Indiana
Indiana’s Yarden Garzon talks what basketball has given her ahead of Women’s March Madness
Five players to watch during March Madness
USA Today’s Meghan Hall breaks down five players in the WNCAA March Madness Tournament we need to be paying more attention to.
Sports Seriously
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Indiana guard Yarden Garzon’s family lives in Israel. Her twin sister is serving in the Israeli military. Garzon, however, is here, preparing for the ninth-seeded Hoosiers’ first-round Women’s March Madness matchup against No. 8 Utah on Friday.
“She should be serving right now, but she has her visa to come play basketball in the U.S.,” teammate Sydney Parrish said Thursday. “I think, as a team and as a staff, we do as much as we can, putting our arms around her.”
Garzon, a junior, committed to Indiana in 2021. She was a four-star recruit, known for her sharpshooting abilities and rebounding skills as a guard. She decided to make Bloomington, Indiana, her home without knowing the implications that would entail.
“I’m trying to use my platform to raise awareness about my country and the situation,” Garzon said. “I do everything I can to put it on the biggest stage possible.”
Garzon gives her teammates pins to wear and also has worn a dog-tag necklace imprinted with the words “Bring Them Home,” in reference to Israel’s hostages taken by Hamas, after games.
“There’s a lot of fake news out there and I’m trying to clarify this on my social media,” Garzon said. “I’m trying to share as much as I can, and I feel like I’m doing a lot of stuff with the Jewish community, trying to make everyone feel a part of something.”
Garzon is the Hoosiers’ leading scorer, averaging 14.5 points per game. She holds the Indiana record for most 3-pointers made in a career with 217.
“Basketball helped me to be there for my country, so I feel like it’s great that I have this stage to do it,” she said.
Carter Braun is a student in the University of Georgia’s Sports Media Certificate program.
Caitlin Clark injury update: Fever star out for Saturday’s game vs LA
Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White provided a Caitlin Clark injury update after the star guard left Wednesday’s game early with a back issue.
The Indiana Fever will be without Caitlin Clark when they face the Los Angeles Sparks on Saturday, June 27 (8 p.m. ET, CBS).
Clark exited the Fever’s 111-109 loss to the Mercury on Wednesday with 5:15 remaining in the third quarter because of an ongoing back issue. She will not play Saturday because of the injury.
“She’s OK. She’s gonna be out on Saturday, but she’s doing all right,” White said Friday.
“No indication (of how long she’ll be out). Obviously, it’s a good time because we have all week next week. So, we’ll take this opportunity just to get her treatment, get her healthy, get her back on the floor and see what happens.”
After Saturday’s matchup against the Sparks, Indiana does not play again until Sunday, July 5, giving Clark more than a week of rest.
What time is Indiana Fever vs Los Angeles Sparks game?
- Date: Saturday, June 27
- Time: 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT)
- Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse (Indianapolis)
The Fever and Sparks play at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 27, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
What TV channel is Indiana Fever vs Los Angeles Sparks game on today?
- TV: CBS
- Stream: Paramount+
A suspect accused of making threats and violating a protection order led officers in northwest Indiana on a chase that ended when he crashed into a tree and was ejected from the vehicle, police said.
The Portage Police Department said on Friday, officers were called to a residence on Fiesta Drive after complaints of threats and a protection order violation. Later in the day, at around 3:45 p.m., officers were again dispatched to the property for the same reason, police said.
As officers arrived on the scene, the suspect’s vehicle was seen traveling away from the home. An officer later attempted to pull the driver over along Willowcreek Road near 700 North. The vehicle made a U-turn, and the officer believed he was coming to a stop – but the driver quickly sped away, police said.
At the intersection of Willowcreek Road and U.S. 6, the driver went through a red light and struck an oncoming vehicle before losing control and slamming into a tree. The suspect’s vehicle rolled several times, causing the driver to be ejected, police stated.
The driver was airlifted for treatment, but his condition wasn’t immediately known. A female passenger was taken by ambulance to an area hospital with injuries.
The driver who was hit at the intersection was treated at the scene and released, police said.
A third vehicle in a nearby parking lot was hit by the suspect’s vehicle as it rolled, and a person inside that vehicle was hospitalized with minor injuries.
The incident remained under investigation as of Friday night.
Indiana basketball practice observations from June 25: Freshmen mixing in
IU has a game-changer, Thursday’s practice open to the media showed. IndyStar IU insider Zach Osterman explains what he saw.
BLOOMINGTON — Whatever he can.
That’s the answer. The question — one prompted by an urgency to add strength to his game — is what Vaughn Karvala, Indiana basketball’s athletic freshman wing, is doing to add weight. IU’s highest-ranked signee in the 2026 class, it’s not hard to envision a role for Karvala in Darian DeVries’ second season in Bloomington. The player himself knows that starts with meeting the physical demands of the college game.
Which starts with building onto to his 6-foot-7, 190-pound frame.
“The biggest thing for me is just putting on weight,” Karvala told reporters after practice Thursday. “That’s my biggest thing, getting stronger, trying to play with these guys that are three, four years older than me. I have to get stronger, I have to get faster, everything.”
A three-year letter winner at Oregon (Wisconsin) High School, Karvala spent his senior season at Bella Vista Prep in Arizona, bolstering a profile that saw him ranked No. 62 nationally per the 247Sports Composite.
Karvala averaged 26.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game in his final season with Oregon, shooting close to 42% from behind the 3-point line. He averaged another 14.7 points per game with Team Herro on the EYBL circuit.
He handed DeVries a major recruiting win last fall, when Karvala picked the Hoosiers over Xavier and Cal. Now, both at the rim and behind the arc, Karvala looks like a player who can contribute meaningfully in his first year in college.
“I know my athleticism catches the eye, but I can still shoot it,” Karvala said. “But another thing is just working on rebounding, trying to get extra possessions for us.”
Whether on the glass or elsewhere, embracing the physical challenge of college basketball has been an emphasis for Karvala since he arrived in Bloomington earlier this summer.
That manifests itself offensively, when he tries to push the ball downhill and leverage that athleticism to attack the rim. It shows up defensively, where Karvala said he’s comfortable guarding the two, the three and, matchup depending, the four.
It even plays out on the glass, battling bigs up to including 7-2 teammate Samet Yigitoglu, who Karvala described with a smile as “the biggest guy I’ve ever seen.”
“Physicality, 100%,” Karvala said, when asked where he’s challenging himself. “Just playing with all these guys that have 20, 30, 40 pounds on me.”
Which starts with the physical demand of more weight. Karvala said he’ll eat chicken, steak or “whatever we have in the locker room” that can help him in that effort. His focus, he said, is simply to “eat a lot, and work out every day.”
As that weight and strength begin to build, Karvala knows the next step — to mentally prepare for the rough-and-tumble nature of life on the floor in the Big Ten — is just as important. Preparing his body comes first. Challenging himself to toughen up once it’s required follows quickly after.
“Just getting fully there, mentally,” he said. “You’re going to have to push your body to get through this.”
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