Indiana
Best Indiana Women’s Basketball Players Of The 2020s So Far: No. 9 Nicole Cardaño-Hillary
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Nicole Cardaño-Hillary checked a lot of boxes regarding what Indiana women’s basketball coach Teri Moren likes to have from her guards.
Cardaño-Hillary could see the floor well.
Cardaño-Hillary could defend and was opportunistic.
Cardaño-Hillary could shoot well enough to keep an opposing defense off-balance.
Cardaño-Hillary did more than just complement the star players; she could go on a star turn herself.
Those traits are one reason why Indiana’s upward trajectory continued with Cardaño-Hillary in the program from 2020-22. She was a major part of Indiana teams that advanced to the Elite Eight in 2021 and the Sweet 16 in 2022.
Cardaño-Hillary, a 6-foot guard, came to Indiana as a polished player. She played at George Mason from 2017-20. She averaged 18.8 points for George Mason, and she was the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year in 2019 after she averaged 20.4 points.
With stars Grace Berger, Mackenzie Holmes, Ali Patberg, Jaelynn Penn and Aleksa Gulbe in the starting lineup, Cardaño-Hillary wasn’t called upon to do as much scoring for the Hoosiers. She came off the bench in 2021 until January when Penn got hurt. Penn left the team in February, and Cardaño-Hillary was inserted into the starting five for good.
It was the only starting lineup switch Moren made all season, and it paid off. With Cardaño-Hillary in the starting lineup, Indiana was 16-2 in 2021, including the 3-1 run in the NCAA Tournament.
Cardaño-Hillary had a season-high 17 points in a game against Iowa in February, but her most impactful game was in the NCAA Tournament against North Carolina State. Though she was 5 of 15 from the field, Cardaño-Hillary scored 14 points and had four steals as the Hoosiers bested the Wolf Pack 73-70 to advance to the Elite Eight.
Steals were part of Cardaño-Hillary’s stock-and-trade. At George Mason, she led the Atlantic 10 in thefts in each of her three seasons. She averaged 1.8 steals in her two seasons at Indiana.
Established as a starter for the 2022 season, Cardaño-Hillary averaged 11.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.3 steals. She improved her 3-point shooting by eight percentage points to 35.7%.
She had 29 points in the season opener against Butler. She was very good in the Big Ten Tournament as Indiana advanced to the championship game. She scored 16 points and had 11 rebounds in a 70-62 semifinal win over Ohio State, and she scored 19 points with seven rebounds in the championship game loss to Iowa.
After her eligibility was exhausted, Cardaño-Hillary played for IDK Euskotren in Spain, her home country.
Cardaño-Hillary is the first of the core group of starters who played more than one season for Indiana to enter the top 16. From her spot on up to No. 1, all of the Hoosiers had careers that lifted Indiana into a position as one of the best teams in the Big Ten in the 2020s.
Previous women’s basketball top 16 players of the 2020s
No. 10 – Brenna Wise
No. 11 – Shay Ciezki
No. 12 – Jaelynn Penn
No. 13 – Karoline Striplin
No. 14 – LIlly Meister
No. 15 – Kiandra Browne
No. 16 – Julianna LaMendola
On this episode of “Week in Review,” we cover the Indiana gambling case, the Bears’ 2026 schedule release and the Bulls landing the No. 4 draft pick. We also look at Jim’s Original moving after 85 years and Chicago Fire FC’s new McDonald’s Park stadium name. Plus, Cole Kmet joins Cop on a Rooftop, a White Sox phenom goes one on one and more top stories from around Chicago.
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) — More than 50 Indiana law enforcement agencies are taking to the roof to help local athletes.
Police and safety officers will be stationed around various Dunkin’ Donuts, taking up donations for the Special Olympics. People who monetarily donate will receive a coupon for a free donut. Those who donate $10 or more will receive a coupon for a free medium hot coffee.
“Supporting the Special Olympics isn’t just an event for us — it’s a commitment to people who inspire us every day,” Sergeant Wes Rowlader said. “These athletes show what determination, courage, and community truly look like. Every dollar we raise helps transform that spirit into training, competition, and lifelong confidence.”
More than 20,000 Hoosier athletes train and compete for free within the Special Olympics. To date, Cop on a Rooftop has raised more than $125,000 for Special Olympics Indiana.
The Indiana State Police will be at the Dunkin’ Donuts at 9821 Lima Road in Fort Wayne from 5 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Friday.
A man’s family is demanding answers after he was shot by a security guard inside a hospital emergency room waiting area on Tuesday night in Gary, Indiana.
Methodist Northlake Hospital officials said, around midnight Tuesday night, its security staff responded quickly after a patient took out a gun. The hospital said he’d threatened to shoot himself or others.
The hospital commended the security guard who shot the man for “neutralizing the threat and helping ensure the safety of our patients and employees.”
Family members identified the man who was shot as Otis Brown. They said he is a kind father to a 12-year-old boy.
“Just a great person, a happy-go-lucky, always out there trying to do the right thing,” said his fiancée, Stacey Taylor.
Taylor said she was on a business trip when she got a call that Brown had been shot multiple times.
“Scared, uncertainty; you know, what story is right? You know, what happened?” she said.
After he was shot, Brown was taken to University of Chicago Medical Center for treatment.
Taylor said she had no idea why Brown went to Methodist Northlake Hospital in the first place. His family said he was trying to leave the hospital when the shooting happened, claiming that the hospital gave him his gun back after he was cleared to leave.
“We just want to get answers, just want to know what happened, particularly when people are defaming his name,” Taylor said.
She and Brown’s family hope the hospital has surveillance video footage that can help provide answers.
Gary police have not provided any details on the shooting. The Lake County Sheriff’s Department said it is investigating the shooting at the request of Gary police, but did not provide any further information.
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