Indiana
WNBA trade deadline is Tuesday. Will Indiana Fever make moves? ‘I’ve had a few calls.’
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INDIANAPOLIS — For Indiana Fever general manager Lin Dunn, the market has been calm ahead of Tuesday’s WNBA trade deadline.
“It’s been awfully quiet,” Dunn told IndyStar on Wednesday. “I’ve had a few phone calls, I’ve made a few phone calls, but what I think people don’t understand, in particular the fans, is that with a hard salary cap, it’s very difficult to maneuver and make trades, you know, realistic, substantial trades, because you’re limited with your salary cap and your roster spots. So I don’t anticipate there being any blockbuster trades.”
Making substantial trades is significantly more difficult in the WNBA than it is in other major professional leagues like the NBA or MLB, because of the WNBA’s hard cap.
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The hard cap for the 2024 season is $1,463,200, and that accounts for all 12 players plus possible dead cap money from releasing players under protected contracts. That small cap is why there are very few blockbuster trades in the WNBA — teams will usually swap a bench player for another bench player with a similar salary, like how the Fever traded Queen Egbo for Amanda Zahui B. last season.
The only major trade in the WNBA this season happened before the Olympic break, as the Sky sent Marina Mabrey (on a $200,000+ contract) to Connecticut in exchange for Rachel Banham and Moriah Jefferson. That trade only came about, though, because Mabrey requested a trade from the Sky.
Fever’s Christie Sides on improved team chemistry during WNBA break
Indiana Fever coach Christie Sides has seen progress in team chemistry during the WNBA’s summer break.
At this point in the season, too, all players’ salaries are fully guaranteed for the rest of the year. So, even if a player on an unprotected contract were to be released, they would still be owed their salary for the rest of the season.
While trades may be more complicated, teams can still acquire players who have not yet played for a WNBA team this season under a prorated contract — something the Fever could possibly afford.
The Fever’s cap allocations currently stand at $1,396,695, per Spotrac, and that includes dead cap hits of $85,000 for Victoria Vivians’ buyout and $29,962 for the rest of Celeste Taylor’s contract this season. That leaves $66,505 of cap room for the Fever to potentially sign a player for the final stretch of the season.
But, when it comes to players who would make a true difference for the Fever, there are few to choose from. Indiana would likely be looking for a wing — someone who can play the 2, 3, and 4, score efficiently, and have a good defensive mind.
To join the Fever at this point in the year, a player would likely need to have been waived by a different team already or not played in the WNBA this season.
There are three international players with ample WNBA experience that have not yet played in the league this year, opting to train with their country’s teams in preparation for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Now that the Olympics are over, those players — Belgian center Emma Meesseman and French guards Gabby Williams and Marine Johannes — are able to return to the WNBA.
Johannes is a restricted free agent with New York, meaning the Liberty have the exclusive rights to negotiate with her for the rest of the season. Williams and Meesseman are unrestricted free agents, meaning they can sign with whichever team they want, if they decide to come back to the WNBA this season at all.
“It seems like there’s definitely interest in all three of them, but I don’t know that any of the three have even decided if they want to come back,” Dunn said. “They missed the first part of the season to train. Now, they’ve gone through the Olympics. They’re tired, and if they come back, it’ll be a lot of money. There’s not a lot of money to give anybody.”
Between the two unrestricted free agents, the Fever would probably target Williams, a five-year veteran who is a versatile and defensive-minded wing. Her Hoop Stats reported the lowest a player with 3+ years of service can sign for is $27,280 — well under the Fever’s available cap space. But a player of Williams’ caliber, especially after shining during the Olympics, will likely require more than the prorated minimum.
The Fever could also make an effort to contact guard Odyssey Sims, a nine-year WNBA veteran who was excellent in 11 games for the Dallas Wings this season. Despite being on a hardship contract because of injuries within the Wings’ roster, Sims started multiple games for Dallas, averaging 33.9 minutes, 17.2 points, and 5.6 rebounds per game.
Dallas had to release Sims as its players returned from injury, and because of WNBA rules, it cannot re-sign her for at least 10 days. The Wings are also over the cap, so they would need to trade a player in order to re-sign Sims — opening a window for other franchises, including the Fever, to make an offer to the 32-year-old guard.
Follow IndyStar Fever Insider Chloe Peterson on X at @chloepeterson67.
Indiana
How To Watch Indiana Men’s Basketball As It Travels To Northwestern
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana men’s basketball faces Northwestern at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday. As Hoosiers On SI wrote on Monday, Woodson will try again for his first win against the Wildcats.
It’s a strange record, made all the more bizarre by the dominance the Hoosiers have had over historically better programs like Michigan and Ohio State in the last three years.
Indiana has played twice in Evanston during the Woodson era. One of the games was in Woodson’s first season, with five Hoosiers suspended for the game. Indiana lost 59-51 in 2022. The other was in 2023 when the game came down to a final possession in which Indiana nemesis Boo Buie hit a game-winning shot to help Northwestern earn a 64-62 victory.
While Woodson hasn’t beaten Northwestern, it hasn’t been that long since Indiana tasted victory at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The Hoosiers won 79-76 in double overtime in Evanston in 2021.
Here’s a list of the last time Indiana won at Big Ten venues:
• Ohio State: Friday, when the Hoosiers earned a 77-76 overtime victory over the Buckeyes.
• Penn State: The NCAA counts Indiana’s 77-71 win on Jan. 5 as a “road” victory – even though it was played off-campus in Philadelphia at the Palestra. Indiana’s last victory in State College was a 78-75 win in 2017.
• Minnesota: The Hoosiers defeated the Golden Gophers 70-58 at Williams Arena on March 6, 2024, part of a late-season five-game win streak.
• Maryland: In the game before Indiana won at Minnesota, the Hoosiers prevailed 83-78 on March 3, 2024, in College Park.
• Michigan: In the 2023-24 Big Ten opener, Indiana held off Michigan with a 78-75 victory at Crisler Arena on Dec. 5, 2023.
• Purdue: A 35-point effort by Jalen Hood-Schifino led Indiana to a 79-71 win at Mackey Arena over No. 5 Purdue on Feb. 25, 2023.
• Illinois: Trayce Jackson-Davis had one of his best games in an Indiana uniform as the Hoosiers won 80-65 on Jan. 19, 2023. Jackson-Davis had 35 points, nine rebounds and five assists.
• Nebraska: Indiana earned a 78-71 victory over the Cornhuskers on Jan. 17, 2022.
• Northwestern: The aforementioned 79-76 double overtime win took place on Feb. 10, 2021.
• Iowa: One of the biggest wins in the Archie Miller era was an 81-69 victory at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Jan. 21, 2021, as the Hoosiers dropped the No. 4-ranked Hawkeyes.
• Michigan State: With five Hoosiers reaching double-figure scoring – led by Romeo Langford’s 19 points – Indiana took down No. 6 Michigan State 79-75 in overtime on Feb. 2, 2019, at the Breslin Center.
• Rutgers: Indiana prevailed 65-43 on Feb. 5, 2018. The Hoosiers have only beaten the Scarlet Knights three times since, with all of the victories taking place at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
• Wisconsin: Indiana’s troubles with Wisconsin are notorious as five different coaches have tried and field to win in Madison. Indiana’s last victory was a 69-59 triumph on Jan. 25, 1998, in the last game of the series played at Wisconsin Field House. Andrae Patterson led Indiana with 23 points in a game that featured Bob Knight vs. Dick Bennett in the coaching boxes.
• The west coast Big Ten schools: Indiana is 2-1 at UCLA, but hasn’t played in Westwood since 1960. The last victory was in the 1940-41 season, when the Hoosiers prevailed 51-26 in Los Angeles.
Indiana defeated Southern California 42-39 in Los Angeles during the 1937-38 season.
Indiana has never played on-campus at Oregon or Washington, according to Indiana’s media guide.
*** LIVE BLOG: Once the game starts, CLICK HERE to read our live blog, including live updates, highlights and thoughts on the game.
How To Watch Indiana at Northwestern
• Who: Indiana Hoosiers (14-5, 5-3) vs. Northwestern Wildcats (11-7, 2-5)
• What: Indiana travels to Northwestern for its second straight Big Ten Conference road game.
• When: 7 p.m. ET, Wednesday, Jan. 22.
• Where: Welsh-Ryan Arena, Evanston, Ill.
• TV: Big Ten Network.
• Announcers: Brandon Gaudin (play-by-play), Robbie Hummel (color), Andy Katz (sideline).
• Radio: IU Radio Network (Bloomington: 105.1 WHCC-FM; Indianapolis: 107.5 WFNI-FM or 1070 WFNI-AM, or see media guide for other radio affiliates).
• Radio announcers: Don Fischer (play-by-play), Errek Suhr (color), John Herrick (pregame, halftime, postgame).
• Recent results: Indiana was 1-1 last week. The Hoosiers lost 94-69 at home against Illinois on Jan. 14. Indiana then won at Ohio State 77-76 in overtime last Friday.
Northwestern played two overtime contests last week. The Wildcats defeated Maryland 76-74 at home on Thursday and fell 80-76 at Michigan on Sunday.
• Home, road and neutral trends: Indiana is 10-1 at home, 1-2 in neutral site games and 2-2 in official road games. (The NCAA counts the game against Penn State at the Palestra as a road game.) Northwestern is 9-1 in home games, 2-1 in neutral site games and 0-5 in true road games. Northwestern was 22-12 and 12-8 in the Big Ten.
• Last season: Indiana went 19-14 overall and finished sixth in the Big Ten with a 10-10 record in conference play. The Hoosiers missed the NCAA Tournament and declined a bid to the NIT. Northwestern advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament where they lost to eventual national champion Connecticut.
• Series history: Indiana leads 120-56. Northwestern has won four in a row in the series, and Indiana coach Mike Woodson has never beaten the Wildcats. The four-game losing streak in the series is the longest for the Hoosiers since 1932-33. Indiana has only lost five in a row to Northwestern once – from 1913-15. Indiana last won in Evanston in 2021 during Archie Miller’s final season as coach.
Leading scorers
Indiana Hoosiers
• Guards (as officially listed): Myles Rice (11.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 3.3 apg), Trey Galloway (7.2 ppg, 4.1 apg), Luke Goode (8.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg), Kanaan Carlyle (5.1 ppg), Anthony Leal (2.3 ppg).
• Forwards/centers: Malik Reneau (14.1 ppg, 5.9 rpg, questionable with knee injury), Oumar Ballo (14.5 ppg, 10.3 rpg, 2.3 apg), Mackenzie Mgbako (11.9 ppg, 4.7 rpg), Bryson Tucker (6.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg, questionable with finger injury), Langdon Hatton (2.4 ppg).
Northwestern Wildcats
• Guards: Brooks Barnhizer (18.4 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 4.1 apg), Jalen Leach (13.7 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 2.8 apg), Ty Berry (7.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg), Angelo Ciarvino (4.2 ppg), Justin Mullins (3.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg), K.J. Windham (3.3 ppg).
• Forwards/centers: Nick Martinelli (20 ppg, 5.3 rpg), Matthew Nicholson (5.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg), Keenan Fitzmorris (0.7 ppg, 0.6 rpg)
Kenpom rankings
Projected score: Northwestern 71, Indiana 67.
Indiana Hoosiers
• Overall: 59
• Adjusted defensive efficiency: 49
• Adjusted offensive efficiency: 77
• Strength of schedule: 158
• Preseason: 39
Northwestern Wildcats
• Overall: 51
• Adjusted defensive efficiency: 24
• Adjusted offensive efficiency: 93
• Strength of schedule: 245
• Preseason: 50
Meet the coaches
• Chris Collins, Northwestern: Chris Collins is in his 12th season as Northwestern’s head coach. He is 188-181 and has taken the Wildcats to three NCAA Tournaments, including appearances in the last two seasons. In winning percentage, Collins’ .509 mark is the fourth-best in school history and only one coach who lasted past World War II – Dutch Lonborg – is with Collins in the top four.
Collins was previously an assistant at Duke (2000-13), Seton Hall (1998-2000) and with the WNBA’s Detroit Shock (1998). Collins, the son of former NBA player and coach Doug Collins, played at Duke from 1992-96.
• Mike Woodson, Indiana: Woodson is in his fourth season at Indiana with a 77-45 overall record and a 36-32 mark in regular season Big Ten play. Indiana reached the NCAA Tournament in Woodson’s first two seasons, peaking with a Round of 32 appearance in 2023, but the Hoosiers missed the tournament last year. Woodson, 66, has NBA head coaching experience with the Atlanta Hawks from 2004-10 and the New York Knicks from 2012-14. Woodson played at Indiana University from 1976-80, and was named the Big Ten’s Most Valuable Player as a senior under coach Bob Knight. He was the 12th overall pick in the 1980 NBA Draft, and played for various teams from 1980-91, averaging 14 points over 786 games.
Indiana
Indiana Housing Agency appoints new CEO
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indiana Housing Agency welcomes Yvonda A. Bean to be their new Chief Executive Officer.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development said Bean will begin work as IHA’s CEO starting on Feb. 17.
Bean previously served as the CEO of the Columbia Housing and Cayce Housing in South Carolina, and worked as the president of two other housing nonprofits, the South Carolina Affordable Housing Initiatives and Columbia Housing and Development.
“I am pleased that Yvonda A. Bean will be serving as Indianapolis Housing Agency’s CEO,” Mayor Joe Hogsett said in a press release. “I look forward to seeing the ways in which her expertise from serving more than two decades in public housing, including the recovery of two troubled housing agencies, will now be utilized to support the residents of IHA.”
In HUD’s announcement, Bean’s accomplishments included seeing over $100 million in new construction developments, creating an employee apprenticeship program, and partnering with community colleges to provide public housing residents with free tuition.
“I am incredibly honored to have been selected to serve as IHA’s new CEO. The organization’s mission aligns deeply with my values and passion for creating equitable housing and economic opportunities for marginalized communities. My work has been rooted in the belief that housing is a right and not a privilege—EVERYONE deserves access to safe, affordable housing. I am thrilled to join IHA and look forward to collaborating with HUD, the City, the Board, the IHA team, residents, and community partners to contribute to IHA’s impactful work,” Bean said in the press release.
Before leading organizations in South Carolina, Bean was the CEO of the Housing Authority of the City of Lafayette, Louisiana.
Bean serves on the Board of Governors for the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) and is the Vice Chair of NAHRO’s Legislative Network Advisory Committee. She also chairs the Legislative Committee for the Southeastern Regional Council of NAHRO and holds leadership roles on multiple other housing and community development boards.
Ms. Bean’s contributions to the industry have been recognized with prestigious honors, including NAHRO’s 2023 Professional of the Year award and the 2024 Advocate of the Year award.
In 2024, the federal department HUD took over control of IHA “… after years of operational, administrative, and financial failures that have had a detrimental impact on Indianapolis residents,” the release said.
Indiana
Child tax credit is one way to aid Hoosier families • Indiana Capital Chronicle
The winter holidays are past but we can still focus on the love and family that comes with that time of year. Despite political divisions that attempt to sow discord, we all have a similar goal: the security and well-being of our families.
Hoosiers recognize the importance of putting family first, and want the next generation to have opportunities to prosper. For the thousands of households with children across Indiana, that means giving our youngest Hoosiers – the future leaders, entrepreneurs, and workers of 2040 – a strong foundation to build good lives.
Even amidst our shared vision of prosperity for our children, many Indiana families lack opportunity for their children. Indiana has consistently underperformed relative to Midwest neighboring states when comparing child poverty rates, and currently 16 percent of Hoosier children live in poverty. Even more startling, one in five Hoosier children lacks adequate nutrition and experiences hunger. That’s a total of 285,070 children– more than the entire population of Fort Wayne.
We often see these as mere statistics, but what these unfortunate metrics really show is that parents across Indiana are struggling. They’re worrying about how to pay this month’s rent while trying to be present for the most precious moments. They’re choosing between keeping their children fed and keeping the heat on. More than half of them are worrying about having to miss work because they don’t have diapers to send to daycare with their child.
Tools at our disposal
In the face of these obstacles, we do have policy tools at our disposal that can help families build and maintain financial security. Indiana currently provides parents an income tax exemption for each of their children, but the maximum state income tax relief being provided to an Indiana family with a newborn is $122 – and this drops to a maximum of $76.25 for each older child. When compared with the annual cost of diapers at about $1,000 per child, not to mention childcare costs that range between $7,000 and $25,000 per child, this small tax exemption is clearly not sufficient to offset the financial burdens parents are facing. We owe it to Hoosiers to provide more robust tax relief for families with children, especially young children in their most vulnerable years of life.
Implementing a Child Tax Credit (CTC) at the state level in Indiana is one key way we can alleviate these financial strains unique to raising children. Parents may already be aware of the federal CTC, which offers taxpayers up to $2,000 in tax credits per child. Studies have indicated that the federal Child Tax Credit is associated with decreases in childrens’ food insecurity, increases in mental health outcomes for households with children, and lower poverty rates overall. At the state level, sixteen states from Utah to Maine have already enacted their own state-level CTC policies. While the specifics of the credit type, amount, and eligibility criteria vary state to state, those that have adopted their own CTCs have seen significant reductions in child poverty. Just as we build our homes on a strong, stable foundation, we can use tools like a Child Tax Credit to bolster Hoosier families’ economic security and well-being.
When former U.S. Sen. Dan Coats introduced the first version of a Child Tax Credit at the national level back in 1995, it reflected a quality about his constituents that remains true today: Indiana is a family state. We must support the Hoosiers who build their families here so that we can have communities with foundations of prosperity and economic stability.
Now more than ever, when we come together and talk about our hopes and dreams with our loved ones, we are reminded that there is so much more that unites us than divides us.
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