Indiana

Column: Dear Indiana Pacers, Thank You

Published

7 months ago

June 23, 2025

From the moment I got out of bed on Sunday, I was thinking about it. From that first sip of coffee until the opening tipoff, most of my day was spent imaging what it would be like to witness the Indiana Pacers hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy into the confetti-filled air at the end of Game 7.

I watched the highlights from this incredible playoff run, then I dug up some of the best moments in Pacers playoff history. I clicked the “play” button on the hype videos shared by the organization — one narrated by radio play-by-play man Mark Boyle, and the other voiced by Indiana legend Reggie Miller.

With tears in my eyes and a catch in my throat, I continued thinking about what an NBA championship would mean to Indianapolis, to the state, and the fanbase. As silly as it sounds, a man who has parlayed a love of sports into a career, I was overwhelmed with emotion.

I wanted this one badly, damnit. I wanted it for Indianapolis, a city that nurtured my passion for sports. I wanted it for Indiana, the state that serves as the foundation for my obsession with basketball. I wanted it for Pacers fans everywhere. I wanted it for my family. Selfishly, I’ll admit, I wanted it for me.

Unfortunately, my dream didn’t become a reality. The Pacers came up one game short of bringing a world championship back to Indianapolis, falling 103-91 to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 7.

Yes, I’ve buried the lede a little bit here, but this column isn’t aimed at dwelling on the negative. Instead, I’m writing this to celebrate everything the Pacers accomplished this season and to thank them for providing us with one of the most memorable runs in playoff history.

Tyrese Haliburton fueled most of the iconic moments over the last two months. We’ll forever remember his heroics during the postseason, highlighted by the miraculous game-tying bucket against the New York Knicks in Game 1 in Madison Square Garden.

It hardly seems fair that his season ended with an injury in the biggest game in franchise history.

The improbable comebacks, clutch shots, and classic finishes are only a part of what made this run unforgettable. Some of the most memorable moments, at least for me, came outside the game.

My grandmother and I talked on the phone after every Pacers win during this playoff run. There were no formal greetings, just a headfirst dive into a five-minute conversation about the game. Following Haliburton’s game-winning bucket in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, she called me the next day and said, “I woke up thinking about that shot.”

For a pivotal Game 4, my fiancée and I drove four hours for a watch party in Indianapolis, an evening shared with two of my oldest friends. We couldn’t afford tickets to the NBA Finals, but we wanted to experience the atmosphere of a city in euphoria.

A group chat with my father and brother suddenly turned from weekly check-ins to daily messages, most of which revolved around the Pacers. My aunt texted me before Game 7 to say, “I wish we were all watching this together again.”

My mother sent me texts after every game, usually in a state of disbelief, excitement, or frustration, depending on the outcome. My stepfather, a New Yorker, adopted the Pacers as his favorite NBA team simply because he married into the fandom.

The city and the state rallied around the Pacers like it was the 1990s or the early 2000s. Downtown Indianapolis transformed from the Circle City into a Sea of Gold. No matter where you went or who you talked to, every conversation started and ended with basketball.

Pacers legends descended upon Indianapolis in big numbers. Reggie Miller sat courtside for every game during the NBA Finals. Metta World Peace and Lance Stephenson showed their support often. Jermaine O’Neal, Mark Jackson, Stephen Jackson, Dale Davis, Jalen Rose, Travis Best, Rik Smits, Derrick McKey, Brad Miller, Roy Hibbert, Al Harrington, and so many others made appearances at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, representing many different eras of Indiana basketball.

During a time when so much divides us, the Pacers brought us together. They made us proud to wear that “Hoosier” badge, bringing us so much joy and so much hope with every winning play.

This Pacers team reminded us that “In 49 states, it’s just basketball … but this is Indiana.”

Yes, I wanted this one. I wanted it for Bob and Nancy Leonard. I wanted it for Herb Simon. I wanted it for Rick Carlisle. I wanted it for Myles Turner and TJ McConnell. I wanted it for Tyrese. I wanted it for Reggie and Rik. I wanted it for Metta and “Stack.” I wanted it for our city. I wanted it for our state. I wanted it for the fans. I wanted it for this team, which gave us so much to cheer about this year.

The Pacers gave us everything they had every single night. They revitalized a fanbase that has dealt with heartbreak after heartbreak. A team that “experts” projected to lose every playoff series came one game short of bringing the Larry O’Brien Trophy back to Indianapolis. They provided us with a lifetime worth of memories in one postseason run.

It’s painful that the 2024-25 Indiana Pacers couldn’t win an NBA title. But in a matter of days, we’ll all look back on this season, this postseason run, as the most memorable in franchise history. We’ll think about all the positives, on and off the court, for years to come.

For that, I have just two words for this organization and this team … Thank you.

Source link

Indiana

13-year-old rider dies following incident at northwest Indiana BMX park

Published

7 hours ago

February 1, 2026

Press Room

13-year-old rider dies following incident at northwest Indiana BMX park

A 13-year-old boy died after an incident at a BMX park in Hobart, Indiana, the Lake County Coroner’s Office said on Sunday.

Oliver Ball-Reed, of Hebron, was critically injured at Steel Wheels BMX on Saturday and taken to St. Mary Medical Center, where he later died. Oliver’s death was ruled an accident caused by multiple blunt force injuries, according the coroner’s office.

Details about the incident at the bike park haven’t been released.

In a post on social media, Steel Wheels BMX offered thoughts and prayers to Oliver’s parents and his younger brother, who he raced alongside for eight years. The business said it has been communicating with the family and thanked the community for respecting the family’s privacy and wishes.

“As we all process this unspeakable news, we are grateful for the love and support of our BMX community that has folded Oliver’s family — as well as our track family — into their arms during this difficult time,” the park’s post added.

Source link

Indiana

Indiana basketball’s Nick Dorn did something no one’s done in a decade

Published

19 hours ago

February 1, 2026

Press Room

Indiana basketball’s Nick Dorn did something no one’s done in a decade

LOS ANGELES — Indiana basketball guard Nick Dorn is making himself at home in the starting lineup.

Dorn had a game-high 26 points in a 98-97 double-overtime win over UCLA on Saturday afternoon. He became the first IU player to hit at least six 3-point field goals in multiple Big Ten games in the same season since Yogi Ferrell in the 2014-15 campaign.

The Hoosiers (15-7, 6-5 Big Ten) improved to 3-0 with Dorn in the starting lineup. He’s hit at least four 3-pointers in each of those starts and is averaging 22.3 points per game during that stretch.

“He’s been playing great, he’s really confident,” Indiana coach Darian DeVries said. “I feel like he fits well with what we try to do. I thought the guys did a good job of finding him and feeding him.”

Buy IU championship books, newspapers

Dorn, who was sidelined at the start of the season while recovering from a foot injury, caught fire in the second half with 18 of his team’s first 24 points while going 4 of 5 from 3-point range. He was the first Hoosiers player with at least 25 points and six made 3-point field goals in a road Big Ten contest since 2018.

He didn’t score in overtime, but his 3-point barrage opened things up for his teammates.

“Puts stress in other areas, and we were able to get to the rim a little more because they were pressed out on Nick and got a couple rolls to the basket,” DeVries said.

It’s why Dorn played a career-high 48 minutes with his only rest coming midway through the first half.

Dorn was still more fired up about the Hoosiers escaping Pauley Pavilion with a win than his individual performance after UCLA erased a double-digit lead with less than two minutes to go at the end of regulation.

He envisioned a rough couple of days on the West Coast if things had gone differently considering all the self-inflicted mistakes IU initially made trying to close out the game.

“We came all the way out here and have another road (game), we didn’t want the days in between to be horrible,” Dorn joked. “If we didn’t pull that out, you would have been scared for us, might not have heard from us.”

The key for Indiana was quickly turning the page on those miscues. Tucker DeVries led the huddle going into the first of two overtimes and delivered the message everyone needed to hear — “Flush it.”

“We got to find a way,” Dorn said.

Dorn had no problem following the advice as a player who relies on a similar approach every time he comes down the floor.

“When I shoot it, I think it’s going in regardless of where I shoot it or how I shoot it,” Dorn said. “I always just had that confidence since I was little. My brothers used to say I’m delusional. I feel like I live up to that.”

Indiana has benefitted from Dorn’s delusions the past couple of weeks as a team rising up the NET rankings while solidifying its NCAA tournament resume.

“We came too far to let it slip away,” Dorn said with a smile.

Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.

Source link

Indiana

UCLA falls to Indiana in a double-overtime heartbreaker: ‘We deserved to lose’

Published

1 day ago

January 31, 2026

Press Room

UCLA falls to Indiana in a double-overtime heartbreaker: ‘We deserved to lose’

Trent Perry hit a game-tying three-pointer from the top of the key with 1.1 seconds left in regulation before the UCLA men’s basketball team went on to lose to Indiana 98-97 in double overtime Saturday afternoon at Pauley Pavilion.

Freshman Trent Sisley made the first of two free throws with 0.3 seconds left to give the Hoosiers a one-point lead in the second overtime period after being fouled by Donovan Dent on an inbounds play. Sisley missed the second attempt, and the clock ran out as Eric Dailey Jr. grabbed the rebound and fired it the length of the court.

Perry finished with 25 points and seven rebounds, and Tyler Bilodeau had 18 points and 11 rebounds as the Bruins (15-7, 7-4) suffered their first loss at home.

UCLA erased a 10-point deficit in the last 1:50 of the second half but was unable to come up with a defensive rebound in the final moments of the game.

“I’m proud of how we fought,” said Perry, who nailed a corner three-pointer to beat the shot clock and give his team a 93-90 lead with 1:46 left in the second overtime. “We’re on the other end of it, but we came together. Earlier in the season we would’ve held our heads low.”

Perry missed a 15-foot fallaway jumper from the right side as the horn sounded to end the first overtime with the score tied 84-84. Dailey hit a jumper in the lane for a 97-97 tie with 12 seconds left in the second overtime. Sisley missed on a contested drive in the lane, and UCLA was ruled to have touched the ball last on a scramble under the basket with 1.5 seconds left. UCLA coach Mick Cronin challenged the call, but it was upheld on review. Sisley then was fouled on a dive to the hoop, and his free throw dashed Bruins fans’ hopes for a third overtime.

UCLA guard Trent Perry celebrates his tying three against Indiana. He led the Bruins with 25 points.

(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

“I have no comments on the officiating,” a frustrated Cronin said. “Of course, my staff told me it was our ball. I just watched it on a small iPad and it sure looked like it was off Indiana’s elbow. I don’t know.”

Many red-and-white-clad Indiana supporters were among the 10,066 fans who witnessed the Hoosiers (15-7, 6-5) even the all-time series at 7-7. Nick Dorn scored 26 points and Lamar Wilkerson and Reed Bailey each had 24. Sisley didn’t make a field goal but had three free throws in the second overtime, including one to tie and one to win.

Dailey had 15 points for the Bruins, who were 30 for 34 at the free-throw line. There were 13 ties and 15 lead changes.

“We had some tough calls go against us at the end but we had to keep fighting,” said Dent, who logged a game-high 50 minutes before fouling out on the last play. “We rallied back late. I don’t think our defense was horrendous.”

Indiana used an 11-0 run over a 1:40 span to take a 22-16 lead before the Bruins responded with a 14-3 run during a 3½-minute stretch to take a 30-25 lead. Reed Bailey’s basket and free throw pulled the Hoosiers within 36-30 at halftime.

Reed Bailey’s uncontested two-handed dunk gave the Hoosiers a 56-52 lead with 8:04 remaining in the second half, and Cronin called a timeout. Reed Bailey’s three-point play made it 63-54, and the Bruins trailed by 10 with 1:50 left.

A three-point play by Dent pulled the Bruins within four with 51 seconds left. After free throws by Wilkerson, Dent made a layup, then Eric Dailey Jr. stole a pass and hit a jumper in the lane. Perry’s free throws cut Indiana’s lead to 75-73 with 9.9 seconds left. Reed Bailey was fouled on the inbounds play and made the second of two free throws to put his team up three with 8.7 seconds remaining, setting the stage for Perry’s heroics to force overtime.

“Shots matter,” Perry said of his shot that whipped the crowd into a frenzy and gave his team a chance at an improbable comeback, “but it didn’t end up our way.”

UCLA continues its three-game homestand against Rutgers on Tuesday and Washington next Saturday, desperately needing to win both after falling to seventh in the Big Ten standings.

“Our defense was awful tonight,” Cronin said. “We deserved to lose. We couldn’t score for a long time, missing wide-open shot after wide-open shot. I always say the same thing, no matter what … just worry about defense, rebounding and effort. There’s no magic potion on shooting.”

Notes

UCLA holds the NCAA record with 11 national championships (10 under John Wooden from 1964 to 1975), the last coming in 1995 under Jim Harrick. Indiana is tied for fifth with five, the last coming in 1987 under Bob Knight. … The Bruins edged Indiana 72-68 in Bloomington last season. Before that they had not played each other since the second round of the 2007 NCAA tournament. …
Bob Chesney, who was named UCLA’s football coach in December, addressed Bruins fans during a television timeout in the first half. “There’s nothing average about this place and I didn’t come here to be average,” Chesney said, fresh off guiding James Madison to its first Sun Belt Conference crown and a berth in the College Football Playoff. “We’re about to win a Big Ten championship!”

Source link