RRR News - August, 2004

Eastern Illinois first-year head coach Brady Sallee has again landed a top Hoosier recruit. After getting an early verbal from South Ripley standout Julie Lipperd a week ago, he now also has another from Hamilton Southeastern standout Lindsey Kleumpers (right). The 6'0 frontliner will be one of three key senior returnees for the HSE Royals this season, the other two being recent Cincinnati recruit Kahla Roudebush and 5'9 guard/forward Stacie Myers. As a junior, Kluempers averaged 7.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 51.7% from the field and a sizzling 85.7% from the free-throw line. Under the direction of head coach Haley Beauchamp, the Royals will be one of the top 4A threats from the central portion of the state this season. HSE finished at No. 3 in the ICGSA 4A Poll in February, and should appear near the top of the ICGSA Pre-Season Poll again in early November.

"Lindsey is a very flexible player that can shoot from the outside and maneuvers extremely well on the inside. Her defense and rebounding challenges other players inside the paint," says Beauchamp. Before Kluempers played on Team Indiana U18 this summer, which finished second in AAU state and fifth at nationals, she was named First Team All Hamilton County, Co-MVP of the Hamilton County Tourney, Indy Star Metro North Honorable Mention and Hoosier Crossroads Conference Honorable Mention.

Eastern Illinois, a member of the Ohio Valley Conference, is poised to make a serious turn around after a dismal 8-19 record last season. The Panthers have additional Indiana ties with the presence of OVC All-Freshman Team member Megan Casad (Bloomington South), junior forward Lauren Sims (Sullivan) and incoming freshman point guard Kiki Bytner (Calumet) on the EIU roster.

Since our last news update, it was reported that Whitney Frame would be playing for Franklin College. However, we have been informed that the former Randolph Southern standout and 2004 Indiana All-Star will be playing at Marian College in Indianapolis this upcoming season.

We have added the profile of junior Morgan McWhorter to our 2006 Prospects. The 5'5 guard averaged 13.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game as a sophomore at Taylor. She lists Butler, Indiana, Central Michigan, Coastal Carolina, Cleveland State, Bradley, Duke, Miami (OH), Kent State and Cincinnati as programs of interest. Any player who wishes to be listed on our prospects lists may submit there information to us at rrr@smallwebsolutions.com. We will also begin taking listings for the Class of 2008.

The Women's Basketball Coaches Association recently released its Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll for the 2003-04 season. The award recognizes the nation's highest team grade point averages (GPA) for the 2003-04 season based upon nominations submitted by WBCA-member head coaches. As in the past, a number of Indiana programs have been honored. In Division I, Indiana State (3.577 GPA) ranked second in the country behind leader Eastern Washington, and Valparaiso (3.397 GPA) ranked sixth. Notre Dame (3.277 GPA) was ranked 22nd in the country. Indianapolis (3.420 GPA) was ranked 11th of all Division II programs nationally.

Besides the good news for Indiana State academically, the Sycamores were certainly pleased to know that their program averaged 403 more fans per game last season. According to NCAA attendance statistics (PDF), ISU ranked 52nd nationally in Division I attendance with an average of 2,262 fans per home game. Purdue was the highest ranked Indiana program in attendance, averaging 10,105 fans per game. The Boilermakers also showed the second highest improvement in attendance, up 3,051 per game. Kentucky showed the greatest improvement, up 3,488 per game. All Indiana programs listed showed attendance as follows:

Former long-time Portage coach Renee Turpa (left) has been named the new Director of Women's Basketball Operations at Valparaiso University. Turpa, who stepped down from her 17-year coaching position at the end of last season, will be responsible for coordinating basketball camps plus assisting with on-campus recruiting, community projects, travel plans and film exchange for the Crusaders. Turpa is looking forward to this change in her basketball coaching career. She will have coaching contact with two players she coached against while at Portage -- Jamie Gutowski of Andrean and Lauren Bechtold of Hebron. Turpa will continue to teach special education at Portage while conducting her duties for VU. Photo from the Post-Tribune.

Anderson grad Shanda Fuller (right) has signed with Parkland Community College. The 5'7 guard has a long list of accomplishments playing for head coach Chad Wetz, including 2003-04 NCC All Academic 1st Team, 2002-03 NCC 2nd Team All Conference, 2002-03 Lady Tribe "Most Improved Player" Award, 2003-04 Lady Tribe "All Hustle" Award, 2002-02 Madison County Character Counts Athlete. She averaged 5.8 points per game as a senior, while shooting 70% from the free throw line. The two-year varsity starter and letter winner will study pre-law under Parkland head coach Alex Partenheimer. The Cobras return only two sophomores from last season's 30-5 campaign, which will give Fuller an opportunity to receive good minutes for Parkland this upcoming season.

Former Horace Mann standout Shanee Butler (left) will play for Gary Roosevelt this season. After the doors of Mann High School closed this past spring, the location of Butler's final year of high school basketball was very much up in the air. Although she had stated earlier that she intended to attend either West Side or Lew Wallace, she opted for the Panthers. One of the determining factors might have been the hiring of former Mann head coach Mike Protho as an assistant volleyball coach at Roosevelt, and possibly as an assistant basketball coach. Also, Horace Mann teammate Daphne Buie (5'10 F/C) has transferred to Roosevelt as well. Last season, the Panthers were 4-13 under head coach Melonie Martin. The addition of both Butler and Buie should give Roosevelt a huge boost for the upcoming season.

Just as student athletes are arriving on campus, Kim Elier has been named as the new women's basketball coach at D-III Franklin College. Eiler replaces Mike Jewett, who resigned to take an assistant's position at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota. Elier, who has served as either head coach or assistant coach at Goshen, Indianapolis and Manchester over a period of 12 years, steps into a favorable situation. The Grizzlies return seven regulars from last season and will enjoy the added services of incoming freshmen Whitney Frame of Randolph Southern (right), Bethany Odom and Kelly Snider of Hamilton Southeastern and Lindsey Trent of Franklin.
Kim Eiler named Grizzlies' new head coach - Franklin website
FC names women’s basketball coach - Johnson County Daily Journal

Evansville has released its schedule for the upcoming season. Highlighting the Aces' lineup are six teams that participated in post-season play last season, including NCAA tournament qualifier Southwest Missouri State and NIT qualifiers Missouri, Cincinnati, Austin Peay, Drake and Creighton. SMS, Drake and Creighton are all members of the Missouri Valley Conference and are on the Aces' slate two times each during the upcoming season. A slew of former Indiana high school standouts make up the Evansville roster, including Megan Liffick (Whiteland), Alissa Kirby (Mt. Vernon-Fortville), Laura Gaybrick (Perry Meridian), Ashli Senff (Triton), Amanda DeVries (Kankakee Valley), Rebekah Parker (Tippecanoe Valley) and Courtney Felke (Rochester). Coach Tricia Cullop (North Knox) is excited about her team's prospects this season, as the MVC graduated a good deal of talent from last school year's campaign, giving the Aces the opportunity to make some noise in the conference this season.

Purdue forward Indi Johnson has left the Boilermakers women's basketball team due to academic problems. The 6'2 forward/center is expected to transfer to another school.
Women's basketball team loses player due to grades - The Exponent

Indiana forward Jamie Gathing has been awarded a rare sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA. The six-footer has been injured two of the past four years of her college career with the Hoosiers, both seasons with knee injuries.
IU player granted eligibility for sixth season - wane.com

Purdue walk-on and former West Lafayette standout, Hannah Anderson, is working for NBC this summer as a runner at the presidential conventions. She is preparing for the Republican National Convention in New York, and is sharing her experiences in an on-line diary. Anderson, who is pursuing a psychology degree, has been interested in politics for some time, serving as her senior class vice president in high school and as a Hoosier State Girls Delegate. She rooms with both Katie Gearlds (Beech Grove) and Carol Duncan (NorthWood) during the school year.

Former Lowell resident and Purdue standout Amy Ruley will be inducted into the Purdue Hall of Fame. Ruley, who is the current head women's basketball coach at South Dakota State University, was the first ever woman to score a point for the Boilermakers. Ruley, along with six other Purdue former players and coaches, will be inducted on November 12.
Eight Former Boilermakers To Be Inducted Into Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame - Purdue website

Also being inducted into history is former Kokomo head coach Charlie Hall (left). As a coach that has been a part of state championship teams in three sports, Hall has been chosen to be honored as a member of the Howard County Sports Hall of Fame. Ceremonies will take place on October 23 for the six inductees chosen from 105 nominees.

Hamilton Southeastern senior Kahla Roudebush (right) has committed to University of Cincinnati head coach Laurie Pirtle. According to the Indianapolis Star, Roudebush picked the Bearcats over options at Maryland, Michigan State, UC-Santa Barbara and Valparaiso, where sister Erika Roudebush is an assistant coach.

The 5'9 guard placed herself in the race for Miss Basketball this past summer when she produced an outstanding performance on one of Indiana's biggest stages for rising seniors -- an All-Star exhibition game. Roudebush connected on 7 of 9 from the field (2-4 from three-point), and 5 of 5 from the free throw line to score 21 points in an upset victory over the senior All-Stars on her home court. As a junior, Roudebush averaged 14.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game under HSE head coach Haley Beauchamp. She is expected to be one of the anchors of a very strong team that will most likely be near the top of the ICGSA preseason 4A Poll. "Kahla is the strongest guard I have seen both physically and mentally", says Beauchamp. "Her offensive ability ranges to any spot on the floor, and her defensive ability makes other players very nervous."

Cincinnati is currently a member of Conference USA, but will be joining the Big East after this season. When Roudebush arrives in Cincinnati, the Bearcats will be graduating two senior guards.

Daleville has hired Brandon Boehman as its new head coach, according to the Muncie Star Press. Boehman replaces two-year coach Dwayne Brashers. The Broncos program has not had a win in five straight seasons and currently has the longest running losing streak in the state. Boehman intends to turn that around with a positive attitude and lots of encouragement.

Entering its fifth year as a D-1 program, IPFW has scheduled an aggressive lineup for 2004-05 season. Under head coach Bruce Patterson, the Mastodons will face some formidable foes in Purdue, Iowa and Illinois from the Big Ten, as well as quality programs at Bowling Green, Xavier, Drake, Butler, Detroit, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Utah and Texas A & M. Since IPFW is an independent, the scheduling is wide open for Coach Patterson, who will be looking to replace the big numbers lost to graduation in the form of former Beech Grove standout Amy Gearlds (17.6 ppg, 4.0 rpg). He will gain the services of quality Bowling Green transfer Molly Martin of Carmel/Terre Haute South (left) this season, who sat out last season to comply with NCAA transfer rules. IPFW will open its season against her former school on November 19.

Indiana has announced its schedule for the upcoming season. The last college season for former Highland standout and Indiana All-Star Jenny DeMuth will be a competitive one. Besides the always tough Big Ten Conference schedule, the Hoosiers will play road games against Baylor, Arkansas, Indiana State, Maine and Boston University. They will also host Louisville, Virginia, Eastern Michigan and Texas A & M during the season, as well as Central Michigan, Belmont and Chicago State in the two-day Hoosiers' Hampton Inn Classic during the Thanksgiving holiday.

The Evansville women's basketball program has released it's 2004-05 Prospectus (PDF) for the upcoming season. Making her debut appearance on the floor for the Aces this season will be former Kankakee Valley standout Amanda DeVries (right), who redshirted as a freshman last season. The 6'6 center is the tallest women ever to play basketball for the Aces. DeVries will have a stellar opportunity to enter the Aces lineup, as last season's center and leading scorer (17.2 ppg) and rebounder (9.2 rpg) Jamie Gray received her diploma last May.

Valparaiso head coach Keith Freeman has announced the scheduling of VU's 10th Fall Coaches Clinic on September 17 and 18. Speaking both days will be Harry Perretta from Villanova, who is closing in on 500 career wins and will be speaking on man and zone offenses. Also, both Jack Edison and Dave Cox from Plymouth High School will also be speakers at the event. Both of these coaches have been at Plymouth for 31 years and 12 years, respectively. The Valpo coaching staff will share their expertise on a variety of topics, while the Indiana Wesleyan women's basketball team will serve as demonstrators throughout the clinic. For more information, contact Marla Liesch at 219-464-5146 or email at marla.liesch@valpo.edu.

Also, Evansville women's basketball will be hosting a clinic on Saturday, September 11. The third annual clinic will feature legendary college basketball coach Don Meyer of Northern State University. To date, Meyer has amassed 793 career victories. Meyer and the UE coaching staff will speak on such topics as individual skill workouts for perimeter and post players, practice drills, and attacking traps and presses. There will also be question and answer periods for queries about coaching and game situations. The cost of the UE Coaches Clinic is $75.00 per coach. The fee includes a continental breakfast, lunch and a clipboard. For those interested in signing up for the clinic, please contact Suzanne Wiandt in the UE women’s basketball office either by phone at (812) 479-2289 or via email at sw87@evansville.edu.
Women's basketball to offer third annual coaches clinic - Evansville website

South Ripley rising senior standout Julie Lipperd (right) has given a verbal commitment to first-year head coach Brady Sallee at Eastern Illinois. The 6'0 forward averaged 15.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game as a junior, while averaging 77 percent from the free throw line and a school record-setting 59.1 percent from the field. Lipperd helped the 2A Raiders finish 18-4 last season under head coach Bill Snyder. South Ripley was also the ORVC Regular Season and Tourney Champ and the Ripley County Tournament Champ. Lipperd, who was also All-ORVC and All Ripley County, played with Team Indiana 18U this past summer, finishing as Indiana AAU state runners-up and 5th in the nation at the 18U AAU Nationals. The IBCA/IHSAA Top 100 Workout attendee will join fellow Hoosiers Lauren Sims of Sullivan, Megan Casad of Bloomington South and Kiki Bytner of Calumet on the Panther roster in 2005-06.

In a turnabout from earlier reports, head coach Will Wienhorst will not be on the sidelines for a 19th season at Warsaw this school year. In a surprise move, the coach who took his team to the 4A state finals last season did not have his contract renewed at a school board meeting on Monday. Wienhorst, who fully expected to be back at the helm of the Tigers program this season, accumulated a 316-93 record while at Warsaw, including state finals appearances in 1991 and 2004.

The Region will be visited by women's basketball royalty in September when Connecticut head coach Geno Auriemma is scheduled make a visit to the home of Valparaiso rising senior Cassie Kerns. Kerns (left), whose stock has been steadily rising throughout the summer recruiting season, will also receive a home visit from in-state Big East rival coach Muffet McGraw of Notre Dame. These are heady times for the 6'3 Kerns, who has already received offers from Michigan and Kentucky, but is still waiting for official proposals from the Huskies and the Irish. Notre Dame has been on the Valpo forward's wish list for a long time, but UConn is a new twist in Kerns' basketball dreams. Being close to home and family in South Bend would be ideal, but the opportunity to play for the reigning NCAA Champions might be too attractive to pass up if the offer comes her way. In any event, Kerns will be playing in blue after high school, a common color among all four finalists on Kerns' short list. Photo by the Indianapolis Star.
UConn contacts Valpo star Kerns - Post-Tribune
Cassie call - Journal Inquirer (mid-way down)

Three Indiana natives have been named to the recent John R. Wooden Women's Award Preseason All-American Team. Jacqueline Batteast (South Bend Washington) of Notre Dame, Shyra Ely (Ben Davis) of Tennessee and Katie Gearlds (Beech Grove) of Purdue were all named to the preseason list of 30 players. Gearlds, who was not a starter for Purdue last season but is the Boilermakers' top returning scorer, is one of only five college sophomores named to the watch list. The Wooden Player of the Year Award and All-American Team will be named at the end of this coming season after the list below is pared down to about 15 players. The Awards criteria does include that candidates must have a cumulative grade point average of 2.00 or higher throughout the their college career. The top candidates are announced prior to the NCAA Tournament and are listed on a ballot that is sent to over 250 voters made up of sports writers and sportscasters.

Seimone Augustus	6'1"	Jr.	G	LSU
Jacqueline Batteast	6'2"	Sr.	F	Notre Dame
Steffanie Blackmon	6'2"	Sr.	F	Baylor
Nikki Blue	5'8"	Jr.	G	UCLA
Jamie Carey	5'6"	Sr.	G	Texas
Monique Currie	6'0"	Jr.	G	Duke
Shyra Ely	6'2"	Sr.	F	Tennessee
Emily Faurholt	5'11"	Jr.	F	Idaho State
Katie Feenstra	6'8"	Sr.	C	Liberty
Katie Gearlds	6'1"	So.	G/F	Purdue
Sandora Irvin	6'3"	Sr.	F	TCU
Dionnah Jackson	5'9"	Sr.	G	Oklahoma
Tiffany Jackson	6'3"	So.	F	Texas
Temeka Johnson	5'3"	Sr.	G	LSU
Camille Little	6'1"	So.	G/F	North Carolina
Kristen Mann	6'2"	Sr.	F	UC Santa Barbara
Janel McCarville	6'2"	Sr.	F	Minnesota
Loree Moore	5'9"	Sr.	G	Tennessee
Shawntinice Polk	6'5"	Jr.	C	Arizona
Cappie Pondexter	5'9"	Sr.	G	Rutgers
Noelle Quinn	6'0"	So.	G	UCLA
Heather Schreiber	6'2"	Sr.	F/G	Texas
Khara Smith	6'2"	Jr.	F	DePaul
Kim Smith	6'1"	So.	F	Utah
Ann Strother	6'2"	Jr.	G	Connecticut
Kelley Suminski	5'9"	Sr.	G	Stanford
Barbara Turner	6'0"	Jr.	G/F	Connecticut
Kendra Wecker	5'11"	Sr.	F	Kansas State
Tan White	5'8"	Sr.	G	Mississippi State
Tanisha Wright	5'11"	Sr.	G	Penn State

Butler has released its 2004-05 Prospectus (PDF format) for the upcoming season, which includes the upcoming schedule for the Bulldogs. Butler, which features seven former Indiana high school players on its roster, including Horizon League All-Newcomer Team member Ellen Hamilton (Greenfield Central), will open its regular season against SEC member Kentucky on November 19 in Lexington. During the Thanksgiving Holiday, Butler will travel to St. Louis to play Austin Peay and either St. Louis or Alabama A & M in the Billiken Classic. The Bulldogs will also play NCAA Tournament qualifier Valparaiso in the Hoosier State Classic on December 4 in Terre Haute and then host in-state opponents IPFW and IUPUI on December 21 and January 12, respectively, while taking on an increasingly competitive Horizon League home-and-home schedule throughout January and February. The much-improved Bulldogs (14-15) advanced to the semi-finals of the Horizon League Tournament last season. Before the arrival of Couture on the sidelines two years ago, the Bulldogs posted a dismal 3-26 record in 2001-02.

2002 Indiana All-Star and Kentucky starter Jenny Pfeiffer (Jennings County) has decided to step away from the basketball court. The 5'7 high-energy guard endured two shortened seasons at Kentucky, breaking her hand as a freshman and battling mononucleosis as a sophomore. During her two years with the Wildcats, Pfeiffer started 28 of 32 games, averaging 11.1 points during that time. She was expected to play a major role on this season's team, which has high expectations under the leadership of second-year head coach Mickie DeMoss. Pfeiffer, who is unsure whether she will stay at Kentucky to continue her education, is the fourth 2002 Indiana All-Star no longer on the hardwood. Jessica Scherer (Triton Central), who was to play for Evansville, left the Aces' roster due to chronic pain; Brianna Howard (Southwestern Hanover) left the Purdue team as a walk-on to concentrate on her pharmacy scholarship studies; and Jessica Wright (Cathedral), who transferred out of Illinois and was expected to play at Butler this season after sitting out a year, left the Bulldogs program in the spring.

The IHSAA has announced a new weekly news feature to be heard on radio stations around the state. The High School Sports Report will be heard weekly on Thursday or Friday nights in 15-minute segments. Sports commentator and former coach Bob Lovell will host the show, with input from schools and media outlets throughout Indiana. So far, 39 media outlets have agreed to carry the show. Locally, the High School Sports Report will be heard on WJOB in Hammond and WWCA in Merrillville. No start date for the show was given.

Several showcase events are scheduled for next month, providing some final opportunities for rising seniors to be seen before the early signing period in November. They are as follows:

Indianapolis Arlington senior Porchia Green (right) has committed to head coach Tracy Roller of Ball State. The 5'8 guard averaged 13.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.4 blocks per game as a junior under Arlington head coach Stephanie Keller. Those stats garnered Green Junior All-Star status this past summer, as well as an invite to the IBCA/IHSAA Top 100 Showcase last month. Green is the second guard from the Class of 2005 to commit to the Cardinals. Last season, 5'3 Bloomington North point guard Kiley Jarrett gave her verbal to BSU. Photo courtesy of IFBC.

Four-year Carmel starter Kristen Seright (left) has transferred from Central Michigan to Bellarmine. The 6'2 center played in 16 games for the Chippewas as a freshman, averaging 1.7 points and 1.3 rebounds in 7.8 minutes per game. Seright will be able to play right away for Division II Bellarmine. She will join 6'2 center Ashley Elmore (Jennings County), who transferred to the Knights from IPFW. Both players will have three years of college eligibility remaining. Indiana players also on this Great Lakes Valley Conference team are junior Lynne Johnson of Corydon Central and freshman Angela Smith of Floyd Central.

Rising junior Amber Harris of North Central and rising sophomore Ta'Shia Phillips of Brebeuf, both who have already given verbal commitments to Purdue, were recently featured in Gold & Black Illustrated.

LaVille has hired Rebecca Collier as its new girls basketball coach. She the place of John Willoughby, who lead the Lancers to a 13-9 record last season.

Delta is seeking a replacement for Joe Eden, who has resigned after one season. The Eagles went 8-13 last season.

Indiana State has released its pre-conference schedule. The Sycamores open the season with two exhibition games against Division II St. Joseph's of Rensselaer on November 4, and against Division II Lewis on November 10. The regular season begins on November 24 at Miami (Ohio) on November 19. Highlights of the pre-conference schedule include Big Ten member Indiana on December 6, when the Hoosiers travel to Terre Haute, and games on December 18 and 19 in the Image Depot Shootout at the University of South Florida in Tampa. The Sycamores will face William & Mary first, followed by High Point the next day.

Purdue has also announced its schedule for the upcoming season. Games with Duke, Notre Dame, UCLA, UC Santa Barbara, Houston, DePaul and Arkansas highlight the non-conference portion of the Boilermakers schedule. Purdue will play two exhibition games on November 6 and November 14 before opening the season against IPFW at home.
Tough Crowd - CSTV

Indiana State head coach Jim Wiedie has received a verbal from a 5'10 Missouri guard. Kara Schilli, who will be a high school senior this upcoming season, averaged 18 points, 11 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.5 steals per game last season. She also considered options at Drake and Wichita State before committing to the Sycamores.
ISU women's basketball gets verbal commitment - Tribune Star

Roberts College (NY) just hired a new women's basketball coach named Candy VanBuskirk. She is looking for players for the upcoming school year. She previously coached at Moody Bible Institute near Chicago. Roberts is a Christian school, so players should keep that in mind if they decide to look into this situation. Anyone interested should be able to reach the coach at the following e-mail: candy_vanbuskirk@roberts.edu

Bloomington North standout Whitney Thomas gave her verbal commitment today to Kathi Bennett of Indiana. The Indiana Junior All-Star, who was named to the prestigious summer squad despite playing only eight games last season after recovering from an ACL injury, averaged 16.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game during her freshman and sophomore campaigns. The two-time All-Conference Indiana player also considered options at Ball State, Evansville and Butler. Thomas and the Cougars went an impressive 18-4 last season under head coach Steve Goddard and spent the entire season ranked in the ICGSA 4A Top Ten. A healthy Thomas will certainly give North a leg up on the competition this season, as the Cougars did not lose a single player to graduation and return Ball State recruit Kiley Garrett at the point. The 6'0 Thomas, who is expected to play the 3 or 4 for the Hoosiers, is the second Indiana player from the Class of 2005 to commit to Coach Bennett. Outstanding 5'9 point guard Tara Miller of North Harrison committed to Indiana during last season. Photo courtesy of Indiana's Finest.
IU women land local star - Indianapolis Star

Anderson head coach Chad Wetz was celebrating Christmas in June earlier this summer. That was when the transfer of New Castle standout Corie West became official with the IHSAA. West, who averaged 18.3 points, 4.3 assists, and 4.4 steals while hitting 56 three point field goals during her freshman season, will give the Tribe a huge boost for the upcoming season. The 5'6 guard, whose family moved to Anderson earlier this summer, was the second leading freshman scorer in the state last season. Although invited to the IBCA/IHSAA Top 100 Workout last month, West was limited to the stretching drills at the event due to an ACL tear she suffered in softball last April. She is in the rehabilitation phase of her recovery and is expected to be able to play when the season starts in November.

Former Madison standout Brittany Myers, who is headed to Belmont University this fall, may redshirt her freshman season due to an ACL tear she sustained in July at the 17U AAU National Tournament. Myers will be evaluated by the medical staff at Belmont in November to determine her playing status.

In case you haven't been around the last week, you might have missed our coverage of the IBCA/IHSAA Top 100 Showcase, together with the accompanying photo gallery. It was a good event that provided a great opportunity for over 100 Indiana players to be seen by over 50 different colleges, most of them Division I.
Showcase highlights local girls hoopsters - SB Tribune

Summer basketball has come to an end and Indiana finished it in style. Indiana's Finest captured the AAU Junior Olympics Championship yesterday, defeating Ozarks Show Me Heat 74-65 in Des Moines, Iowa. Kokomo rising junior Audrey McDonald was named the winner of the Joel Ferrell Award, which is given to the tournament MVP. McDonald was also named an AAU All-American, together with Finest teammate Mara Freshour (Brown County), at the 16U AAU Nationals. Other players on the JO roster included Porchia Green of Indianapolis Arlington, Maria Olsthoorn of Castle, Amanda Stull of Rushville, Susan Lester of Pendleton Heights, Kimberly Roberson of Cathedral, Laura Bugher of Indianapolis Lutheran, and Kahla Roudebush of Hamilton Southeastern. The team was coached by IF parents Bev Stull, Mike McDonald and Jack Roudebush.

Another Indiana's Finest team that competed in the 13U AAU Nationals earlier this summer finished in seventh place. That team featured local product Natalie Emro (left), a 6'1 rising freshman at Munster. Photo courtesy of IFBC.

Also, Mohr Magic 17U team finished in the top eight at the AAU National Tournament this summer. On the team from the Region were Melissa Borom and Julie DeMuth, both of Merrillville.

Notre Dame has released it's preview for the upcoming season. The Irish will start their season early in the Preseason WNIT when Illinois State comes to the Joyce Center in the first round of WNIT play. All-American Jacqueline Batteast (South Bend Washington) is entering her final year in an Irish uniform. She is expected to anchor a talented group that advanced to the NCAA East Regional Final last season.

Todd Law has been named the new head coach at his alma mater Oak Hill. He takes over for Mike McDivitt, who stepped down after last season's 4-17 campaign. Law is the fourth new coach hired in Grant County. Marion, Eastbrook and Madison-Grant are the other Grant County programs that will all have new coaches on the sidelines this season.
Todd Law to lead Lady Eagles on hardwood - Miami County Life
Eagles fill out coaching roster - Chronicle-Tribune

Ball State has announced its non-conference schedule, and Head Coach Tracy Roller has lined up a challenging duo of elite opponents for the Cardinals this season. On Monday, December 20, national power Duke will travel to Muncie to prepare BSU for the competitive MAC. However, before the Cardinals face any MAC opponents, they will finish their non-conference schedule against another national power, Kansas, on Thursday, December 30. Also on the non-conference slate are Cincinnati, Murray State, Illinois State, St. Louis (twice) and Evansville. The Cardinals will also participate in a November tournament at Seton Hall and in the Hoosier Classic, where their first opponent will be Indiana State. BSU starts the season on November 3 with an exhibition game against the Ohio Legends, followed by another exhibition game on November 15 against the Reebok Lady Stars. Their first home game will be against Murray State on November 28.

Another local college player will see a new face on the sidelines this season. Hammond Gavit grad Leslie Tyburski found out a few days ago that her coach, Patrick Knapp, was leaving Georgetown to take a head coaching position at the University of Pennsylvania. No replacement is expected to be named quickly.
Hoyas in no hurry to fill Knapp's old job - Washington Post

A 2002 Indiana All-Star will be transferring out of her current situation and is looking for a new college basketball home. Two schools in contention are Louisville and Ball State.

Top 100 Rank	School	Home Games	Total	Average/Change
5	Purdue	12	121,258	10,105 / +3,051
12	Notre Dame	15	99,750	6,650 / -357
52	Indiana State	12	27,148	2,262 / +403
57	Indiana	13	26,205	2,016 / NA
--	Ball State	11	13,467	1,224 / -80
--	Evansville	13	12,448	958 / +130
--	Valparaiso	13	8,505	654 / -115
--	IUPUI	14	8,871	634 / -28
--	IPFW	12	4,861	405 / +151
--	Butler	10	3,504	350 / +55