INDIANAPOLIS — The semifinals and championship of the 2025 National Invitation Tournament will remain in Indianapolis and be played at historic Hinkle Fieldhouse for the second consecutive year.

Indianapolis will also host the 2026 NIT semifinals and championship as part of the combined Divisions I, II and III Men’s Basketball Championships previously announced.

The 2025 semifinals will take place Tuesday, April 1, with the championship game set for Thursday, April 3. Butler University and the Indiana Sports Corporation once again will serve as hosts for the event.

The 88th NIT will continue to feature a 32-team field with the first round, second round and quarterfinals played at campus sites. For the fourth year, the 2025 NIT will seed only the top 16 teams (top-four teams in each pod) and place the remaining 16 teams selected into the bracket geographically where possible.

In the 2024 NIT, both the semifinals and championship game were sold out at Hinkle Fieldhouse with more than 9,000 in attendance over both nights.

Additionally, the NIT added former men’s basketball coach Phil Martelli and Conference USA Associate Commissioner for Basketball Clifton Douglass to the NIT committee starting with the 2024-25 season.

A legend among Big Five coaches, Martelli is the winningest coach in the history of Saint Joseph’s men’s basketball. With an all-time record of 444-328 during his 24 years as head coach of the Hawks, Martelli led Saint Joseph’s to the NCAA tournament seven times and to six NIT appearances. In 2003-04, Martelli’s team reeled off 27-straight wins finishing the regular season undefeated and ranked number one in the country before being upset in the Atlantic 10 Conference quarterfinals. That team then won three NCAA tournament games before losing to Oklahoma State in the East Rutherford Regional final.

Douglass joined the Conference USA staff in 2016 and became associate commissioner for basketball in 2021. In addition to his responsibilities with both men’s and women’s basketball, Douglass also provides oversight for women’s soccer and women’s golf and served as chair of the NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Committee for two years. As a student-athlete, Douglass was a two-year captain of the men’s basketball team at Alcorn State.

Martelli and Douglass will join an NIT committee that will be chaired by Tim Duncan, vice president of athletics and recreation at New Orleans. Other members of the 2024-25 NIT Committee are Morgan State Vice President and Director of Athletics Dena Freeman-Patton, and former Division I men’s basketball coaches, Bob McKillop, Gary Waters and Bob Williams.

All NIT games will be broadcast live across ESPN platforms. For more information on the championship visit ncaa.com/NIT.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Baristas at the Mass Ave Starbucks voted 13-3 to join Starbucks Workers United, a Service Employees International Union affiliate.

The Indianapolis partners join a growing nationwide movement of 10,500 baristas at 460+ stores working together to win justice at work, including protections on core issues like respect, living wages, racial and gender equity, and fair scheduling. The historic organizing campaign hinges on peer-to-peer organizing led by workers, for workers – and has won election after election in stores nationwide. 

“I’m ecstatic that we won our union election! It’s beautiful for all of us to come together for positive change within our store. This is just the beginning and I hope other Indianapolis stores can come together too,” said Morgan Wilson, a shift supervisor of one year.

“I’m proud of my team and hopeful for the future. My coworkers are incredible people, so it brings me much joy to know our value as partners will be recognized and our voices will be heard,” said Saturn Adair, a barista of 4 years.

Starbucks partners in the following locations have won union elections in the past week:

• Wheaton Way & Sylvan Way – Bremerton, WA (Seattle Area)
• Beechmont & Five Mile – Cincinnati, OH
• Capitol Square Mall – San Jose, CA
• Sepulveda & Vose – Van Nuys, CA (Los Angeles Area)
• Essex Junction – Burlington, VT
• North Point & Haynes Bridge – Alpharetta, GA (Atlanta Area)
• Holcomb Bridge & Holcomb Woods – Roswell, GA (Atlanta Area)
• Speedway & Park – Tucson, AZ
• Broadway & Canal – New York City, NY

“Coming together as partners is what Starbucks is all about. In all my years with the Siren, I have never felt such greater community than I have at Mass Ave. Unionizing solidifies this sense of community. May we continue to nurture the limitless possibilities of human connection,” said Echo Moon Star (he/she/they), a barista of 7 years. 

Workers United-represented partners met Starbucks at the bargaining table again last month as they continue to make progress on a foundational framework that is intended to form the basis of store contracts. Hundreds of delegates representing all union stores are engaged in the bargaining process. The parties are working toward ratified contracts for represented stores by the end of the year. 

Since 2021, more than 460 Starbucks stores in 44 states and the District of Columbia have successfully unionized — more than any other company in the 21st Century.

The incident took place on Tuesday evening when the 29-year-old Gavin Dasaur, who could be seen in the video acting towards the white Chevy pickup truck, possibly with the black 9mm in his hand. The footage clearly shows Dasaur attempting to punch the driver of the truck while holding the handgun.

The driver of the pickup truck initially tries to hold back Dasaur’s punch. Dasaur then shifts the handgun to his left hand and continues to berate the driver, pointing at them with his right hand. Suddenly, the driver of the pickup truck draws their own gun and fires multiple shots at Dasaur, who collapses to the ground.

The seven-second video ends with the person filming the incident taking cover in their car amid the chaos.

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The driver was first detained, later released for an act done in self-defence

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) reported that the shooting occurred at around 8:15 p.m. near the intersection of South Emerson Avenue and Thompson Road.

The IMPD stated that the investigation into the shooting and the circumstances surrounding the alleged road rage incident is ongoing. The department continues to gather evidence and witness statements to determine the full details of the tragic event.

However, many witnesses claimed that the confrontation started from a road rage incident between Dasaur, who was driving a black Honda, and the driver of the white Chevy pickup truck, per local news outlet WTHR.

Following the shooting, the driver of the pickup truck was detained by the police but was later released after investigators suggested that the driver may have acted in self-defence.

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Cinthya Zamora, Dasaur’s wife, expressed her sorrow and condemned the shooting, “He was a hardworking man that always went out of his way to help anyone and wanted to give the world to me and his family.”

“He did not deserve to die this way. It’s such a tragedy that my husband was murdered in cold blood,” she told WTHR.