Indiana
Will UCLA’s Mick Cronin be the next Indiana basketball coach? Here’s what he said
Indiana basketball can’t take control in final minute in loss vs UCLA
It felt like if the Hoosiers were going to push for March Madness, stacking on a win at Michigan State would be the launching point.
Mick Cronin got to take a test drive as a coach on the sidelines at Assembly Hall, and he lead his UCLA team to a victory, though not without drama. Two stories programs dreaming of yesteryear to varying degrees met as Indiana basketball hosted the Bruins in a Big Ten Conference game.
One coach, Cronin, seems unhappy with his arrangement, and could very well replace the man who stood on the opposite sideline. In fact, IndyStar columnist Gregg Doyel wrote as much after the Bruins beat Indiana, led by Mike Woodson who is stepping down at season’s end which, for the moment, appears to be a minimum of six games — five regular season and a Big Ten Tournament opener.
Only 15 teams in the 18-team league will descend on the Circle City for the event March 12-16 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The Hoosiers (15-11, 6-9 Big Ten) are 1 ½ games up on Northwestern and Washington, which are tied for 16th, and three games up on Penn State. But IU’s road could cause them to miss the tournament: vs. Purdue, vs. Penn State, at Washington, at Oregon and vs. Ohio State.
“I just think it’s tough to do that stuff during the season. The whole thing has gotten so crazy, and I don’t like to see that. As far as me, I would never comment on a coaching situation. It would be wildly inappropriate,” Cronin said, while continuing on. “I’m the son of a coach and the way that I look at it, Mike Woodson is the coach at Indiana. He was a national champion and I happen to know him and his staff. I have tremendous respect for their kids and their team. To me, no one should say anything that distracts from what they’re doing. I think it would be wildly inappropriate, mostly because of my respect for coach Woodson. He’s over there coaching his team. That’s my stance.”
Regardless, the Hoosiers will be looking for a new coach with a hope of returning to the glory days. Their last Sweet 16 was in 2016 and they’ve only been to the NCAA tournament twice since, both in Woodson’s first two seasons. IU’s last Elite Eight was in 2002, the year Indiana lost to Maryland in the national championship game.
Indiana is starved for success, longing to win its sixth national championship. It claims fame to the last undefeated national champion, which was 49 years ago. Of course, UCLA has won 11 national championships, including seven straight from 1967 to 1973. Three of those were undefeated seasons, plus another in 1964. And Cronin even led the Bruins to a Final Four four years ago.
The parallels are similar, and Cronin said so Friday.
“To be a great program you have to have great tradition and the backbone of support of all the guys in your tradition that played. I’ve got guys like Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar] and Mike Warren and Jamaal Wilkes, the tremendous support of guys at every game,” he said. “You need tradition, support, your fanbase, and your former players. I don’t know the answer to what’s intact here, but I know my mentality. I walk out and see coach (Bob) Knight like I walk out at my facility and see coach (John) Wooden.”
But UCLA (19-7, 10-5) is in severe financial debt and Cronin has stressed the burden travel has been on his team, and he equated it to NBA teams struggling with similar travel. Friday’s win over IU was this season’s Bruins’ first in the Central or Eastern time zones.
He’s a popular name on hot boards, and is included in IndyStar’s hot board. So, too, was Brad Stevens, the Boston Celtics president who made a statement saying he’s happy in his role. Should athletic director Scott Dolson have Cronin on his list of coaching candidates, here’s what UCLA’s big whistle said about the rumors.
“Some people would be happy because some people want me fired. When you’re a coach, you have to check your ego,” Cronin said. “They booed John Calipari at Kentucky. They wouldn’t have booed Bob Knight, if he walked in here, I can promise you that. That’s just the way it is. I’m well aware that I might be on a board for a job, but somebody might want me to lose my job. We got beat on Tuesday, go ahead and check on those boards.”
A trend of hiring coaches who can bring players with them fits Cronin. It’s a strategy that already worked out for Dolson when he hired Curt Cignetti to lead Indiana football, which made its way to the College Football Playoff with a host of James Madison transfers. Even Cignetti had to deny he was lobbying for someone Saturday.
But Cronin has a winning background: won the Ohio Valley and reached two NCAA tournaments in three seasons at Murray State, made nine straight NCAA tournaments and won two American Athletic Conference regular-season titles at Cincinnati and has continued success at UCLA with the Final Four in his second season and winning the Pac-12 in 2022-23.
Dylan Andrews, who was 1 for 7 from the field and a two-year starter, iced the game with free throws and would fit into that category. Four starters do, too, and reserves in 7-foot-3 post, Aday Mara, and Chicago native Sebastian Mack could give Cronin a core to build around in Bloomington, easing the learning curve and roster management.
“We’re playing at Assembly Hall — you don’t just come to Indiana and win a game like that,” Andrews said. “It was a gritty win. It’s just a credit to my team, to my coach, credit to everybody. This is a big win for us.”
Was the Valentine’s Day win love at first sight? The carousel will continue turning until there’s an answer.
(The REPORTER) — The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, June 10, regarding a proposed corridor improvement project on State Road 32 in Hamilton County.
The hearing will provide an opportunity for the public to interact with the project team, review the features of the proposed roundabout project, and provide official public comment. Project documents are available for review at improvetomove32.com.
The project area is between East Street in Westfield and River Road in Noblesville. The proposed project includes adding lanes to accommodate two lanes in each direction, removing all traffic signals within the project limits, and constructing roundabouts at the following intersections with SR 32:
- Carey Road/Grassy Branch Road
- Gunther Boulevard
- Shady Nook Road
- Moontown Road/Gray Road
- Pebble Brook Boulevard
- Hazel Dell Road/Little Chicago Road
- Mill Creek Road
The hearing will take place at Prairie Waters Event Center, 4180 Westfield Road, Westfield. Doors will open at 5 p.m. to allow the public to view displays and talk with the project team. A presentation will be given at 5:30 p.m., with a public comment session held directly after. INDOT is offering livestreams of all public meetings and hearings. You must register here in order to participate in the livestream. Livestream audience comments will only be accepted in written electronic form, not verbally. A recording of the livestream presentation will be posted on the project webpage and INDOT YouTube page after the hearing and will be available for at least 90 days.
All verbal statements recorded during the public hearing and all written comments submitted prior to, during and for a period of two weeks following the hearing date, will be evaluated, considered, and addressed in subsequent environmental documentation.
Written comments may be submitted within the comment period to Nick Batta, CMT, 8790 Purdue Road, Indianapolis, IN 46268; or sent via email to SR32HamiltonCounty@cmtengr.com.
INDOT respectfully requests comments be submitted by June 26.
A beloved tradition is drawing stitchers, shoppers, and curious newcomers across the region.
If you have ever walked into a quilt shop “just to look,” you already know how that story ends. One minute you are admiring a cheerful stack of fabric with names like sunflower, buttercream, and cardinal red, and the next you are seriously considering whether your house has room for a new table runner, a holiday wall hanging, and perhaps a life-changing bundle of fat quarters. Quilt shops have that effect. They are part treasure hunt, part therapy session, part color explosion, and in Southeastern Indiana, they are also some of the friendliest gathering places around.
That is especially true during the ALL INDIANA SHOP HOP, the statewide sewing and quilting event running through June 30, 2026.
The idea is delightfully simple: visit participating quilt shops, collect passport stamps, pick up thank-you gifts, and become eligible for prizes. The official event even describes it as a quilting version of a bar crawl, only with less late-night regret and more batting, bobbins, and beautiful fabric. There is even a youth passport for ages 8 to 17, which is a nice reminder that quilting is not just a pastime handed down from grandparents. It is also being discovered by a new generation who like making things by hand, repurposing fabric to help the environment, learning skills online, and sharing their creations proudly.
And really, quilting has everything going for it. It is practical, creative, social, and just a little bit magical.
A quilt can be a baby gift, a comfort during a hard season, a graduation present, a family heirloom, or simply a way to make a couch look much more put together than the people sitting on it. Quilters are surgeons with rotary cutters, artists with thread, and storytellers with fabric. They notice pattern, texture, memory, and meaning. Even non-quilters tend to fall under the spell. You do not need to know how to piece a block to appreciate the patience, skill, and imagination it takes to turn small shapes into something that warms both the room and the people in it.
That is one reason local quilt shops matter so much.
Yes, they sell fabric, books, notions, patterns, batting, and tools that can make a beginner feel both excited and slightly underqualified. But they also do something online shopping cannot: they welcome people in. Good quilt shops are places where somebody will help you match prints, explain what on earth a layer cake is, admire your progress, and gently steer you away from a fabric choice you may regret in broad daylight. They are equal parts classroom, clubhouse, and creative headquarters.
Southeastern Indiana is lucky to have several shops that make a Shop Hop route feel less like an errand list and more like a mini road trip with excellent scenery and even better conversation.
In Versailles, The Quilter’s Nook has become a creative quilting and sewing destination with classes, learning opportunities, and plenty of supplies and inspiration for anyone wanting to sharpen their skills or finally start that project they have been thinking about for two years. In Greensburg, Tree City Stitches is known for its premium fabrics, project kits, classes, and welcoming atmosphere, with plenty of samples on display to spark ideas before you even make it to the cutting counter.
In Vevay, Cardinal Quilts offers a deep fabric selection, quilting classes, and longarm services, making it the kind of place where serious quilters can stock up and newcomers can get helpful guidance without a trace of intimidation. And in Madison, L&L Yard Goods has been operating in the same location since 1986, offering quilting essentials, classes, and the sort of steady hometown presence that makes people come back year after year.
Together, these shops help keep quilting visible, vibrant, and local.
They also provide handmade quilts for community projects, children’s hospitals, veterans, and emergency services just like the early quilters did centuries ago.
So if your summer plans could use a little more color, a little more small-town charm,
and maybe a little more excuse to buy fabric you absolutely do not need but definitely deserve, the Shop Hop is calling. Bring a friend, bring your passport, and bring a willingness to be delighted by places where craftsmanship still matters and people still make beautiful things with their hands.
In Southeastern Indiana, quilting is more than a hobby.
It is history from the days of early pioneers, hospitality that warms you, creativity and community all stitched together one square at a time.
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