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New Indiana coach Curt Cignetti says ‘no reason’ he can’t replicate his JMU success

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New Indiana coach Curt Cignetti says ‘no reason’ he can’t replicate his JMU success


The coach who led a stunningly successful move by James Madison to the highest level of college football has big goals for his new job at Indiana.

Curt Cignetti expects the Hoosiers to make a bold statement in the expanding Big Ten, and he says they can do that by eliminating complacency in the program.

One day after taking the biggest job of his career, the 62-year-old Cignetti promised Friday to bring the same approach he used to produce 12 straight winning seasons at three schools to Indiana, which hasn’t played in a bowl game since 2020.

“Sometimes, you’ve got to make hard decisions in life,” Cignetti said at his introductory news conference. “This was a hard decision for me because you’ve got to be uncomfortable to grow and I’m too young to stop growing. So this is an exciting opportunity at a prestigious university in the top football conference in the country — and there is no reason we can’t be successful.”

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Sustaining success at Indiana, though, has proven difficult.

Tom Allen, Cignetti’s predecessor, reached back-to-back bowl games in 2019 and 2020 and was named Big Ten coach of the year in 2020. But three straight losing seasons led to his firing Sunday.

Cignetti brings a different track record. This season’s Sun Belt coach of the year won two straight division title while presiding over one of the most successful two-year transitions from FCS to FBS in NCAA history. He went 52-9 in five seasons with the Dukes (11-1), who are currently ranked No. 24 in the country and are heading to a bowl game even though NCAA rules make it very difficult for schools in their second year in FBS to play in the postseason.

Cignetti also worked with Philip Rivers at North Carolina State and played a key role in recruiting as part of Nick Saban’s inaugural staff at Alabama.

Indiana poses a new challenge, one his late, Hall of Fame coaching father, Frank Cignetti Sr., would have embraced.

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“You know when you’re at a crossroads of you think a lot about what he would say?” Cignetti said. “But you’re your own guy and you do your own thing.”

The Indianapolis Star reported that Cignetti will bring some longtime staff members with him from James Madison — offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan (no relation to the longtime NFL coach) and defensive coordinator Bryant Haines. Both served on Cignetti’s staffs at James Madison, Elon and Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Cignetti may also hire James Madison quarterbacks coach Tino Sunseri, who spent 2 1/2 seasons on Saban’s staff, where he worked with Tua Tagovailoa and Mac Jones.

Cignetti acknowledged he intended to hire some of his previous assistants but wouldn’t discuss names because they were still undergoing background checks. He also said he would interview the assistants on Allen’s staff.

No matter who ends up joining him, Cignetti has one goal in mind — winning.

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“When I asked him what is the secret sauce to having a winning record every place you go, he said ‘Waging a tenacious battle against complacency,’” Indiana President Pam Whitten said. “And when you look at what he’s accomplished, I think those words actually ring true.”

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Get alerts on the latest AP Top 25 poll throughout the season. Sign up here.

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football





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Indiana

Happy hour is back in Indiana

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Happy hour is back in Indiana


INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — On Monday, happy hour will again be legal in the state of Indiana after nearly 40 years.

Happy hour was first banned in 1985 in an effort to curb drunk driving. The effort has proven to be less than effective, according to several studies, including one done by Suffolk University.

In March, Gov. Holcomb signed House Bill 1086, officially making happy hour legal again in the Hoosier state.

Indianapolis restaurants are welcoming the change. Up until now, if eateries wanted to offer discounted rates, they were required to do so for the entire day.

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“Prior to this, you weren’t able to do it for a finite amount of time, you could only do it the entire day, from the time you open the doors to the time you close,” Managing Partner of The Oakmont and Vicino Gus Vazquez said.

The law does have a few stipulations.

Restaurants can offer up to four hours a day as a part of their “happy hour” and a total of 15 hours a week. The hours can never fall between 9 p.m. and 3 a.m.

Vazquez and his team were quick to get to develop a plan for their happy hours at both The Oakmont and Vicino, which will run between 3 and 6 p.m. between Monday and Friday.

“It’s been so long since Indiana has had the chance to have a happy hour,” Vazquez said. “Our plan of action is to offer our guests some items that normally wouldn’t be offered to our guests during that time or some of our favorites at a discounted price.”

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The managing partner also spoke on the impact the change has on people visiting the Circle City.

The restaurants often host those visiting Indianapolis for conventions and sporting events.

“Just today we had a couple from out of town come in, and ask if we had a happy hour either today or during the week…so ironically we told them that July first we’d be rolling it out,” Vazquez said. “I feel like a lot of the people that are visiting the city will feel at home even when they’re not at home.”



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Locked On Pacers breaks down possible Indiana Pacers free agency targets at every position

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Locked On Pacers breaks down possible Indiana Pacers free agency targets at every position


NBA free agency opens up tomorrow at 6 p.m. Eastern Time, meaning players can agree to sign with new teams. From the day after the NBA Finals until that time, players could only negotiate with their former team — which is how the Pacers were able to agree to terms with forward Pascal Siakam already.

Because of the deal with Siakam and the many contracts Indiana already has in place, they could be a quiet team on the free agent market. They may run it back with largely the same team, sans a small move here and there, which makes sense after an Eastern Conference Finals run. Obi Toppin is the best incumbent Pacer who is entering free agency, and Pacers on SI reported earlier this week that the team made him a restricted free agent via a qualifying offer.

Between the Mid-Level-Exception, minimum contracts, and the draft, the Pacers have and could still add external talent in free agency. On the Locked On Pacers podcast, host Tony East went position-by-position and looked at players the Pacers could add in free agency at each spot if they have a specific need.

Point guards:

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Shooting guards:

Small forwards with Alex Golden from Setting The Pace:

Power forwards with Ethan Krieger, formerly from 8 Points, 9 Seconds:

Centers:

Last year, the Pacers were active in free agency and acquired Bruce Brown along with Toppin during the offseason. This season, they will likely be quieter in terms of bringing in external talent. Keeping Siakam was the priority, and it’s done.

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Inmate found dead at Wayne County jail; Indiana State Police investigating

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Inmate found dead at Wayne County jail; Indiana State Police investigating


RICHMOND, Ind. (WISH) — An inmate was found dead early Friday morning at the Wayne County jail, Indiana State Police announced.

The inmate was identified as 36-year-old Andrew Taylor.

State police say Taylor was found sometime before 5 a.m. Friday. Jail staff discovered him unresponsive, and despite life-saving efforts, he was later pronounced dead.

Detectives are working with the Wayne County Coroner’s Office and Sheriff’s Office to learn what led to the incident. They did not say what Taylor’s cause of death was, but said no foul play was suspected.

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Taylor’s family was notified, police say.



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