Indiana
Indiana all-stars top Kentucky boys, girls in Indianapolis to close annual rivalry series
The Indiana all-stars held home court against Kentucky on the final night of this year’s annual all-star basketball rivalry series between the neighboring states.
Both the Indiana boys and girls teams were victorious in Saturday night’s games, which were played at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in downtown Indianapolis, the home of the NBA’s Indiana Pacers.
Flory Bidunga powers Indiana boys to victory
On Friday night, the Kentucky boys all-stars scored their biggest win against Indiana in more than 25 years.
On Saturday, Indiana ensured that this year’s series would be split with a narrow 92-89 victory.
Indiana was led by its Mr. Basketball, future Kansas Jayhawk Flory Bidunga. The 6-foot-9 former UK basketball recruit, went for 31 points and 15 rebounds. He also blocked six shots. Those were all game highs.
In Friday night’s game — which Kentucky won 103-82 — Bidunga was called for a technical foul while celebrating a dunk and subsequently fouled out of the game midway through the second half.
Other Indiana standouts from Saturday night’s game in Indianapolis included Purdue-bound Jack Benter (16 points), Northwestern-bound K.J. Windham (13 points), Eastern Kentucky-bound Micah Davis (11 points), Butler-bound Evan Haywood (10 points) and IU Indianapolis-bound Keenan Garner (nine points and 11 rebounds).
Kentucky was led for the second straight night by Oldham County’s Max Green, who will be playing in college at Holy Cross. After he exploded for 36 points on Friday, Green followed that up with a team-high 25 Saturday.
Green was joined in the double-digit scoring club for Kentucky by Seneca’s Quel’Ron House, a future Jacksonville State player who had 24 points, and Lyon County’s Travis Perry, who is Kentucky’s Mr. Basketball. Perry, an incoming UK basketball player, had 17 points on 7-for-12 shooting from the field.
Perry, the all-time leading scorer in Kentucky boys high school basketball history, was a perfect 3-for-3 on 3-pointers.
Three Kentucky boys all-stars didn’t play in Saturday’s game: Warren Central’s Kade Unseld (Western Kentucky), Christian Academy-Louisville’s Jackson “BB” Washington (Florida Gulf Coast) and Hopkinsville’s Antonio Williams (Three Rivers College).
Indiana leads the all-time boys series over Kentucky 104-46. Kentucky hasn’t swept Indiana in the two-game series since 1986, and Kentucky has just four wins in the boys series since 1998.
FINAL
WOW!!! What a game. Kentucky comes up three points short of their first sweep since 1986.
Kentucky 89
Indiana 92STATS pic.twitter.com/FE1y2vKYtb
— Kentucky All-Stars (@KYAllStarGame) June 9, 2024
Indiana girls complete sweep of Kentucky
In the girls’ contest, Indiana completed a sweep of Kentucky with a 66-64 victory on Saturday. Indiana had three girls score in double figures in the contest.
Indiana Miss Basketball Chloe Spreen (who is going to Alabama) led the way with 19 points on 5-for-12 shooting from the field.
Juliann Woodard (who is Michigan State bound) added 15 points, including a perfect 11-for-11 night from the free-throw line. Woodard, a 6-foot forward who scored 23 points in Friday night’s Indiana victory at Lexington Catholic High School, had a double-double with 13 rebounds.
Faith Wiseman (who will play at Indiana) contributed 10 points to the winning cause.
On Saturday, Kentucky was led by Sacred Heart’s Reagan Bender, who is going to Louisville. Bender had a game-high 21 points, which included 5-for-10 shooting from 3-point range. Kentucky’s Shaelyn Steele, a 5-foot-6 guard from Russell who scored 25 points on Friday night, went for 17 points in Saturday’s game.
Boyd County’s Jasmine Jordan (who is going to the University of Rio Grande in Ohio) had 12 points and shot a perfect 5-for-5 from the field.
Kentucky’s Miss Basketball, Pikeville’s Trinity Rowe (who will play at Southern Mississippi), didn’t play in Saturday’s game. Rowe logged 34 minutes in Friday night’s game at LexCath, which was the most among all Kentucky players in that game.
Indiana now leads Kentucky in the girls series 55-41.
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WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump spoke at length about Indiana football’s perfect season Monday afternoon during a ceremony on the South Lawn at the White House honoring the team.
“This was a year that will live forever in the hearts of Indiana football fans,” Trump said. “There’s no story like this.”
Trump relived that journey, offering his own commentary on IU’s 16-0 season. Here’s a look at the standout moments from the President’s speech:
Trump compares Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti to Muhammad Ali
The President referenced Cignetti’s famed “Google Me” press conference as he traced IU’s path to the national title. While Trump said he normally hates guys with “cocky” attitudes, he couldn’t help but admire Cignetti’s style. Trump compared it to the way Muhammad Ali backed up his tough talk.
“Just two years later, he brought home the national championship,” Trump said. “When you do that stuff, you have to be able to produce when you act that way.”
Trump laughs off Indiana football’s notable absences
Trump didn’t expect quite so many former Indiana football players to be busy with OTA’s in the NFL. While Fernando Mendoza’s absence made headlines last week, Trump was surprised to find out that key starters like Pat Coogan and D’Angelo Ponds weren’t in attendance either. The President sought to highlight their contributions during his remarks.
“We’ve got 15 of them in (NFL) training camp right now,” Cignetti told Trump.
“Oh, I can’t believe it,” the President said. “No wonder you won.”
According to Trump, Mendoza called the President last week to tell him he wouldn’t be able to attend the event. There were a handful of former IU players on the trip who graduated, but none of the ones who were drafted or signed to NFL teams.
Trump impressed with IU’s blowout win over Alabama in Rose Bowl: ‘You’ve got to be kidding’
Trump has maintained close ties with former Alabama coach Nick Saban, Cignetti’s one-time mentor. It might help explain why the President was so impressed by the lopsided final score of IU’s 38-3 victory over Alabama in the Rose Bowl.
“Coach, you’ve got to be kidding,” Trump said after reading the final score. “That’s right, over Alabama. That’s a big one.”
Cignetti, who won a title as an assistant at Alabama for Saban, even poked fun at his former school as Trump spoke about the game.
“Roll tide,” Cignetti shouted.
Trump spotlights Indiana football’s gutsy QB draw in CFP title game
Former Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza’s diving touchdown against the Hurricanes made quite the impression on Trump, who attended the CFP championship game at Hard Rock Stadium. The President raved about the play call on Monday afternoon with Cignetti by his side.
Facing a fourth-and-four from Miami’s 12-yard line, Cignetti called a QB draw with his team holding onto a slim lead in the final 10 minutes. Mendoza scored by breaking a series of tackles and making a Superman-esque dive across the goal line.
“No coach in America would have done what this guy did,” Trump said of Cignetti. “They said, this guy is making such a mistake, and he won. That was a hell of a play. That’s the kind of play if they don’t do that play, if it doesn’t work, that’s like career-threatening, right?”
Trump circled back to the thought before talking about Jamari Sharpe’s interception.
“He kept doing all this stuff,” Trump said. “The things that weren’t supposed to happen. You’re just lucky you won that game because if you didn’t, they would have said, this coach is crazy.”
Trump celebrates Indiana football’s ‘legendary story’
Trump frequently veered away from his prepared remarks to offer up asides on Indiana’s rags to riches story. Cignetti orchestrated a turnaround in just two seasons in Bloomington at a school with very little tradition in the sport.
“What you did is something that I don’t think anybody’s ever really done in college football history,” Trump said.
Trump, like many fans, was impressed with the way IU dispatched the sport’s blue bloods — mostly in lopsided fashion — on their journey to winning the CFP title.
“You went through a lot of great teams,” Trump said. “And real football powerhouses over the years. That’s pretty intimidating. Amazing. Top tens. This team lifted the Indiana football program from a historic low.”
For Trump, it’s what made Indiana’s 16-0 season distinct from other championship teams that have visited the White House.
“The story of Indiana University is really a legendary story,” Trump said.
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.
Fernando Mendoza did not attend Indiana University’s visit to the White House commemorating the Hoosiers’ college football national championship on Monday. The Las Vegas Raiders quarterback said earlier this month that he would not attend if it interfered with any activities with his new team.
“I’m on the bottom of the totem pole here,” Mendoza said following a rookie minicamp practice. “I got to prove myself. I can’t miss practice. I don’t know anything official. I don’t have the calendar, but I just wouldn’t. As a rookie, I don’t think that’s a good look, and I want to try to best serve my teammates. And I don’t know if that’d be accomplishing that goal.”
According to the team’s official offseason schedule, the Raiders did not have any formal practices or workouts on Monday. The team’s next organized activity is May 18, its first OTA workout.
“Fernando couldn’t be here today because, as I said, he’s now a member of the Las Vegas Raiders,” President Donald Trump said in his address. “Let’s see how good of a team they have, and I think he’s gonna do great. He’s a winner.”
Mendoza wasn’t the only absence. Center Pat Coogan and cornerback D’Angelo Ponds were among the other Hoosiers not in attendance for the event due to NFL obligations. Indiana had a program-record eight players selected in April’s NFL Draft.
Trump highlighted Mendoza’s accomplishments and contributions to the school’s first football national title. He celebrated Mendoza as Indiana’s inaugural Heisman Trophy winner and praised his fourth-quarter touchdown run in the championship game against Miami.
“He’s gonna be a good one,” Trump said.
Indiana was well-represented by returning members of the team. Charlie Becker, one of Mendoza’s go-to receivers during the College Football Playoffs, and Jamari Sharpe, whose late interception secured the title-game victory, both spoke on behalf of the school, as did head coach Curt Cignetti.
Mendoza is one of four members of the national champion Hoosiers who joined the Raiders this offseason. Running back Roman Hemby and wide receiver E.J. Williams Jr. signed as undrafted free agents in the days following the draft. Wide receiver Jonathan Brady earned a contract after impressing as a tryout player during rookie minicamp.
MUNCIE, Ind. (WISH) — Police are investigating a triple shooting that took place on Muncie’s south side Sunday evening that left a woman dead and two men injured.
According to police, at approximately 5:27 p.m., Muncie Police Officers were dispatched to the 2700 block of South Walnut Street in reference to reports of several people being shot.
Officers arrived and located three gunshot victims: A 23-year-old female who died from “multiple wounds,” a 39-year-old male who is hospitalized in stable condition, and a 40-year-old male who was airlifted to an Indianapolis hospital in critical condition.
Police say a suspect is in custody, a 21-year-old man.
Police did not provide any additional information.
Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Muncie Police Detective Division at 765-747-4867 or dispatch at 765-747-4838.
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