Indiana
Indiana Pacers get praise for offensive flash and ability in 2024 NBA GM Survey
John Schuhmann of NBA.com published the 2024 NBA GM Survey earlier this week, and the Indiana Pacers received frequent praise from the league’s decision makers.
Most of the praise comes in the form of individuals getting high marks or the team getting complimented. Despite this, GMs aren’t particularly high on the blue and gold as a team. They predict that the team will finish seventh in the Eastern Conference this season, with 14% of those surveyed putting the Pacers in the East’s fourth spot.
Last year, the Pacers finished sixth in the East during the regular season, but they were tied with the seventh seed in total wins. Without some internal improvement, Indiana will be fighting to climb above the seven spot again in the coming season.
Individual players on the blue and gold were celebrated in the survey. Here are all the mentions of anyone on the Pacers roster by GMs.
Which player is most likely to have a breakout season in 2024-25? Andrew Nembhard received votes.
Which rookie was the biggest steal at where he was selected in the Draft? Johnny Furphy finished tied for first place with 10% of the votes. He shares that spot with five others.
Which active player will make the best head coach someday? T.J. McConnell landed in fourth in this category with 7% of the votes. He is a frequent high finisher in this category.
Which player is the best passer? Star guard Tyrese Haliburton finished in third with 10% of votes.
Which player has the best basketball IQ? Tyrese Haliburton landed in fifth with 3% of the votes.
Head coach Rick Carlisle, also an individual with the Pacers, fared well in a few categories.
Which head coach makes the best in-game adjustments? Carlisle landed in a tie for fourth with 7% of the votes.
Which head coach runs the best offense? Rick Carlisle dominated this category, finishing in first place by a mile with 47% of the votes.
As a team, the blue and gold were mentioned in a few categories, Their high-level offense yet inconsistent play made them an easy choice for a few of the survey questions.
Which team is the most fun to watch? The Pacers landed in first place with 37% of the votes.
Which team will have the league’s most efficient offense this season? Indiana finished in second place with 20% of the votes. They only were behind the Boston Celtics in offensive rating last season, and the Celtics took home the most votes via this question.
Which team’s level of success this season is toughest to predict? The Pacers received votes. They have a high ceiling but a potentially average floor.
The full survey can be found here.
Indiana basketball practice observations from June 25: Freshmen mixing in
IU has a game-changer, Thursday’s practice open to the media showed. IndyStar IU insider Zach Osterman explains what he saw.
BLOOMINGTON — Whatever he can.
That’s the answer. The question — one prompted by an urgency to add strength to his game — is what Vaughn Karvala, Indiana basketball’s athletic freshman wing, is doing to add weight. IU’s highest-ranked signee in the 2026 class, it’s not hard to envision a role for Karvala in Darian DeVries’ second season in Bloomington. The player himself knows that starts with meeting the physical demands of the college game.
Which starts with building onto to his 6-foot-7, 190-pound frame.
“The biggest thing for me is just putting on weight,” Karvala told reporters after practice Thursday. “That’s my biggest thing, getting stronger, trying to play with these guys that are three, four years older than me. I have to get stronger, I have to get faster, everything.”
A three-year letter winner at Oregon (Wisconsin) High School, Karvala spent his senior season at Bella Vista Prep in Arizona, bolstering a profile that saw him ranked No. 62 nationally per the 247Sports Composite.
Karvala averaged 26.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game in his final season with Oregon, shooting close to 42% from behind the 3-point line. He averaged another 14.7 points per game with Team Herro on the EYBL circuit.
He handed DeVries a major recruiting win last fall, when Karvala picked the Hoosiers over Xavier and Cal. Now, both at the rim and behind the arc, Karvala looks like a player who can contribute meaningfully in his first year in college.
“I know my athleticism catches the eye, but I can still shoot it,” Karvala said. “But another thing is just working on rebounding, trying to get extra possessions for us.”
Whether on the glass or elsewhere, embracing the physical challenge of college basketball has been an emphasis for Karvala since he arrived in Bloomington earlier this summer.
That manifests itself offensively, when he tries to push the ball downhill and leverage that athleticism to attack the rim. It shows up defensively, where Karvala said he’s comfortable guarding the two, the three and, matchup depending, the four.
It even plays out on the glass, battling bigs up to including 7-2 teammate Samet Yigitoglu, who Karvala described with a smile as “the biggest guy I’ve ever seen.”
“Physicality, 100%,” Karvala said, when asked where he’s challenging himself. “Just playing with all these guys that have 20, 30, 40 pounds on me.”
Which starts with the physical demand of more weight. Karvala said he’ll eat chicken, steak or “whatever we have in the locker room” that can help him in that effort. His focus, he said, is simply to “eat a lot, and work out every day.”
As that weight and strength begin to build, Karvala knows the next step — to mentally prepare for the rough-and-tumble nature of life on the floor in the Big Ten — is just as important. Preparing his body comes first. Challenging himself to toughen up once it’s required follows quickly after.
“Just getting fully there, mentally,” he said. “You’re going to have to push your body to get through this.”
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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.
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