Indiana
Indiana basketball recruiting target Braylon Mullins talks visits, timeline, IU, and more
Class of 2025 guard Braylon Mullins was the headliner at this year’s Charlie Hughes Shootout in the northern Indianapolis suburbs.
Head coaches from IU, Purdue, Notre Dame, Kentucky, Connecticut, Tennessee, Michigan, Michigan State, and Iowa at least, and assistants from many other schools were there to see the Greenfield Central H.S. product at some point on Friday and Saturday.
As the center of attention and against one of the best defensive teams in the state, Mullins was unfazed. He scored 32 on Indianapolis powerhouse Ben Davis H.S. to lead Greenfield Central to a win in their first game on Saturday.
A year ago at this time, Mullins didn’t have any high major offers. Now just about any high major college program would welcome him with open arms. He told The Daily Hoosier on Saturday the last few months have been stressful, as a wave of new offers rolled in. And now Mullins is in the process of distilling his recruitment back down to a more manageable level.
One thing he knows for sure at this point, Mullins wants to get his list down to ten schools and visit no more than that number. That’s a process in and of itself, as the 6-foot-5 shooting guard is up to around 30 total offers, although the new suitors have seemed to tail off.
Earlier this week Mullins announced he has unofficial visits set to see Kentucky, Purdue and Ohio State over the next 10 days.
He has also announced official visits to Michigan, Indiana and Tennessee.
The expectation is, there will be more.
“Right now, that’s what I have with set dates, but I’m trying to get the blue bloods like UConn, North Carolina, Kansas,” Mullins told The Daily Hoosier. “But I want to max it at 10 (visits). I’m not going to do more than that.”
So with the six visits he has set, and the three additional schools he mentioned today, Mullins seems to be fairly close to his top schools, although he hasn’t come out and published that list just yet. Alabama and Michigan State seem like other schools still potentially in the mix.
While Mullins is gradually beginning to get a handle on his recruitment, the wave of interest has made his timeline for reaching a college decision less clear.
“I wanted to commit before senior year (high school season), but I’m 50/50 on that,” Mullins said. “I’ve just got to decide if I’m going to do it before or during the season. But it’s sometime soon though.”
Indiana had four different staff members watching Mullins at various points over the weekend. Assistant coach Yasir Rosemond was there for his games on Friday, and head coach Mike Woodson was there on Saturday, along with assistant Brian Walsh and recruiting coordinator Jordan Hulls.
That was just the latest way IU showed their interest in Mullins, who played at the Indiana team camp a week ago, including a game against fellow 2025 target Trent Sisley when around 25 players, coaches and staff members from the Hoosier program came to watch.
That didn’t go unnoticed.
“Especially when we played Trent, they brought all the players, the whole staff, and that means a lot, especially seeing them all in person. That definitely gives them some leverage.”
Mullins will be back on the IU campus the weekend of Sept. 20 for his official visit. He’ll be joined then by his Indiana Elite AAU teammates, Sisley and Malachi Moreno.
Mullins says Moreno was the ringleader for seeing to it that the three top-75 prospects all did their IU visits together.
That trio and their Indiana Elite teammates went a perfect 13-0 in Adidas 3SSB games this spring. They are complimentary players with a clear chemistry.
Would they ever consider all going to the same school? Do they talk about it?
“It’s been small talk,” Mullins said. “It’s definitely something to talk about, but if it’s not in their interest and they want to play somewhere they want to play at, then it is what it is.”
That’s just one of many possibilities still on the table. It’s been a wild year for Mullins, and his biggest decisions are still in front of him.
There’s still a long way — and a lot of visits — to go, but Mullins says he’s enjoying the ride.
“I’m grateful for all of it,” he said. “I’ve just got to figure out what I want.”
37pts in front of 20+ coaches @mullins_braylon pic.twitter.com/7uMSl4Dw79
— ERA SPORTS (@e_r_a_sports) June 22, 2024
For complete coverage of IU basketball recruiting, GO HERE.
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Indiana
New law allows alcohol at participating county fairs in Indiana
KOSCIUSKO COUNTY, Ind. (WSBT) — It’s fair season and a new law uncorks adult beverage sales!
The new Indiana law will go into effect July 1st, making it legal to sell alcohol at county fairs.
The Kosciusko County Fair is set to kick off in just a few weeks and Indiana is officially allowing alcohol to be sold.
The law is bringing back something that’s not necessarily new to this fair.
Here’s what you need to know
The new law will go into effect on July 1st. It officially allows county fairs to apply for fee-free permits to sell alcohol.
Officials with the Kosciusko County Fair say they are participating this year. They are implementing the same guidelines they used when they sold alcohol just at grandstand events.
The difference now is, you can walk around the grounds with your drink. But strict guidelines will be in place for purchasing a drink.
“Actually, we’ve never had any issues. Because we card everybody, so we take that seriously. We also got the ID guides so we can identify the different types of IDs,” said Sheal Dirck, Treasurer of Kosciusko County Fair.
The Kosciusko County Fair already have guidelines in place, so this was an easy transition for the fair.
They will be the only vendors selling alcohol, which will make it easier to control distribution.
The sales will also bring in more revenue.
“Hopefully it allows to keep our ticket prices where they are because right now, insurance, utilities and everything else is going sky high and it’s hard to make ends meet,” said Dirck.
However, some fairs cannot participate because of the July 1st start date, like the Pulaski County Fair, which is going on right now. Pulaski County officials said it is on the agenda for next year. Whereas other fairs are choosing to sit this year out.
“We wanted not spend some time to, to see what that really means for us. It was not a decision we wanted to rush into. But we are happy for the option of it,” said Shelly Steury, GM of Elkhart County 4H Fairgrounds.
Leaders at the St. Joseph County and Elkhart County Fairs said neither of them are selling alcohol.
The Kosciusko County Fair is the only fair that will sell alcohol in our area this year.
Indiana
‘Foul play’ suspected in death investigation on Indiana-Ohio state line, Wayne County officials say
WAYNE COUNTY, Ind. (WISH) — Police are investigating the death of a person who died in the emergency department of Reid Health in Richmond.
Wayne County Coroner Brent Meadows was notified of the death Wednesday evening, according to a media release. Evidence has reportedly indicated that foul play is involved.
Officials believe the incident may have occurred in the area of the Petro Travel Center in New Paris, Ohio, just across the Indiana-Ohio state line.
The coroner’s office said the deceased person has been transported to the Miami Valley Regional Crime Laboratory in Dayton, Ohio, for a forensic autopsy and identification.
The office is still working the locate and identify the victim’s family.
This remains an active investigation.
News 8’s Michaela Springer contributed to this report.
Indiana
Braden Smith to play for hometown Indiana Pacers after NBA draft selection, trade
Braden Smith spent four seasons with Purdue basketball proving all the power conference programs who overlooked him missed out.
Now the former Boilermaker point guard has a chance to do the same in the NBA.
Smith, a Westfield native, is headed to the Pacers after Indiana traded for him when the Chicago Bulls selected him with the 38th pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, a source confirmed to IndyStar.
Smith is Purdue’s third draft pick in five years, joining lottery picks Jaden Ivey and Zach Edey among a group of now 11 NBA draft selections to play at Purdue under Matt Painter.
Here’s a look at Smith’s Purdue career and what he brings to the Pacers.
Before capping a career that includes two Big Ten regular season and two Big Ten Tournament championships, along with helping Purdue end a 44-year Final Four drought, Smith broke former Duke guard Bobby Hurley’s all-time NCAA assists record.
Along the way, Smith took home the 2025 Bob Cousy Award as the nation’s top point guard in a season where he also was the Big Ten Player of the Year. A two-time consensus first-team All-American, Smith finished his Purdue career eighth in career points (1,932), third in steals (249) and has the top three assist seasons in school history that helped add to his NCAA record total of 1,103.
Smith’s knock is his 5-foot-10 1/2 height measurement, but that didn’t deter him from being one of college basketball’s top players.
What Smith lacked in height, he made up for in basketball IQ. He’s lethal with a midrange jump shot and showcased an unblockable fadeaway that allowed him to shoot over lengthier defenders. He mastered manipulating defenses while playing with marquee big men the last four seasons.
His role in the NBA likely will be not require him to be the team’s primary playmaker immediately. Smith’s awareness of that fact pushed a more defensive-minded approach in preparation for the next level. At the NBA Draft Combine in May, Smith showed he’s capable of defending elite guards.
Smith is an elite competitor who never showed to shy away from the dirty work, which is something that can help him earn NBA minutes as a rookie while trying to find his footing in an unfamiliar backup role.
Nathan Baird and Sam King have the best Purdue sports coverage, and sign up for IndyStar’s Boilermakers newsletter.
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