Former Indiana University Women’s Basketball Grace Berger introduced by the Indiana Fever
The all-time winningest women’s basketball player at Indiana University, Grace Berger, was introduced as one of the newest members of the Indiana Fever on Tuesday morning. Berger was the seventh overall draft pick in the WNBA draft on April 10th, one of five draft picks selected by the Fever in the 2023 WNBA Draft. Berger is the highest Indiana basketball player ever selected in the WNBA draft. In fact, this is the first time a Hoosier has ever been selected in the first round and just the 5th player in IU Women’s Basketball to be selected in the WNBA Draft.
Berger arrived in Indianapolis on Monday and got right into her first workout with some of the Fever coaching staff. She met with the media to discuss the excitement surrounding the draft, her early memories of attending Fever games as a kid from Louisville, and what she’s looking forward to in her rookie season. “I remember one time when I was seven, I got picked out of the stands to go back in the locker room and high five the players and I was in disbelief. I thought everyone was super tall.” Berger Said during a press conference. The Fever’s no. 1 overall pick, Aliyah Boston from the University of South Carolina, is expected to be in Indy at the start of next week for her official introductions and the start of the team’s preseason minicamp.
The Contract of Linton High School Boys Basketball Coach Joey Hart will not be renewed
The Linton-Stockton School Board voted to not renew Linton Miners Head Basketball Coach Joey Hart’s contract during their meeting on Monday. The school board voted 3-1 in favor of not renewing his contract, with member Byron Goodman abstaining as he had coached alongside Hart. Superintendent Kathy Goad addressed the decision following the meeting, wishing Hart the best going forward. Below is her full statement.
“I just want to thank our school board and our community for all of the input they have provided so that we can make a decision that was informed and was in the best interest of the school corporation. I really would like to thank Coach Hart for all of the work he has done at Linton-Stockton. He’s built a basketball program here, we’ve had a lot of student-athletes go through this program that have been successful, not only on the court but in life itself because Coach Hart has been a mentor to them. I truly want to thank him for what he’s done for our program and our community and wish him the best.”
WTWO TV in Terre Haute reached out to Coach Hart, and he provided a statement via text message. “Just thank you to all the players, coaches, parents of Miner City basketball. It was an incredible journey that I will always cherish. And thank you to my family for supporting me through this time,” he wrote.
Hart, who had coached at Linton for 13 seasons, led them to three state title games and won over 20 games in 11 seasons. During this past season, he was arrested twice for charges of driving under the influence–once on Dec. 31st, and once in March. He was suspended indefinitely following the second incident. Noah Hawkins filled in for Hart and the team lost in the Class 2A State Championship Game to Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian. Hart’s son Joey was named 2023 Indiana All Star and will play at the University of Central Florida next season.
Purdue’s Zach Edey declares for the 2023 NBA Draft
Purdue center Zach Edey will declare for the NBA draft, but his college career may not be over just yet. Edey, the national player of the year, announced Tuesday that he will go through the draft process working out for and interviewing with NBA teams while maintaining his college eligibility. That leaves the door open for the 7-foot-4 Edey to potentially return to play for the Boilermakers next season if he chooses. The deadline for college players to put their name into the draft is April 23. From there, they have until May 31 to declare from the draft and maintain collegiate eligibility.
The decision from Edey is no surprise. As he went through the awards circuit at the Final Four in Houston earlier this month, he told reporters that he intended to go through the draft process and receive feedback from NBA evaluators. Edey, a native of Toronto, was an unheralded recruit who primarily played hockey and baseball before devoting more attention to basketball early in his high school career. He eventually ended up at IMG Academy in Florida, where he caught the eye of Purdue coach Matt Painter. Since Edey arrived on Purdue’s campus, he has improved at a rapid rate, culminating in several national player of the year honors as a junior. At 7-foot-4 and 305 pounds, Edey was completely dominant for the Boilermakers this past season. He averaged 22.3 points, 12.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks while playing 31.7 minutes per game for the Boilermakers. It was a significant leap forward in production for Edey after he shared frontcourt duties with Trevion Williams in 2022. That season, Edey averaged only 19 minutes per game but was still able to average 14.4 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.2 blocks. As a freshman, Edey put up 8.7 pounds and 4.4 rebounds per game.
If he does land in the NBA, Edey would tie Boban Marjanovic as the tallest player in the league at 7-foot-4. If he stays at Purdue, it would obviously be a massive development for the program. The Boilermakers won the Big Ten and were a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament but were shocked in the first round by No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson. If Edey returns, nearly every contributor from last year’s team will be back in the fold. Only Brandon Newman, a part-time starter at guard, has decided to transfer. The program’s lone transfer addition thus far is Lance Jones, a 6-foot-1 guard who averaged just under 14 points per game at Southern Illinois.
South Bend Clay High School to close after the 2023-2024 School Year
South Bend Clay High School will close in the summer of 2024. After many months of study, board members for the South Bend school district voted 4-3 on Monday night to adopt a long-term plan to reshape Michiana’s largest school district, bringing the corporation down from four high schools to three. Among key elements of the plan are decisions to close Clay and Warren Elementary as the district establishes new geographic feeder boundaries and offloads underused buildings to account for years of declining student enrollment. Trustees Stephanie Ball, Kate Lee, Leslie Wesley and John Anella voted for the plan, which includes a guidance document developed by consultants with the firms HPM and Fanning Howey. Trustees Stuart Greene, Jeanette McCullough and Mark Costello voted against consolidation.
The recommendations moved forward after McCullough attempted to table the plan. Two other board members Greene and Costello voted with her, but the motion failed with a lack of a majority support. Trustees spoke at great length Monday night before taking their vote during a marathon meeting that extended on for about four hours. Costello alone spoke for nearly 45 minutes on his lack of support for closing Clay. The South Bend district has lost more than 1,700 high school students alone over the last 17 years, leading to a $12 million drop in the district’s annual education budget. Administrators, further, have looked to plug a hole of more than $19 million in annual operating revenues after recently imposed tax caps took effect. The district has taken some recent action, closing or repurposing seven schools since 2018, and moving this winter to close a $2.8 million sale to the city on its downtown administration center.
This will affect Athletics’ as South Bend will be down to three Public High Schools for the 2024-25 School year. Washington, Adams and Riley High Schools. South Bend Clay which was Established in 1939 won the 1994 IHSAA Boys Basketball State Championship with former Purdue player Jaraan Cornell and Former TCU player Lee Nailon who played in the NBA from 2000-2006. Former Indiana University Basketball Player Don Schlundt is a graduate. The Colonials won the 1970 State Baseball Title. Former NFL Head Coach Jon Gurden is a graduate of Clay HS. The school is in the Northern Indiana Conference which has 12 teams, and three schools are moving into a new conference along with the this closure the Northern Indiana Conference will be down to 8 teams for the 2024-25 School Year.
New Albany HS to host IU Basketball Targets Flory Bidunga and Jasper Johnson this winter
A pair of Indiana recruiting targets will play games next winter in Southern Indiana. New Albany athletic director BJ McAlister told Inside the Hall on Tuesday that the Bulldogs will host Flory Bidunga and Kokomo on Saturday, December 2, 2023, and Jasper Johnson and Woodford County (Ky.) on Friday, January 12, 2024. Both games will be played at the Doghouse in New Albany.
Bidunga, a 6-foot-9 center, is the No. 2 player in the country in the 2024 class according to the 247Composite. Johnson, a 6-foot-2 combo guard, is the No. 26 player in the country in the 2025 class according to the 247Composite. The Indiana coaching staff is actively recruiting both players. This is the second straight season New Albany has hosted a nationally ranked prospect for a game at the Doghouse. Last December, the Bulldogs hosted Gabe Cupps and Centerville (Ohio). Following the retirement of Jim Shannon, the Bulldogs will be coached next season by Craig Teagle, who was announced as the new New Albany coach last week.
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