Indiana
He tore both ACLs, now this Zionsville alum is big part of No. 1 Indiana men’s soccer
BLOOMINGTON — Each and every day, in Todd Yeagley’s world, No. 1 leans ever heavier on No. 99.
When Yeagley’s Indiana men’s soccer team ascended to the top of the United Soccer coaches rankings this week, they did so on the back of three straight clean sheets, including ranked wins over Oregon State and Saint Louis, and a 1-0 victory at Notre Dame.
Those results brought into stark relief the impact of the Hoosiers’ new No. 1 keeper, who wears a number as far from what is convention for his position as is possible.
Holden Brown, whose 6-foot-4 frame fills all of the purple adidas shirt IU’s keepers wear, transferred from Virginia last year. He did so knowing he’d have to fight for his place — in fact, that was part of the Hoosiers’ appeal — and he unexpectedly missed last season through an injury he hardly even knew he’d suffered.
But now, handed the proverbial No. 1 shirt, Indiana’s No. 99 (Brown’s actual number) anchors a back five that hasn’t conceded in a goal in its last 358 minutes of soccer. Brown found what he wanted in Bloomington. Handed his chance, after waiting so long, he’s seizing it with both hands.
“Whenever you become a consistent starter for so long,” Brown told IndyStar, “the game just kind of becomes a little bit of a job. That pressure becomes a privilege, but you get used to it.
“Sitting on the sideline makes you just appreciate the moment more.”
A Zionsville native, Brown began his career with another college soccer powerhouse. He spent four years seasons (2020-23) with the Cavaliers, starting between the sticks for two-plus seasons.
In 2021, Brown led the ACC in saves, and in 2022 he was third-team all-conference, and made the All-ACC tournament team.
Then, midseason in 2023, he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. Brown lost the rest of that campaign, before transferring into a two-year graduate program at IU.
He knew the Hoosiers better than most — Brown was close friends with Grant Yeagley, one of Todd Yeagley’s three sons, growing up, even spending time at the Yeagleys’ house when he was young.
But family ties didn’t bring Brown to Bloomington.
“Going to a place ready to compete was really important to me,” he said. “I didn’t just want to step in somewhere and be that annoying fifth-year senior that steps in and (takes the job by default).”
Indiana had an established keeper, JT Harms, and with his ACL tear mended, Brown was ready to push Harms for playing time.
But through the course of the summer in 2024, he started to notice a new pain, this time in his right knee. It was never sharp or unbearable. Brown can’t even pinpoint exactly when it started. It wasn’t extreme to the point that he stopped working out, or coaching other goalies. Just persistent enough for him to eventually get it examined.
“I finally pulled the trigger on the MRI, thinking maybe I’d sprained my MCL or something,” Brown said.
Tests confirmed what Brown never realized — he’d torn the ACL in his right knee.
“It was definitely a blow,” he said.
That planted Brown on the sideline for another year. He passed a lot of training sitting on Jerry Yeagley’s golf cart, getting a crash course in IU soccer history and culture from the former coach still affectionately referred to within the program as The Godfather.
Brown also spent that time studying his new team, and his new teammates. The goalkeeper is the only player on the pitch who plays with the entire game in front of him, and his role as a communicator and organizer is crucial to not just defensive success, but team success.
Once he was cleared a second time, Brown spent the summer directing what he calls “a makeshift goalies union,” working out with Louisville transfer AJ Piela and Dani Jacobson, the starting goalie for IU’s women’s team. When the rest of his teammates gathered for preseason, Brown might have been new to some of them on the pitch, but he needed no time bedding in.
“Hanging out with the guys for the whole year, them seeing me as a human being off the field, and then being able to prove myself on the field, I think that combination of both has been really helpful,” Brown said. “Even though I am a transfer, it doesn’t feel like it.”
That alone didn’t hand Brown the starting job, out of a keeper group Todd Yeagley has suggested is the deepest he’s coached at Indiana.
“This group,” Christian Lomeli, a former IU keeper now on staff, said, “it’s crazy to say, and I’ve never felt this way, in my time here: I could have picked the name out of a hat and every one would have been capable of starting in that (season-opening) Clemson match, and the season moving forward.”
In particular, Brown split time in the preseason with freshman Judewellin Michel, who came to IU from the CF Montreal academy setup.
Michel got that start against Clemson, a 2-2 draw that remains the only one of six regular-season games thus far IU hasn’t won. Brown came in Matchday 2 against San Francisco, and he’ll admit now this season might have taken a different direction for him had the Hoosiers not erased a 2-0 deficit in a 3-2 win.
But in the four matches since, he’s conceded just once, in the second minute against Green Bay. Those blanks thrown up in three impressive nonconference wins contributed to the Hoosiers rise to No. 1 this week.
Lomeli still pushes his veteran keeper to improve his game.
He wants Brown to keep honing his ability to communicate as a keeper, and to trust his big frame to command his 18-yard area, and come for crosses and free kicks as boldly as former Hoosier and current FC Cincinnati netminder Roman Celentano once did. When the Hoosiers have leads to protect — as they have recently — Lomeli knows more opponents will resort to throwing long balls into the area Brown can come clean up aggressively.
“We need to have a commanding keeper that can manage his box well,” Lomeli said. “That’s an area we need to just grow his confidence.”
And Brown knows September success means little for a program with December ambitions. The Hoosiers open Big Ten play Saturday against Michigan, starting their journey toward the first of three trophies they aim for annually.
Brown was part of an experienced team last year whose collective trophy cabinet was stuffed with conference honors and NCAA tournament wins. This group, turned over by attrition and leaning on both freshmen and transfers, can’t claim so much silverware.
If No. 99 has his way, No. 1 is just the beginning for Indiana this fall.
“No. 1’s great. Undefeated’s great. But we haven’t won any trophies,” Brown said matter-of-factly. “That’s what the guys want, and that’s what we’re gonna hunt, starting with Michigan on Saturday.”
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Indiana
Chicago-area weather forecast: Several inches of snow expected for NW Indiana Wednesday, Thursday
CHICAGO (WLS) — Parts of northern Indiana could see several inches of lake-effect snow Wednesday and Thursday.
A Winter Storm Warning is in effect from 7 a.m. ET Wednesday until 1 p.m. ET Thursday for La Porte County, Indiana and Berrien County, Michigan.
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There is a Winter Weather Advisory from 8 a.m. Wednesday until 4 a.m. Thursday for Porter County, Indiana.
There is a Winter Weather Advisory from 7 a.m. ET Wednesday until 1 p.m. Thursday for Starke County, Indiana.
Bands of heavy snow are expected Wednesday afternoon. Two to 5 inches of snow are possible in Porter, while La Porte parts of Berrien could see more than 6 inches of snow, ABC7 Chicago meteorologist Tracy Butler said.
Snow will continue through Wednesday night into Thursday morning before tapering off during the day on Thursday.
A band of snow is expected to move through the Illinois part of the Chicago area around 7 a.m. Butler said light accumulations of less than an inch are possible.
Temperatures across the area will drop steadily throughout the week.
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Indiana
Music therapy research program helps Indiana residents recovering from opioid use disorder
A team of music therapy researchers at Indiana University Indianapolis is partnering with Hoosier communities to help residents recover from chronic opioid use. The team was recently awarded $310,000 through a State Opioid Response Grant from the Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addictions. The funds will help the program expand, demonstrating IU’s leadership in finding innovative, effective solutions for addiction recovery and mental health across the Hoosier state.
In Marion County, the team led by Kate Myers-Coffman, visiting assistant professor of music therapy in the Herron School of Art and Design, has been building a music therapy protocol through a partnership with the Indianapolis Comprehensive Treatment Center, a state-funded outpatient opioid treatment facility.
The sessions are designed to train the brain to restore impulse control and reconnect with healthy sources of pleasure, like music and meditation, instead of relying on opioids. The Herron team’s research is the first in the U.S. to focus on how music therapy, paired with medication-assisted recovery, can help people who engage with recovery via outpatient clinics.
During the pilot phase of the study, 19 participants attended drop-in music therapy sessions at the Indianapolis Comprehensive Treatment Center over two eight-week periods. They later reported significant improvements in calmness, self-kindness, hopefulness and readiness to cope with stress.
“It gives me the opportunity to relax and focus on what I’m trying to do in my day,” said Ed Robinson, an Indianapolis resident who has regularly attended the center’s music therapy sessions for the past year and a half. “I never thought about music being a way for me to do that until now.”
The new funding will help the current program expand, offering three 90-minute sessions per week rather than one 60-minute session. It will also help the program build relationships with additional clinics in high-need Indiana communities, including Kokomo and Charlestown, and pilot a program for Dove Recovery House, a residential recovery center for women.
“We partner with community clinics to find out how we could uniquely support the needs of the people who go there for care, and then we develop programming that’s tailored to them,” Myers-Coffman said.
Caitlin Krater, a board-certified music therapist and Ph.D. student, has been working on the research team since the study began. Krater is developing a separate protocol designed for pregnant or postpartum women in recovery, in addition to leading the music therapy sessions at the Indianapolis Comprehensive Treatment Center.
“There has historically been very limited research on music therapy embedded in outpatient opioid treatment programs, particularly in methadone clinic settings,” Krater said. “Most of the existing literature focuses on in-patient or residential contexts, so we are helping to fill an important gap.”
Medication assisted recovery is often necessary for chronic opioid users since they must wean themselves off of their body’s chemical dependence. Krater said medication assisted treatment is evidence-based and lifesaving, and for many people it is an essential part of stability, not a failure of recovery.
“This year, the state of Indiana passed legislation that increases access to medication assisted recovery,” Krater said. “Indiana has really been targeting the opioid epidemic, and the numbers are improving.”
Staying engaged in recovery is highly important for those struggling with opioid dependence. Krater said that finding coping mechanisms and systems of support outside of a clinical setting are essential for helping people stay engaged, which is what the team strives to provide.
“I find peace when I’m here,” Robinson said of the music therapy sessions. “I didn’t know what to expect, but this is one of the things that has kept me coming back, and it’s helped me not feel so ashamed.”
Robinson is a mechanic who recently took a leave of absence to undergo heart surgery. He said one of his favorite parts of music therapy is when Krater plays the monochord, an ancient string instrument that, when played in person, produces a deep, resonant tone that vibrates throughout the body.
Robinson said he has even started meditating in the mornings when he’s at home, humming or playing music to replicate the effects of the monochord.
After the hypnotic monochord session, Krater asks participants to choose from an assortment of instruments, including small tin drums, tambourines, maracas and wooden xylophones. Together, they play improvisationally as Krater strums a guitar. Each instrument is tuned to the C pentatonic scale, which allows everyone to play without worrying they will hit a “wrong” note.
Sometimes Krater will ask the group to share a word to guide their improvisational music session.
“I heard patience,” Krater said during one session. “That’s a great one. Let’s start a little slow to be patient and then build it up.”
Several of the participants gathered to talk about patience after they played their instruments. They agreed that practicing patience is important for recovery, since opioid use hijacks the brain, diminishing impulse control. They said taking time to pause and reflect can often be the difference between using and not using opioids.
“For me, it gave me an opportunity to look inside and ask myself some questions because in the hustle and bustle of life, you don’t always get a chance to do that, and that’s how I found myself in this situation in the first place,” Robinson said.
He said he hopes that music therapy of this nature will become more widely available to those in recovery because it has helped him a great deal.
“I’ve never once felt judged coming to this whole entire program, but especially this music aspect,” Robinson said. “It’s made a big difference for me, and I appreciate it. I’d like to see it go on forever.”
IU researcher Caitlin Krater plays the guitar during a music therapy session. Photo by Liz Kaye, Indiana University
Supporting Indiana communities
Caitlin Krater leads a music therapy session at the Indianapolis Comprehensive Treatment Center, which specializes in outpatient opioid recovery. Photo by Liz Kaye, Indiana University
Participants improvise music during a music therapy session. Each instrument is tuned to allows everyone to play without worrying about the notes. Photo by Liz Kaye, Indiana University
Finding peace, practicing patience
Caitlin Krater, a music therapy researcher at IU Indianapolis, plays a monochord, an ancient string instrument. Photo by Liz Kaye, Indiana University
“It gives me the opportunity to relax and focus on what I’m trying to do in my day,” said Ed Robinson of Indianapolis, who has attended music therapy sessions for the past year and a half. Photo by Liz Kaye, Indiana University
Indiana
It’s been a predictably tough year for Indiana, even with Pascal Siakam playing like an All-Star
Indiana’s Pascal Siakam went 1-on-1 against Boston’s Derrick White as time was running out, backed into him a couple of times near the foul line, spun into the lane and then watched his shot kiss off the backboard and fall for what became a game-winner.
For the Pacers, it was joy.
There hasn’t been much of that this season.
Monday night’s 98-96 victory over the Celtics — one where Boston coach Joe Mazzulla answered every question in his postgame news conference by saying “illegal screen” — sent Indiana’s record to just 9-31 on the season, still the worst in the Eastern Conference. And that’s even with the Pacers now on a three-game winning streak.
It’s a far cry from seven months ago, when Indiana was in Game 7 of the NBA Finals and fully believing it was about to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder for the title. Then Tyrese Haliburton tore his Achilles in the first half, Myles Turner left in free agency and … well, everything is different.
Except, that is, for Siakam. He was an All-Star last season, his third selection to the league’s showcase game, and has even better numbers this season. And with the debut of another new All-Star format this season — U.S. vs. the World — the forward from Cameroon is hoping to get another invite.
“It’s going to be an honor if it happens,” Siakam said. “I’m not too focused on it. I just try to be the best player that I could be out there every single night. Some nights are going to be great. Some nights are not. But I just stick to the work and hopefully it comes with some accomplishments.”
Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam, right, works the ball inside against the defense of Boston Celtics guard Jordan Walsh, left, during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. Credit: AP/Doug McSchooler
Indiana coach Rick Carlisle has been campaigning. Siakam’s heroics on Monday night made it easy to keep it going.
“Just further makes the case for the All-Star team,” Carlisle said.
Siakam is averaging 23.5 points and 6.8 rebounds; only nine other players right now have numbers like that per game in both categories. It could be argued that he’s putting up those numbers for a team where he’s often the go-to option with Haliburton out for the year, and that’s fair. But Carlisle also points out that Siakam is leading by example, helping young players in new roles as the Pacers try to figure out who can best help them going forward.
“Pascal Siakam is one of the favorite players I’ve ever been around at any level,” Carlisle said. “He’s just amazing.”
Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam (43) drives to the basket against Charlotte Hornets forward Moussa Diabate during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. Credit: AP/Nell Redmond
The Pacers beat Sacramento on Dec. 8 for what was their sixth win of the season and the 999th in Carlisle’s career as a head coach. The milestone celebration was looming. The Pacers went into the next game wondering if that would be the night. It wasn’t. They did the same the next game. Again, it wasn’t. And so on. And so on. And so on. They lost 13 in a row. Carlisle was stuck on 999 wins for a month. It was Jan. 8 when the streak was snapped and the celebration finally happened.
“It took way too long,” Siakam said. “Yeah, too long. I mean, I think it was great, obviously, because he’s an amazing coach. It’s a great honor for him. And again, we’ve been trying not to think about it too much, but obviously, we’ve lost a lot of games. There’s just too much losing for my liking and for the liking of the team. So, I’m glad that we got that out of the way and hopefully we don’t find ourselves in that situation ever again.”
The Pacers are 3-0 since that losing streak. Siakam — a champion with Toronto in 2019 — has no delusions about what the rest of the season may bring. Haliburton will be back next season and Indiana should be vastly improved. Siakam isn’t thinking about that yet, though. For now, it’s just about what happens each day, with this team, and this three-game streak is a reminder that work is paying off.
“Definitely one of the most challenging years for me, I think, on the court and also even emotionally,” Siakam said. “All I really want is to win. And I’ve been so used to being in a winning situation, so this situation, it’s hard. It’s tough.”
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