Indiana University Men’s Basketball to play in the 2024 Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas
Indiana will play in the 2024 Battle 4 Atlantis, according to a report from Jon Rothstein. The field includes Arizona, Gonzaga, Indiana, Louisville, Creighton, West Virginia, Oklahoma and Davidson. The event is played at the Atlantis resort in the Bahamas during Thanksgiving week. It will be the first time the Hoosiers have played in the event which takes place in a big ballroom that is converted into a basketball court.
The Hoosiers will get three games and the bracket has not been released. It will be a return trip to The Atlantis for IU. The Hoosiers took a foreign trip to the Bahamas in the summer of 2021 to kick off the Mike Woodson era. This year the Hoosiers play during Thanksgiving week in New York in connection with the Empire Classic. More details including ticket information and travel packages will be released later. It is one of the many popular non-conference college basketball tournaments that takes place during each season. The prestigious tournament is in its 12th year this season.
Excessive Heat Warnings in Indiana bring schedule changes for outdoor High School Sports
The extreme heat in Indiana has prompted several postponements in this week’s high school sports schedule not only in Monroe County but all over the state of Indiana. Temperatures have reach the low 90’s with over 100-degree heat index since Sunday and will continue through Friday Night with Thursday’s High expected at 97 degrees. Temperatures are cool off on Saturday with a high of 87 degrees.
Edgewood postponed all outdoor events Monday and Tuesday Evening with Two Girls Golf Matches including a showdown with Bloomington North Tuesday, Two Boys Soccer Matches, Two Boys Tennis Matches including Bloomington North at Edgewood on Tuesday and a Girls Soccer that were scheduled. Bedford North Lawrence postponed the Scott Hiles Boys Cross Country Invitational until August 29th in which Bloomington North is scheduled to take part in. Bloomington North postponed Tuesday’s Columbus East Boys Soccer game and Wednesday’s Girls Soccer match with Center Grove. The Cougars were to host Terre Haute South in Boys Tennis on Thursday but that has been postponed with Terre Haute South announced all outdoor events are canceled through Thursday and no practices and take place before 6pm. Lighthouse Christian canceled its Tuesday Boys Soccer match at Shoals and Thursday’s Boys and Girls Cross Country meet at Eminence which has been rescheduled for October 4.
Two outdoor events were still scheduled for Tuesday Night with Whiteland taking on Bloomington South in Boys Tennis and Bedford North Lawrence taking on Bloomington South in Boys Soccer. The only outdoor event that is scheduled on Wednesday is Edgewood and Mitchell traveling to Owen Valley in Girls Golf. On Thursday Edgewood faces Owen Valley and Bloomington South faces Terre Haute North in Boys Tennis. Edgewood faces Shoals and Bloomington North takes on Seymour and in Girls Soccer White River Valley takes on Edgewood.
The heat has postponed three middle school football games as Wednesday Night’s Tri North vs Northside along with Thursday Night’s Batchelor vs Bedford and Jackson Creek vs Edgewood games have all been shelved as Monroe County School Corporation announced on Tuesday that all non IHSAA sporting events were postponed, and practices will continue as scheduled with appropriate modifications.
Two of the three Monroe County High School Football teams have pushed back their Friday Night games from 7 to 8 pm because of the heat. Martinsville at Bloomington South and Edgewood at Washington will start at 8 pm. Bedford North Lawrence at Bloomington North remains a 7 pm kickoff as of now.
There were three outdoor events that took place Monday Night Columbus North beat Bloomington North 192-227 in Girls Golf. In Girls Soccer Bloomington North and Martinsville battled to a 1-1 draw and Bloomington South beat Columbus East 7-0.
Eleven Southern Indiana Bobcats named to the Blue-Collar League All Star Team
The Southern Indiana Bobcats Semi Pro Football Team had 11 players named to the 2023 Blue Collar Football League All Star Team. The All-Star Game will be played in September with a time, date and location to be announced. The Bobcats finished the regular season 3-7 and after a two-week break, they will be in action on Saturday when they take on the Indiana Tornados in the Western Division Semifinals at Beech Grove HS in Indianapolis. The Bobcats are the fourth seed while the Tornados finished the regular season 8-2 and the top seed in the Western Division.
Offensive Guard Chris Brummett, Offensive Tackle Daniel Kimbro and Running Back Marquise Holt were all named to the first team. Free Safety Cantrell Harris, Offensive Guard Gage Baker and Punter Ryan Langan were named to the second team. Defensive Tackle Lazarus Bolton and All-Purpose player Jason Tuckson were named to the third team. Linebacker Noah Ponce, Strong Safety DJ Stephens and Wide Receiver Parker Osborn were named honorable mention.
The Bobcats are a first-year team and five of them are from Monroe County. Brummett and Kimbro played at Edgewood, Holt and Stephens played at Bloomington South and Ponce played at Bloomington North and NAIA power Marian University in Indianapolis. DJ Stephens played for IU and Kentucky Wesleyan. Gage Baker played at Eastern Greene and Hanover College and Osborn played at Indian Creek. Bolton played at Broad Ripple HS in Indianapolis and Laney Junior College in California while Tuckson, Harris and Langan all came to Indiana from out of state for school and work a couple years ago and have been mainstays in the semi pro game.
Nine of the guys have played Semi Pro Football before this season all of them with the Indiana Cutters during the 2022 season and several other teams inside and outside of Indiana before that. Baker and Langan are first year Semi Pro players. Holt and Osborn have led the team on the offensive side of the ball scoring touchdowns while Brummett, Kimbro and Baker lead the offensive line. On Defense Harris has been everywhere along with Ponce giving the opposition problems with several takeaways as Harris leads the team in Interceptions and Ponce has a few sacks leading the defense. Stephens leads the secondary, Bolton has been used as a running back in short yardage situations on offense but also used as a lineman on both sides of the ball. Tuckson, Harris and Langan have all split punting duties this year. Tuckson has been used a running back and corner as well as Harris giving the Bobcats a lot of options all over the field. Harris has returned kicks and punts along with Osborn.
The Bobcats played their home games at Edgewood HS this season on the red turf. The Bobcats had a lot of support this season from the community as this was the first time since 2017 that a Semi Pro Football team has called Monroe County home.
Indiana University Baseball Pitcher Luke Sinnard expected to miss the 2024 Season after elbow surgery
Indiana right-handed junior starting pitcher Luke Sinnard is expected to miss the entire 2024 season after undergoing elbow surgery, Indiana baseball head coach Jeff Mercer said in an email to the Indiana Daily Student on Monday. In another email Tuesday, Mercer told the IDS the surgery correlated to the injury Sinnard sustained during the third inning of Indiana’s first NCAA Tournament game versus West Virginia University on June 2. Sinnard set a new Indiana single-season strikeout record, tallying his 114th punchout in the second inning of Indiana’s 12-6 win over the Mountaineers. He left the game an inning later after surrendering a leadoff single, covering his face with his glove and appearing in discomfort. “Our goal is to be ready for the 2025 season,” Mercer said of Sinnard in the email Monday.
Sinnard spent his freshman season at Western Kentucky University in 2022. Through 11 appearances with the Hilltoppers, the then-freshman pitched 26 ⅓ innings, posted a 7.18 earned run average and struck out 28 batters. Sinnard transferred to Indiana for this past season, and the then-sophomore flourished in his first season in Bloomington. Sinnard found his way into the weekend pitching rotation, starting all 16 of his appearances in 2023. He posted a 4.27 earned run average across 86 ⅓ innings. Sinnard’s 114 strikeouts led the Big Ten and broke the program record that stood for nearly 90 years. The right-hander turned in three separate outings with ten or more strikeouts in 2023, and Sinnard’s season-high of 13 was on March 17 versus Morehead State University. Indiana went 12-4 in games that Sinnard pitched.
Former Indiana University Volleyball Player Paula Cerame signs with Pro Volleyball Federation
America’s newest professional sports league, the Pro Volleyball Federation, will feature former Indiana libero Paula Cerame when teams begin their inaugural season in February of 2024. Cerame, who amassed 994 digs in two seasons with the Hoosiers, was announced as one of the first five players for the Orlando Valkyries on Monday afternoon.
The San Juan, Puerto Rico native played two seasons with IU after transferring from the University of Florida in 2021. Her 353 digs in Big Ten play in 2022 (20 matches) marked a program record for the Hoosiers. In total, she had 502 digs last season which is third all-time in school history. Her 29 digs, recorded in last year’s upset win over No. 5 Ohio State were the second-most ever in a match for IU during the 25-point rally-scoring era. Cerame has continued training with the Puerto Rican national team and has appeared with the nation at the NORCECA Final Six Plan American Cup in August.
The Pro Volleyball Federation will open its doors in February 2024 with eight teams in cities including Orlando, Grand Rapids, Columbus and Omaha. Each team will field 14 players and the league will operate under a traditional model with the goal of growing the game and building a sustainable viewing platform for one of the world’s fastest-growing sports.
1968 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year Bill Vukovich II passes away at age 79
Bill Vukovich II, who was the 1968 Indianapolis Rookie of the Year, passed away at 79 years old Sunday. Vukovich II’s father, Bill Vukovich, was a two-time Indianapolis 500 winner while his son also won the Indy 500 Rookie of the Year. Professional racing and the Vukovich family were inseparable as the Vukovich’s were one of only five families to feature three generations of drivers that competed in the Indy 500. Vukovich II posted 12 starts in the Indy 500 between 1968 and 1980, finishing with six finishes in the top 10.
The former driver recorded his best Indy 500 result when he was second in the 1973 race. Vukovich II went on to finish third in 1974 and sixth in 1975. Vukovich also finished in seventh place as a rookie driving the No. 98 Wagner-Lockheed Shrike/Offy, earning the Rookie of the Year award. Vukovich II’s most prolific season arrived in 1972 when he finished second while participating in the USAC Champ Car standings. The talented driver concluded his racing career with 158 career starts and 85 top-10 finishes between 1965 and 1982.
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