Indianapolis, IN
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Editor’s note: IndyStar formed a 17-member Reader Advisory Panel this year, inviting community members for four monthly discussions on how the newsroom can better deliver its mission of service to Indianapolis. We invited members to write about the experience afterward.
As a student studying journalism here in Indianapolis, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to participate in the IndyStar reader advisory panel over the summer months.
Not only is it refreshing to see such an influential force in local media put real time and effort into connecting with its readers, but it was a learning experience on both ends of the conversation about the state of journalism in our city.
Something I’ve learned while studying journalism these past few years is that Indiana is considered a “news desert.” According to the University of North Carolina database, Indiana has seen a decrease of more than 40% in news circulation since 2004. This generally means that a lot of citizens are consistently relying on the same few media outlets to bring them news they find important and meaningful.
Each meeting, we’d bring issue’s we’d experienced as readers with the IndyStar to the table. These concerns were heard by editor Eric Larsen alongside an amazing team of IndyStar staff members who were willing to collaborate with us as we pitched out ideas for improvements and discussed why these ideas were important to us.
Everyone had different ideas on what could be improved, and the staff were respectful and understanding when explaining why things are the way they are. Whether a lack of resources or reader interest is holding IndyStar back from reporting in different areas, they would let us know, and we’d pitch ideas to help cover wider groups of people without straining their resources.
The consensus on what changes we want to see at IndyStar? Well, it was all pretty individual. Every panel member had ideas for what they want to see more or less of, or even ideas on how the IndyStar app could be made more worthwhile to its users.
Overall, we could all agree on the fact that us as readers want to know our local reporters better. We want to see them in the community and engage with them they way we were able to engage with IndyStar members in these meetings.
It’s safe to say, in my opinion, that IndyStar is already taking steps in the right direction in engaging its readers, considering they invited us back month after month, even if we criticized their work right to their faces.
In Indiana especially, it’s important that we understand that we can not expect good journalism if we do not continue to encourage good journalism.
I’m appreciative that IndyStar provided this opportunity to seek improvement from those who it effects the most, and I’m excited to see some worthy improvements be implemented to one of our news outlets here in Indianapolis.
Kylee Leahy is a senior majoring in journalism at Indiana University Indianapolis.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Mt. Vernon High School boys basketball team has accomplished something it hasn’t done before – win a state championship.
The Marauders beat Crown Point 52-50 on Saturday night in the IHSAA 4A State Championship Game inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse. It’s the program’s first-ever state title.
Mt. Vernon senior guard Luke Ertel, the favorite to win Indiana Mr. Basketball, finished with a game-high 26 points. He also finished with 10 rebounds.
Indianapolis, IN
Love & fouls: How Ex-Pacers Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson were greeted in Indy
Bennedict Mathurin discusses the Clippers’ win over the Pacers
Bennedict Mathurin scored 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds to help the Clippers beat the Pacers 114-113 on Friday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
INDIANAPOLIS — Before they were traded together to the Clippers in February along with draft picks for Ivica Zubac and Kobe Brown, Bennedict Mathurin and Isaiah Jackson had both spent their entire NBA careers in Indiana.
The Pacers took Jackson in the first round of the 2021 draft and Mathurin in 2022. Jackson, who spent just one year at Kentucky before entering the draft, made his NBA debut at 19. Mathurin, who spent two years at Arizona was 20. Both of them viewed Indianapolis as the place where they became men and professionals.
So it meant a lot to them that they were warmly received in their first game back after the trade. The Pacers put together a tribute video combining their highlights and played it during the first timeout of Friday’s game, which the Clippers eventually won 114-113. Mathurin and Jackson got a big ovation then each got one again when they checked in the game off the bench.
“It meant the world,” Mathurin said. “It meant the world. Indy is my first home. I was able to get drafted over here and just being loved by the fans and most of the organization was great. I love the fans.”
There was clearly love from his teammates too, though it looked a lot different than the appreciation he got from the fanbase.
Mathurin was famous during his time at Indiana for his competitive nature and trash talk. He’s supremely confident in his game and driven by a desire to beat everyone at every competitive endeavor all the time. He talked trash with teammates who were guarding him in practice, telling anyone who tried that they couldn’t guard him, so naturally he did the same when they were taking him on in an actual game. It wasn’t clear exactly what words were being exchanged between Mathurin and his former teammates, but it was clear there were a lot of them.
“Always talk trash with Benn,” Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith said with a smile. “There was nothing that we hadn’t done before.”
The back-and-forth was particularly fiery between Mathurin and Pacers point guard Andrew Nembhard, Mathurin’s classmate from the 2022 NBA draft. Nembhard took on the assignment of guarding Mathurin whenever the two were in the game and he made a point to be physical with Mathurin, so much so that he seemed more willing to foul Mathurin than allow him to shoot. Nembhard picked up five fouls in 32 minutes — most of them on Mathurin — while Mathurin made 0 of 3 field goals in the first half and 2 of 8 for the game but also made 12 of 15 free throws for 17 points.
“It was fun, man,” Mathurin said. “He was talking a lot of crap. I did pretty well for an off night. He called it an off night. I don’t know. He couldn’t guard me. How many fouls did he have? Stop fouling me, you know what I’m saying? That’s the only way to stop me. But that’s my guy, man. That guy has a really, really bright future ahead of him. I consider him my brother. He’s got a lot of great things coming to his way. I’m super-blessed to compete against him. … He’s one of the best defenders in the league.”
The Pacers drafted Mathurin because they believed he could be one of the league’s best young scorers and he was during his time in Indiana. In 2022-23, he scored the third-most points of any rookie in Pacers history and became the first Pacers player since Rik Smits in 1989 to be named first-team All-Rookie. He averaged 16.1 points per game in his 3 1/2 seasons and is the third-leading scorer in the 2022 draft class behind only Orlando’s Paolo Banchero and Oklahoma City’s Jalen Williams.
Mathurin was averaging 17.8 points per game for the Pacers when he was traded and he’s averaging 19.9 points per game since he was acquired by the Clippers on 14.4 field goal attempts per game, a career high. He’s had some issues with efficiency and is shooting just 19.7% from 3-point range (13 of 66), but he’s given the Clippers a potent scoring wing off the bench and he’s averaging 2.4 assists per game. That’s more than he ever averaged in a season for the Pacers.
“He’s been great at getting to the free-throw line and drawing fouls,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “But also, last game I think he had a career high in assists. Making the right play when guys are open. Making the right play, hitting the first open guy. I think last game he had seven assists, so just understanding what we need from him every single night.”
Jackson has also filled a needed role for the Clippers. He wasn’t getting much action as of the Pacers’ meeting with the Clippers in Los Angeles on March 4. At that point, he’d played in just three of 10 games with the Clippers and hadn’t played more than six minutes in any of them.
However in that game, promising young center Yanic Konan Niederhauser suffered a Lisfranc injury in his right foot which will keep him out for the rest of the season. Jackson stepped in and scored 10 points on 4 of 6 shooting and ever since he’s been starter Brook Lopez’s backup at center. Jackson scored in double figures in five of the last seven games. With four points on 2 of 2 shooting in Friday’s game, he’s made 15 consecutive field goal attempts over the last four games. He’s averaging 7.5 points and 4.6 rebounds on a remarkable 76.4% shooting in 17 games with the Clippers.
“He’s been very helpful,” Lue said. “I think his athleticism, being able to run the floor, get behind the defense on pick-and-rolls. And then, what’s huge for us is defensively, being able to switch 1 through 5 and being able to give teams different looks outside of Brook who is always in a deep drop. You come in with Isaiah who can switch 1 through 5 at times. And what’s surprised me the most is I didn’t know he could post up smaller guys. If you throw him the ball around the basket, he’s been finishing really well.”
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle has been pleased to see both find success in Los Angeles. They were ultimately willing to part with them, he said, because they believe in Zubac as their answer at center and because Mathurin was headed toward restricted free agency in the offseason and the Pacers weren’t sure they’d be able to keep him and a reasonable luxury tax figure. However, they did realize they were giving up good players.
“They’re guys we loved,” Carlisle said. “But it’s good players to get good players and then there’s economic issues involved too. We just weren’t going to be able to make it work with Benn contractually. The Clippers have found a guy that is a terrific young scorer.”
Dustin Dopirak covers the Pacers all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Pacers Insider newsletter.
A three-run first inning propelled the St. Paul Saints to a 4-2 opening night victory in Indianapolis Friday night.
An Alan Roden single drove home Gabriel Gonzalez and Kaelen Culpepper before Eric Wagaman’s base knock plated Emmanuel Rodriguez to stake the visitors to a quick 3-0 edge three outs into the game.
The Indians scored a lone run in the bottom of the first, and St. Paul’s 3-1 advantage held until the fifth, when a Culpepper single scored Walker Jenkins with the Saints’ final tally of the night.
Indianapolis logged one more run in the bottom of the sixth. However, starting pitcher Connor Prielipp and five relievers held the hosts to four total hits. Raul Brito claimed the win with 2 2/3 innings of relief of Prielipp, who tossed four innings of one-hit, one-run ball with five strikeouts and two walks. Brito struck out four, while allowing three hits, one run and one walk. Matt Bowman tossed a clean ninth with one strikeout to earn the save.
The Saints and Indians face one another twice more this weekend: at 3:05 p.m. Saturday and 12:35 p.m. Sunday.
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