How Mendoza's Cuban heritage informs his play
Fernando Mendoza sits down with Nicole Auerbach to discuss his decision to transfer to Indiana and play for coach Curt Cignetti, competing alongside his brother and fellow QB, Alberto, and his proud Cuban ancestry.
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Indianapolis Star
an hour ago
- Indianapolis Star
Braylon Mullins helps Indiana All-Stars get best of Kentucky, AAU teammate Malachi Moreno
LEXINGTON, Ky. – It was a struggle. A good play here. A turnover there. It went like for the Indiana All-Stars for most of Friday's game against the Kentucky All-Stars at Lexington Catholic High School. The Kentucky All-Stars led by six points as the clock ticked under eight minutes. Enter Michael Cooper. The Jeffersonville senior guard drilled three consecutive 3-pointers, two on assists from Ben Davis guard Mark Zackery IV and other from Lawrence North's Azavier Robinson, to help the Indiana All-Stars breathe a little easier on their way to a 98-89 victory. 'It's just really being confident in the work I put in to just knock it down,' Cooper said. Indiana All-Stars & softball semistate? 'Just trying to be in both places and give my all' IndyStar Mr. Basketball Braylon Mullins also had a big second half, scoring 13 of his game-high 24 points to lead the Indiana All-Stars its 44th victory in the past 51 games in the series. Indiana leads the all-time series, which dates to 1940, by a count of 106-46. Cooper sparked a much-needed run for Indiana. 'He's won a state championship, so he knows how to win,' Indiana All-Stars coach Marc Urban (Chesterton) said of Cooper. 'I thought we made the extra pass on those shots where he was stepping in and shooting wide-open 3s. And he made big-time plays. That's why he's an Indiana All-Star and why he's going to have a really successful career at Wright State.' Indiana had its hands full with Kentucky's highly touted Malachi Moreno, a 7-1 incoming Kentucky freshman who played AAU basketball with Mullins on Indiana Elite. Moreno, who will not play in the game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Saturday, finished with 22 points, 14 rebounds and four blocked shots and played all but 54 seconds. 'I'm usually seeing him in the same uniform as me,' said Mullins, who will leave for UConn on Monday. 'But there's nothing personal. We were going up the court and chatting and laughing like we were doing in AAU. I'm excited to see what he does at Kentucky, but tonight was fun going against him.' Mullins helped spark the second-half run with a transition 3-pointer, though it seemed like every time Indiana would make a move, Kentucky would have a counter. Vince Dawson, a Morehead State recruit who finished with 21 points on 5-for-7 shooting from the 3-point line, drilled a 3 put Kentucky up eight with 11 minutes left. When Jeffersonville's 6-9 Tre Singleton picked up his fourth foul with 10:26 left, it brought back memories of Mr. Basketball Flory Bidunga fouling out on a technical foul in last year's loss at Kentucky. But Indiana got hot at the right time. 'We had a brutal loss on Wednesday night (against the Junior All-Stars),' Mullins said of the 117-114 loss on his home floor at Greenfield-Central. 'But that run we had at the end of the game just sparked the bench, the players and coaches. We needed that. We made that run and we weren't looking back.' Cooper finished with 21 points on 6-for-8 shooting from the 3-point line. Singleton, his teammate on the Jeffersonville Class 4A state champions, went for 14 points and four rebounds, but was limited to 24 minutes because of foul trouble. His bucket with 3 minutes left pushed Indiana's lead to 86-80 and Kentucky never got any closer. Ben Davis' Zackery added 12 points, six assists, five rebounds and five steals. Fishers' Justin Kirby had nine points and four rebounds and the Butler-bound Robinson had eight points, five rebounds and two assists. Mullins finished 10-for-18 from the floor and had six rebounds and two assists. 'He's incredibly talented, as a high IQ and he's a great kid,' Urban said of Mullins. 'It's been fun to get to know him. I know he was frustrated missing those first couple but he just kept sticking with it and that one he hit in transition was big. He made Mr. Basketball plays. He demands so much attention and he opens things up for other people, but he's still able to be efficient.' Indiana played without Cathedral's Brady Koehler. The Notre Dame recruit was on the bench but not in uniform. It was the first win in Kentucky since 2022 for Indiana, which lost 94-90 in Owensboro two years ago and 103-82 in Lexington last year. 'There's nowhere else you'd rather do it than Gainbridge Fieldhouse,' Mullins said. 'They are going to have a little bit different team without Malachi playing but we're not going to take anything for granted. We're going to come out and play like we did tonight and I think we'll be good tomorrow.'
Indianapolis Star
3 hours ago
- Indianapolis Star
'We didn't even play well.' Pacers All-Star's message after Game 1 win in NBA Finals
The Indiana Pacers may have some mixed feelings about Thursday's nail-biting 111-110 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. But Tyrese Haliburton doesn't appear deterred. In a video posted to social media by ESPN, Indiana's star point guard seemed amped up for Game 2 while exiting the court with fellow star teammate Pascal Siakam. "We did our job — c'mon man, let's get greedy... we have so much to work on," Haliburton told Siakam. Siakam, who led the Pacers with 19 points, echoed the sentiment: 'We didn't even play well.' Pre-order our new book on Pacers' rise to NBA Finals Despite struggling in the first half, Haliburton ended the night with 14 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. That mutual hunger might be the key to Indiana's improbable postseason run, which once again found its hero in Haliburton. The 24-year-old buried his third game-winning shot of the playoffs with just 0.3 seconds remaining, giving the Pacers their first lead of the night and capping off a dramatic comeback. Oklahoma City had history on its side throughout its nail-biting loss. The Thunder racked up 12 first-half steals — the most in an NBA Finals half since 1998 — leading to 19 Pacers turnovers before halftime. They also managed 16 more field goal attempts than Indiana, despite shooting just 39.8% from the floor. But the Pacers refused to fold. Indiana clawed its way back with a dominant second half, outrebounding the Thunder 56-39 and pouring in 32 second-chance points. The performance was an astounding feat considering the Pacers rank last in offensive rebounding percentage (23.8%) and near the bottom in second-chance scoring during this postseason. In the series opening matchup between two of the league's most cerebral teams, Indiana's grit and poise stole the spotlight. The Game 1 win gives the Pacers a 1-0 series lead, and even more belief in their ability to deliver under pressure. "I think as a group, we never think the game is over ever, honestly speaking," Haliburton said. "That never creeps in. I think we just keep talking as a group, how can we walk this team down. That's just the confidence that we have as a group, and I think that's a big reason why this is going on."
New York Post
4 hours ago
- New York Post
Jackie Robinson, Minnie Minoso mural vandalized in Miami
Police are investigating after vandals defaced a mural of baseball legends Jackie Robinson and Minnie Miñoso that is part of a collection of artwork honoring baseball players in Miami's Overtown neighborhood. The vandalism was discovered Sunday by a 7-year-old boy who asked his mother what the words and the Nazi symbols meant, community leaders said during a news conference. City workers have since partially covered the murals of Robinson and Miñoso, an Afro-Cuban player, with wooden boards. 3 Murals of baseball legends Minnie Miñoso, second from left, and Jackie Robinson, third from left, are covered with plywood after being defaced in Miami's Overtown neighborhood, Thursday, June 5, 2025, in Miami. AP The murals are along a fence at Dorsey Park, where Negro League teams once played baseball. 'I know you may not be able to show it on television, but we need the community to uncover the hurt and the hatred that is existing. The reason why this keeps being perpetuated is because we keep covering it up,' said Terrance Cribbs-Lorrant, an executive director with the city of Miami Black Police Precinct. On Wednesday, Democratic U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick said in a statement that she is outraged by the 'vile act of hatred.' 3 A portrait of Brooklyn Dodgers' infielder Jackie Robinson in uniform. Getty Images 'We must treat this for what it is: a hate crime meant to instill fear and division. But we will not be intimidated. We will respond with unity, resilience, and an unwavering commitment to truth, justice, and the preservation of our history,' she said. Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball in 1947 when he became the first black player, signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Miñoso became the league's first Afro-Latino player and the first black player for the Chicago White Sox. 3 Minnie Minoso was the MLB's first Afro-Latino player. New York Post The murals have been displayed in the park since 2011 and are a collaboration between artists Kyle Holbrook and Kadir Nelson and various community groups. Police have yet to make any arrests for the vandalism. 'This was more than a defaced mural — it was an attempt to silence our story,' said Dr. Saliha Nelson, CEO of Urgent, Inc. 'But we will not be erased. We will restore this mural and celebrate this space as a symbol of agency, pride, and excellence.'
