at least temporarily, for someone else.
Xavier Booker and Ashlynn Shade will represent Indiana in the McDonalds All American HS Basketball Games Indianapolis Cathedral senior Xavier Booker achieved one of the highest honors for a high school basketball player Tuesday as he was named a McDonald’s All American. Booker, a 6-10 senior and Michigan State recruit, is one of 24 boys’ players and 24 girl’s players in the country named McDonald’s All Americans. Booker will play for the East team March 28 in Houston. On the Girls side former Noblesville star Ashlynn Shade made the roster. Shade transferred to La Lumiere for her senior season. Shade is going to the University of Connecticut next season, and she led Noblesville to the Class 4A State championship last season before transferring over the summer.
Booker, rated as the No. 8 prospect in the senior class on the 247sports composite, helped Cathedral to the Class 4A state championship last season as a junior, averaging 12.5 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocked shots per game. Through 14 games this season, Booker is averaging 13.5 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.0 blocked shots per game for the 12-3 Irish. Kentucky had four recruits named to the team. Booker’s future college teammate, point guard Jeremy Fears, is the only other Big Ten recruit named to the boys’ team.
Indianapolis Colts kick returner Dallis Flowers named to PFWA All-Rookie Team Indianapolis Colts cornerback Dallis Flowers on Tuesday was named the kick returner on the Pro Football Writers of America’s 2022 All-Rookie Team. Flowers led the NFL in yards per kickoff return (31.1) and finished fourth in kick return yards (715) on 23 returns. He became the first player since 2019 and only the 17th player in NFL history to have at least 20 returns while averaging 31 or more yards per return.
Flowers ripped off kick returns of 48, 49 and 89 yards after stepping in as the Colts’ returner at halftime in Week 12. He also logged significant time at cornerback in the Colts’ final four games, including his first career start in Week 18 against the Houston Texans. Flowers joined the Colts as an undrafted free agent in May after wrapping up his college career at Pittsburg State, where he returned to kickoffs for touchdowns.
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