The Hoosier Basketball Coaches Association Regional All Star Games will be held Sunday at Barr Reeve. The girls game will rip off at 2:15 pm and playing for the West team will be Alaina Thorne, Kencia Lavasseur, and Jesse Ledgerwood from Washington, Gracie Poe from North Knox, and Chloe Cardinal and Dani Kroeger from Vincennes. The Boys game will tip off around 4:00 pm and will include Hagen Knepp from BarrReeve, Baylin Graf from Bloomfield, and Connor Foley from Jasper. Once again games start at 2:15 pm Sunday afternoon at Barr Reeve and tickets will be available at the door.
The IndyStar released the five candidates for Indiana Mr. Basketball Wednesday, including a pair of Purdue signees and a future Indiana Hoosier. Homestead’s Fletcher Loyer was named the Indiana Gatorade Player of the Year and is Purdue bound. The 6-foot-4 sharp shooter led Homestead to a sectional title. He’ll be joined in West Lafayette by Westfield’s Braden Smith. The 6-foot point guard led the Shamrocks to Westfield’s first ever sectional championship. IU signee CJ Gunn averaged 23.5 points per game for Lawrence North and played for the 4A title as a junior. Chesterton’s Travis Grayson led his team to a 29-1 record and a state finals appearance in Class 4A. Grayson is uncommitted, and averaged 19 points per contest. Wisconsin-bound Connor Essegian (ESS-ee-gen) took Central Noble to the 2A title game, and is the state’s 10th all-time leading scorer. The Mr. Basketball winner will be announced Saturday.
Notre Dame freshman Blake Wesley announced he will enter the NBA Draft. The South Bend native told ESPN he plans on staying in the draft, and is ready to start his next journey. Wesley averaged 14.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.3 steals, and was a second-team All-ACC selection as a freshman. He shot up the draft boards after entering school as the 120th ranked high school senior out of South Bend Riley. The 6-foot-4 combo guard helped lead the Fighting Irish to a second-place finish in the ACC, and an NCAA Tournament berth for the first time since 2017. Wesley projects as a mid-to-late first round draft pick. In a social media statement, he thanked Mike Brey and the coaching staff, and said it has been a dream and a goal to play at the next level.
The Indiana Pacers nearly completed a historic comeback, but fell to the Denver Nuggets 125-118 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Indiana trailed 43-15 after one quarter and fell behind by as many as 31 before a furious comeback. The Pacers tied the game at the end of three quarters and led briefly in the fourth before the Nuggets pulled away. Defending NBA MVP Nikola Jokic had 37 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists on 15-for-19 shooting. Bones Hyland added 20 off the bench, as Denver swept the season series. The Pacers had nine players available, and seven scored in double figures, led by Buddy Hield’s 20 points. Tyrese Haliburton contributed 15 points and 12 assists, and Terry Taylor had 18 points and nine rebounds. Denver improved to 46-31, while Indiana has lost five in a row to drop to 25-52. The Pacers face the Celtics Friday night in Boston.
