College Access • Culture • Community Impact • Championship Energy

The 5th Annual HBCU All-Star Game Experience will bring a high-impact lineup of events to Indianapolis, connecting students, families, and the community to HBCU opportunities, while celebrating Black excellence during college basketball’s biggest weekend. Scheduled events are as follows:

TOP MEDIA MOMENT (FRIDAY):

WHAT: Kickoff Press Conference & Official Game Ball Presentation

WHO: Travis L. Williams, Founder & CEO, HBCU All-Stars, Mayor Joe Hogsett, Indianapolis City-County Councilor Keith Graves and members of the Indianapolis community.

WHEN: Friday, April 3 | 2:00 PM

WHERE: Corteva Coliseum, Indiana State Fairgrounds

KEY EVENTS FOR COVERAGE:

HBCU Awards Ceremony & Reception

📍 Madam Walker Legacy Center

🗓 Thursday, April 2 | 7:30–9:00 PM

➡ Honors local community leaders and top HBCU student-athletes, coaches & leaders

College Admissions & Scholarship Fair (VISUAL + COMMUNITY IMPACT)

📍 Corteva Coliseum

🗓 Friday, April 3 (9 AM–1 PM, FREE)

🗓 Sunday, April 5 (12–4 PM, ticket required)

➡ Students meet HBCUs, explore scholarships and attend panels

➡ Friday includes Pro Day Viewing + Meet & Greet

Friday Fun Day (Community Outreach) (STRONG VISUALS)

📍 Sankofa School of Success + Windsor Village Park

🗓 Friday, April 3 | 4:00–6:30 PM

➡ Student-athletes mentoring youth + food distribution

Social Justice & Civil Rights Panel

📍 Madam Walker Legacy Center

🗓 Saturday, April 4 | 11:30 AM–2:00 PM

➡ Panelists include Sean Johnson & Dr. Heather Savage

Black Business Vendor Showcase (VISUAL + ECONOMIC IMPACT)

📍 Corteva Coliseum

🗓 Sunday, April 5 | 12:00–5:00 PM

➡ Black-owned businesses + community marketplace

🏀 HBCU ALL-STAR GAME (MAIN EVENT)                                                       

📍 Corteva Coliseum, Indiana State Fairgrounds
🗓 Sunday, April 5, 2026

Game Time: 1:00 PM EST
Doors Open: 12:00 PM EST

Location: 1202 E. 38th St., Indianapolis, IN 46205
Parking: $10 per vehicle at the Indiana State Fairgrounds

➡ Featuring top HBCU senior student-athletes from across the country
➡ High-energy, nationally recognized showcase of men’s basketball’s biggest weekend.
➡ Includes fan experiences, vendor activations, and community engagement

WHY THIS MATTERS:

Expands college access for local students

Showcases HBCU excellence nationwide

Drives economic impact + Black entrepreneurship

Combines sports, education, culture, and community

SOUND BITE:

“This is a can’t-miss moment for Indianapolis and for our future leaders. We’re bringing together the full power of HBCU excellence—education, opportunity, culture, and community—under one roof.”

— Travis L. Williams, Founder & CEO, HBCU All-Stars

🎤 MEDIA CREDENTIALS & ACCESS

MEDIA CREDENTIALS REQUIRED for access to:

HBCU All-Star Game

Courtside coverage of events at Corteva Coliseum

Press conference and select VIP programming

Tickets are still available and can be purchased by visiting the 2026 HBCU Experience. For more information about the HBCU All-Star Game and Experience, visit www.hbcuallstargame.com or follow @HBCUAllStars on Facebook and Instagram.

For more HBCU All-Star coverage, visit Indianapolisrecorder.com.

AKRON, Ohio (WOIO) – A mother and her 12-year-old son are dead after a shooting Saturday night near Firestone Stadium in Akron. A suspect is in custody.

Akron police responded to multiple 911 calls around 8:10 p.m. for a shooting near 30 West Wilbeth Road.

Officers found a car partially on fire that had crashed into the tree line on Hemlock Street south of West Wilbeth Road.

Inside the car, officers found 12-year-old Jericho L. Mangual, who had been shot. He was pronounced dead at the scene around 8:34 p.m.

The driver, 47-year-old Tania Mangual, the mother of the 12-year-old, had also been shot. She was taken to Cleveland Clinic Akron General Medical Center, where she died around 8:50 p.m.

A 2-year-old boy, also her son, was inside the car and was not injured. He was taken to Akron Children’s Hospital as a precaution.

Witness describes fiery crash

Jackie Travis, who lives across the street, watched police respond to the crash.

“It was on fire underneath and the engine was on fire,” Travis said.

Charred ground and branches mark where the car came to rest.

Suspect identified, turned himself in

Dispatchers received multiple 911 calls, including one from a 49-year-old woman who fled the scene after being shot. She provided detectives with information that helped identify the suspect as 28-year-old Brandon T. Casto.

Akron Police detectives executed a search warrant at an apartment connected to the suspect and found multiple firearms, firearm accessories and a large collection of ammunition.

Investigators learned that Casto told friends he was fleeing Akron. He turned himself in more than 100 miles away in Meigs County. He is currently being held at the Southeast Regional Jail in Nelsonville, facing two counts of aggravated murder and two counts of felonious assault.

Police have not released a motive or Casto’s connection to the family.

A growing memorial now marks the spot where the car crashed. People who say they know the family left candles and a white teddy bear.

Akron Police Major Crimes Unit detectives are still examining the circumstances surrounding this incident, and the investigation remains ongoing.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Akron Police Department Detective Bureau at 330-375-2490 or 330-375-2Tip.

Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.

Order The News-Gazette’s commemorative front pages here

CHAMPAIGN — The Final Four is set.

Illinois will face Connecticut the first national semifinal game with a 5:09 p.m. Saturday tip at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis after the Huskies upset Duke in the Elite Eight on Sunday in Washington, D.C. Arizona and Michigan will be the nightcap in Indianapolis in the opposite side of the bracket.

The Illini are listed as a slight favorite.

The Illini (28-8) clinched their spot in the national semifinals with a 71-59 victory against Iowa on Saturday night in Houston, securing the first Final Four appearance for the program in 21 years.

UConn (33-5) trailed by as many as 19 points in the first half and faced a 15-point deficit at halftime before flipping the switch on Duke in the second half. Braylon Mullins’ logo three-pointer with 0.4 seconds remaining in the game sent the Huskies back to the Final Four for the third time in four years with a wild, come-from-behind 73-72 victory.

Illinois and UConn met on Black Friday in New York, a 74-61 victory for the Huskies. That marked the Illini’s fourth straight loss in the series to UConn, which included an Elite Eight loss in 2024 when the Huskies won their second straight NCAA championship. 

UConn holds a 4-1 advantage in the series history. Illinois’ only win was a 49-23 victory on Dec. 21, 1938, at Huff Gym.