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| Sunday, May 30 |
Although she had committed earlier
this spring to play at
Gulf Coast Community College, Robyn Stone
(right)
of Lawrence North has now accepted a scholarship offer from
Louisville head coach Tom Collen.
Collen, who feels that Stone is one of the top ten point guards in the national
Class of 2004, believes that the 5'7 former Indiana Junior All-Star has the
potential to make an immediate impact for the Cardinals. They will need help at
the point guard position, as Louisville's all-time career assist leader and AP
All-American Honorable Mention selection, Sara Nord
(Jeffersonville), graduates this spring. Stone joins a
Louisville recruiting class that includes 6'3 Purdue transfer
Missy Taylor (Connersville), who will
be eligible to play next season after sitting out the 03-04 season to comply
with NCAA transfer rules. Photo from the Indianapolis Star. More:
Women's basketball signs Robyn Stone - Louisville website
Lawrence North guard signs with U of L women - Courier-Journal
Another
former
Lawrence North standout, Devin
Reed, has transferred to to Division I
Texas Pan-American from
Cowley
County Community College in Kansas. Reed transferred to Cowley last year
after her freshman season at Valparaiso University. While at Cowley, Reed
averaged 3.7 points and 1.4 rebounds in 27 games while logging 13.4 minutes
per game. More:
Reed
signs to play for former Cowley coach - Cowley website
St. Joseph's College head coach John Raff recently announced that Rochester senior Aubry Roe will play for the Pumas next season. Roe, a 5'8 guard/forward, helped her team to a Class 2A State Championship this past season while averaging 8.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game as a senior. She joins a strong recruiting class for the Pumas, which includes Allison Hughes of North Vermillion, Jamie Mason of Southport, Jessie Privett of Mt. Vernon (Fortville) and Patience Meyer of Switzerland County.
Evansville Memorial senior
Jessica Hass has
signed with Indiana
University-South Bend. The 5'9 forward averaged 11.8 points and 6.9
rebounds her senior season for head coach Bruce Dockery
and helped her team advance to the 3A Semi-State. Hass, who also considered
Oakland City University and Franklin College, chose IUSB because the
opportunity to play right away exists with the departure of several post players
on the Titans roster. Hass was a Top 40 Workout attendee and was named AP
All-State Honorable Mention. More:
Memorial star Hass chooses IU-South Bend - Courier-Press
Two Anderson seniors have announced their basketball plans for next season. Valencia (She') Lark, a 5'4 point guard, has committed to Anderson University, while teammate Shanda Fuller, a 5'7 guard, has committed to Parkland Community College in Illinois. Both girls helped the Indians to a 7-15 record under head coach Chad Wetz this past season.
IUPUI
has finally announced its selection for the Jaguars' open head coaching
position. Former four-year American University head coach
Shann Hart (right) will take over for
Kris Simpson, who did not have her contract
renewed for next season. Hart, who took the AU program from a 4-23 record her
first year to a record of 18-11 in her third season, could provide a boost for
the 7-21 Jaguars. Next season looks promising, as Hart inherits a solid group of
returning players that fell in the MCC tournament to eventual champion
Valparaiso by only 5 points. Veterans returning include junior Mid-Con
Defensive POY Brooke McAfee (Valparaiso)
and junior Mid-Con 2nd Teamer Kia Hayes (North
Central). The Jaguars will also welcome a strong recruiting class that
includes Indiana All-Star Rachel Kenney of
Mooresville, Gary West Side standouts
Belinda Drake and Karima Davies,
Becka Bralts of Lafayette Harrison and
Jasmine Baines of Jeffersonville. More:
New IUPUI basketball coach likes potential of Jaguars - Indy Star
Manchester College has hired Suzy Venet as its new women's basketball head coach. Venet, who had been an assistant coach at Division II Minnesota State University the past four seasons, takes over for departing coach Michele Gill. A player and graduate of Mount Union College in Ohio, Venet was named the Division III Senior of the Year as well as First Team All-American in 1998.
Ball
State assistant coach and WNBA Fever player
Stephanie White (Seeger) has taken an assistant coaching
assignment at
Kansas State University. White, who was with the Cardinals for one
season, will take on scouting, preseason conditioning, team promotions, public
relations and academic liaison duties for the KSU program. More:
White to depart Ball State for Kansas State - BSU website
Jarrard and White Join Women's Basketball Staff - KSU website
Mandy (Leuking) DeSpain, the former head
coach at Paoli, has been named the head coach of her alma mater,
Austin. DeSpain, who spent the past year as an assistant coach at St.
Louis University, was a four-year standout at Austin before playing college
basketball at St. Louis for four years. More:
DeSpain to coach Austin basketball - Courier-Journal
Scott Bowen, a Carmel graduate, has been named the head
coach for the Greyhounds. Bowen was an assistant at North Central for two years
and at Hamilton Southeastern for six years, including an interim head coaching
stint in 1999-2000 for the Royals. More:
Bowen takes helm at Carmel - Indianapolis Star
Amy Cherubini has resigned as the head coach at Pike in order to pursue other coaching opportunities, including a rumored move to an assistant opening at Indianapolis University. Cherubini, a former Indiana University standout, played with the ABL Atlanta Glory before assistant coaching stints with Michigan and St. Louis prior to her job at Pike.
The Indianapolis Star has profiled the Indiana and Kentucky coaching staffs for the upcoming Indiana All-Star games.
Bowling Green State
freshman Liz Honegger (Lafayette Jeff)
recently won the outdoor discus championship in the Mid-American Conference.
With a toss of 148' 5", Honegger surpassed nearly every competitor by more then
six feet. This past basketball season, the 5'10 forward averaged 10.2 points,
7.5 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game as a starter for the Falcons. Photo from
the BGSU website. More:
Honegger Captures Discus Crown At MAC Championships
Former Notre Dame player Danielle Green,
who is now a member of the armed forced in Iraq, lost her hand after an
explosion at a Baghdad police station where she was on patrol. Green, who was
instrumental to two Sweet Sixteen appearances by the Irish in 1998 and 2000,
finished her college career with 1,106 points. More:
Former Irish Women's Basketball Player Danielle Green Wounded In Iraq - ND
website
Former ND player 'upbeat' after loss of hand in Iraq - South Bend Tribune
We've added three new players to our prospects listings. Andrea Fichter of Evansville Memorial has been added to our 2005 Prospects, Dee Ann Rayburn of Attica has been added to our 2006 Prospects and Misty Wynn of Boonville has been added to our 2007 Prospects.
Indiana girls basketball news:
Allison Hughes named All-Valley MVP - Tribune Star
Dual-sport Farmer named Rose-Hulman Female Athlete of the Year - Tribune
Star
| Thursday, May 20 |
Purdue-Calumet,
which grabbed the outright season championship in the Chicagoland Collegiate
Athletic Conference this past season for the first time since 1999, has sealed
the deal on a very solid 2004 recruiting class to help the Lady Lakers in
2004-05. According to the Post-Tribune, RRR All-Area 2nd Teamers
Linsey Smith (left) of Lake Central
and Marian Smith of Hammond have both
signed with the Lakers, as well as RRR Honorable Mention forward
Krystal Rigoni (right) of Portage.
Smith of Lake Central, a 5'10 guard, averaged 13.0 points and 5.2 rebounds per
game, while shooting 33% from three-point and 80% from the free throw line as a
senior. She was named the game MVP of the recent Northwest Indiana All-Star
Classic. Smith of Hammond is a 5'11 forward/center who is known for her
outstanding rebounding capabilities. Rigoni, a 5'9 forward, who also played at
center for the height-strapped Indians, averaged 8.3 points per game as a
senior. PUC head coach Dennis Smith will
also get a roster boost from 5'8 guard transfer
Kourtney Trotter (Wirt) who is coming to the Lakers from Olive
Harvey Community College in Illinois. Photos
courtesy of
strempkagallery.com.
Northview
senior Whitney Medworth (left) has announced
she will attend D-III DePauw next fall and play for coach
Kris Huffman. The 6'0 forward averaged over 11.0 points per game
her junior and senior seasons, as well as 4.3 rebounds and 5.1 assists. She is
Northview's all-time leading scorer and was on the Clabber Girl Tourney All
Tourney team her sophomore and junior years, and garnered MVP honors her senior
year. She was also a WIC All-Conference selection for the past three years.
Medworth joins a very good recruiting class for the Tigers, which includes
Stephanie Beneker of Franklin County,
Gretchen Haehl of Shelbyville and
Kyra Pappas of Brebeuf. More:
Whitney Medworth to DePauw - Brazil Times
North Knox
senior Jodi Hobbs, who previously committed
to St. Mary-of-the-Woods, has signed with D-II
Oakland City University. The 5'10 forward averaged 8.0 points, 4.3
rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.0 steals for the Warriors under head coach
Rick Marshall. Hobbs helped her team to a
26-2 record as a senior, including sectional and regional championships. More:
Lady Oaks Sign Two - OCU website
Switzerland County senior Patience Meyer, a Top 40 Workout attendee, was considering walking on at IUPUI, but has instead signed to play next season with D-II St. Joseph's in Rensselaer. Meyer, a 6'2 AP Honorable Mention post player, joins Jamie Mason (Southport) and Jessie Privett (Mt. Vernon) in a solid upgrade of St. Joe's frontcourt. Rounding out the Indiana '04 recruiting class for the Pumas is Allison Hughes of North Vermillion.
Former NWI standout Kim Sliwa of Boone
Grove (right) has transferred out of Lewis University in Illinois to
D-II
Oakland City University in Southern Indiana. Sliwa attended just one
practice at Lewis as a freshman when the head coach that recruited her announced
that she was leaving. A new coach with a different player philosophy did not
have plans to include Sliwa in her lineup. As a result, Sliwa played in just
eight games over the past two years, including just three this past season. This
allowed her to claim her sophomore season as a red shirt year and will enable
her to begin playing right away at OCU with three years of eligibility
remaining. She will be put to good use in the game plan of new coach
Clint Weddle, who believes Sliwa will fit
very well into how he expects his team to play the game. At Boone Grove, Sliwa
accumulated 1,248 career points, breaking the scoring record previously set by
her sister Carrie Sliwa, who played at
Villanova. Kim was the Wolves' MVP and co-captain under head coach
Candy Wilson. As a high school senior, she averaged 19 points,
5.1 steals, 4.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists to help lead Boone Grove to a 17-5
record and spots in the sectional and county tournament finals. More:
Crown Point guard signs with OCU - Princeton Daily Clarion
According to Danville Area Community College head coach Lyle Hicks, Anne Morningstar of Seeger has decided she will not play basketball in college. She has instead decided to pursue an art degree at a school in Milwaukee.
USA
Today has listed two Indiana players as 22 of the top underclassmen
to watch next season. Sophomore Amber Harris
(6'5 G/F) of North Central and Ta'Shia Phillips
(6'6 C) of Brebeuf (left) have both already verbally committed to Purdue. Photo
courtesy of
strempkagallery.com.
Jerry Freshwater, a Marion graduate
and an boys' assistant since 2001, was recently named the head coach of his alma
mater. Freshwater takes over for departing coach
Darrell Wisser. More:
Marion introduces two new coaches - Chronicle-Tribune
John Kalb
(left) has taken the head job at Shawe Memorial, according to the
Madison Courier.
Kalb, who got his teaching start at Shawe Memorial 35 years ago, has been a
long-time teacher at South Ripley and was the girls basketball coach
there seven years ago. Kalb will try to revive a struggling program that has
gone 8-82 in the past four years. Photo from the Madison Courier.
The Indianapolis Star has released its profiles for the Indiana All-Star girls team in anticipation of the All-Star games next month. The Kentucky All-Stars profiles were also published.
Former Indiana Miss
Basketball winners April McDivitt (Connersville)
and Sara Nord (Jeffersonville) were
both released by their respective WNBA teams earlier this week. Both had been
signed as free agents, but did not make their final team cuts. More:
Miss Basketball winners waived by WNBA teams
- Indianapolis Star
Indiana girls basketball news:
Sports Fest a who's who in girls hoops - South Bend Tribune
Chatard coach leaving for post at new high school - Indianapolis Star
She's just a natural athlete (Brittney McKee of New Washington) -
Courier-Journal
New Albany coach took long road to job - Courier-Journal
Other news of interest:
National federation writes the rule books - Indianapolis Star
Razing of old Lanesville gym starts - Corydon Democrat
Profanity must go, high school bosses agree - Indianapolis Star
Girls of summer tip off (WNBA) - South Bend Tribune
New WNBA title contenders could emerge - Indianapolis Star
Woman to coach in ABA - Indianapolis Star
| Friday, May 14 |
Lots of signings to report:
South
Bend Clay guard Tarrah Miller (right)
has signed to play at Division I
Illinois-Chicago for head coach Lisa Ryckbosch.
The 5'8 point guard averaged 16.2 points, 4.5 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game
as a senior, which garnered her MVP honors in the Northern Indiana Conference.
The Clay season MVP is also the career (278) and season (99) assist leader and
ranks second in career scoring (978) for the Colonials. She chose UIC over
Southeast Missouri State, Bowling Green and Central Michigan.
Photo from the South Bend Tribune. More:
Clay's Miller chooses UIC - South Bend Tribune
Women's Basketball Inks Tarrah Miller To NLI - UIC website
McCutcheon
senior Laura Burton (left), a 5'7 guard, has
signed with Division III
Grinnell College in Iowa. Burton, the valedictorian of her graduating
class, has won ten varsity letters -- 4 in basketball, 4 in tennis and 2 in
soccer. She was named Academic All-State First Team by both the IBCA and the
ICGSA. As a senior starting point guard, Burton averaged 8.4 points and 4.1
assists per game while helping her team to a 15-7 record under head coach
Don Burton. The 4.0 student will major in
either chemistry or economics.
According to the Indianapolis Star, Hamilton Southeastern seniors Bethany Odom and Kelly Snider will play for Franklin College next season. Odom, a 5'10 forward, and Snider, also a 5'10 forward, helped their team to a 20-2 season record under head coach Haley Beauchamp.
Calumet College of St. Joseph head coach Andy Juscik has announced the signing of three players. Ashley Barkey (5'10 F) and Holly Martin (5'5 G) of North Newton, and Charlsie Martinez of Crown Point will play for the Crimson Wave next season.
Ancilla
head coach Dave Liverance has announced the
signing of four seniors to play for the Lady Chargers next season. Seniors Danielle Geer of Wheeler
(right center), Robyn Estell of Gary
Horace Mann, Casey Millholland of
Norwell and Ronisha Beal of Elkhart
Memorial will be joining the Lady Chargers roster next season. Geer, a
5'3 point guard, helped her 19-4 Wheeler team to a sectional championship this past
season under head coach Tim Powers. Estelle,
a 5'6 guard, helped her team to a 11-9 record and a third place finish in the
Northwestern Conference under head coach Mike Protho.
Millholland is a 5'11 post player and Beal is a 5'5 guard. Also, Liverance
announced that Amy Dunbar, a 2003 Oregon-Davis
standout, will be transferring to Ancilla from the University of Indianapolis.
Huntington North senior Jessica Henn will be playing at Manchester next season. The 6'0 center helped her team to an impressive 20-4 record this past season, including a sectional championship and Olympic Conference season championship under head coach Jon Lippe.
Marian head coach Todd Bacon has announced the signing of Lisa Manley of Indianapolis Roncalli and Brittanie Thompson of New Castle. Manley, a 5'8 guard, averaged 13.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game as a senior. Thompson, a 5'10 forward, averaged 12.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game, while sporting a 59.0 percent career field goal percentage for the Trojans.
Louisville
freshman and former Jeffersonville standout Lauren
Stewart (left) is transferring out of the Cardinals program. The 5'8
guard has not yet announced which program she will join next season.
The
sites for the 2004 Indiana All-Star exhibition games have been announced.
Shelbyville will host the June 16 games, while Hamilton Southeastern
will be the host of the June 23 games. Tickets are $6.00, with proceeds going to
the The Star's Season for Sharing. More:
Exhibition game sites are set - Indianapolis Star
Coaching hires are coming fast and furious as the end of the school year
approaches.
Hobart
coach Kristen Peterson (right) has been
tabbed for the opening at Portage. Considered a rising star in in the
coaching ranks, Peterson takes over for long time respected leader
Rene Turpa for the Indians. According to
The Times, Peterson hated leaving her Brickies, but felt she could
not pass up a golden opportunity. A Valparaiso High School and Stetson
University player, Peterson compiled a record of 43-42 in four seasons at Hobart
in the tough Duneland Athletic Conference. Hobart moved to the Lake Athletic
Conference last season, and the chance to work in the challenging DAC again was
a consideration in her decision. Photo
courtesy of strempkagallery.com.
North Newton has named formerly retired boys coach
Stew Hammel as the new girls coach for the Spartans. Hammel, who
coached boys basketball at Hobart, North Judson and North Newton
during his coaching career, has come out of 19 years of coaching retirement to
take on the task of leading one of the most respected 2A girls programs in
Northwest Indiana. Hammel, whose daughter Tammy Hammel
was an Indiana All-Star at Crown Point in the '80s, was a superintendent
for 12 years before retiring from full-time work in the education field two
years ago. More:
'Old hand’
returns to lead North Newton girls - Post-Tribune
Elkhart native Randy Cook has been named the new girls coach at South Bend Riley. Cook, who replaces departing coach Mike Megyesi, spent the past five years as a head girls basketball coach in Missouri, where he posted a 73-61 record. Before that, Cook spent six years as an assistant at Northridge.
Riley hooks Cook as girls hoops coach - South Bend Tribune
Northridge has named Mike Starrett as the new head coach of the Raiders. Starrett, a physical education teacher at Heritage Middle School, replaces four-year departing coach Mike Nay. (See Riley article above.)
According to the Decatur Daily Democrat, Jonathon Fuelling, boys assistant coach for four years at Columbia City, has accepted the head girls coaching position at Heritage.
Indianapolis Ritter has named Bill Clem
as it's new head girls coach. Clem, who was the boys' assistant coach at Ritter
the past two seasons, was previously a freshman girls coach at Warren Central
for one year . More:
New
basketball coach at Ritter - Indianapolis Star
Clay Hanna was hired as the new head girls coach at Carroll (Flora). Hanna replaces Brad Smith, who guided the Cougars to a 5-15 record this past season.
And on the other side of the balance sheet...
According to the Indianapolis Star, Indianapolis Chatard head coach Dawn Grinnage has resigned her position in order to take the same position at a new Catholic school opening next fall in Hamilton County, Blessed Theodore Guerin.
Purdue
freshman and former Beech Grove standout Katie
Gearlds (right) has been named to the 10-member Freshman All-American
team by Basketball Times.
Indiana
head coach Kathi Bennett will be leading the
annual Big Ten Foreign Tour squad this summer, this time to Australia. Accompany
Bennett will be former Highland standout and 2000 Indiana All-Star
Jenny DeMuth (left). DeMuth, who was named
All-Big Ten this past season, was the leading scorer for the Hoosiers. Indiana
sophomore Cyndi Valentin also has plans for
the summer. The former Bloomington South standout will play for the
Puerto Rican National Team in the FIBA World Championships to be held in Brazil
during June. More:
Bennett To Lead Big Ten Tour - IU website
IU's Cyndi Valentin on Puerto Rican National Team - Indianapolis Star
For those of
you who don't want to miss this chance, the registration deadline for the 2005
Final Four random ticket draw is TODAY! Go to the
NCAA website to register online. But be ready to open those wallets if
your entry is one of 10,000 to be selected. Tickets are $130.00 for three games.
Indiana girls basketball news:
Prep
stars honored - Indianapolis Star
Megan King in Top 100 Showcase - Ft. Wayne News Sentinel
Other news of
interest:
Ex-Lady Lion Russel starts visits with UConn - Blue White Illustrated
Best of the Midwest: Part I - Old Gold Free Press
NCAA may change basketball replays - Indianapolis Star
Focused on wins (Southport) - Indianapolis Star
Center Grove dominates in funds for sports - Indianapolis Star
CG's dominance starts young - Indianapolis Star
| Tuesday, May 4 |
Indianapolis
Brebeuf Jesuit senior Kyra Pappas (left
in yellow) announced this past weekend that she will play for
DePauw head
coach Kris Huffman next season. The 6'0
guard/forward was a key senior cog of the 25-4 3A IHSAA State Champions this
season. Pappas narrowed her choices to Rose-Hulman and DePauw before her
final decision, but also considered opportunities at Kentucky Wesleyan,
Grace College, Indiana Wesleyan, Illinois Wesleyan, Lake
Forest, Marian and several junior colleges. Her selection of the
Tigers was based upon academics, proximity to home and the DePauw team. A
Street & Smith honorable mention heading into this season, Pappas averaged
5.5 points and 3.3 rebounds per game, while shooting 48.9 percent from the field
under Brebeuf head coach Kendall Kreinhagen.
Pappas joins what is turning out to be a very nice 2004 recruiting class for the
Tigers with Indiana All-Star Gretchen Haehl
(Shelbyville) and Stephanie Beneker (Franklin
County). Photo
courtesy of strempkagallery.com.
Hamilton
Southeastern 5'6 point guard Ashlee McGee
(right) will play for Division I
Austin Peay head coach Andy Blackston
next season. McGee, who was invited to the Top 40 Workout and played in the
Indiana North-South All Star Classic, averaged 8.6 points, 6.6 assists and 3.1 steals as a
senior this past season. For her career, the RRR Super Senior 25 player scored
868 points, dished 489 assists and nabbed 431 steals. She helped her team to a
20-2 record under head coach Haley Beauchamp.
McGee joins a seven-member recruiting class for the Lady Governers. More:
Heralded Hoosier point guard joins Lady Govs - Austin Peay website (PDF)
Angola
grad Savannah Werner (left) will transfer
from
Midland Junior College in Texas to Division I
Toledo University next fall, according
KPC News. The 6'1 power forward, who helped lead the Hornets to
their best season ever in 2003, started 18 of 22 games as a freshman at Midland,
averaging 9.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. Two sprained ankles prevented
her from playing a complete season in her first year of college ball. Werner
credits Angola head coach Doug Curtis with
landing her with the Rockets, when Toledo coach Mark
Ehlen expressed interest in another Angola player. Curtis put in a
good word for Werner, and the rest is history. The Rockets, who had an
uncharacteristic 13-16 losing season in 2003-04, play in the Mid-American
Conference. Werner will join fellow 2003 high school standout Allison
Lindborg of South Bend St. Joseph's on the Rocket roster next
season.
Wes-Del has
hired former Wawasee point guard Kari Wortinger
to take on head coaching duties for the Warriors next season. Wortinger, a
first-year junior high school algebra teacher, coached the Wes-Del 7th grade
girls team this past season. She replaces Larry
Mitchell, who resigned after six years as head coach. More:
Wes-Del fills coaching vacancies - Muncie Star Press
We've added several players to our College Prospects listings. Corydon Central junior Dana Beaven has been added to the 2005 Listings and sophomore Danielle Ben-Tsvulun of Ft. Wayne Harding has been added to the 2006 Listings. Also freshmen Abby Lauber and Emily Einhaus of Jac-Cen-Del, and Rashida Ray of Ft. Wayne Harding have been added to the 2007 Listings.
Indiana girls basketball news:
All-Area
Selections - Terre Haute Tribune Star
Stone going to junior college - Indianapolis Star
Kokomo girls basketball coach to retire - Ft. Wayne News Sentinel
IHSAA votes down measures - Indianapolis Star
Other news of
interest:
Given to Fly (Reicina Russell) - Terre Haute Tribune Star
Waugh gets a new job - Ft. Wayne News Sentinel
Fever's Catchings helps WNBA dress up its image
- Indianapolis Star