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Indianapolis Star
13-06-2025
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Jordan Hulls joins Assembly Ball, Indiana's TBT alumni team, ahead of July tournament
BLOOMINGTON – Jordan Hulls, a starter on IU's 2013 Big Ten championship team and one of the most dangerous shooters in program history, will join IU's TBT team for this summer's tournament. Assembly Hall, an IU-centric alumni team participating in the annual The Basketball Tournament, will co-host a regional at Hinkle Fieldhouse next month. Already, the team has secured commitments from former Hoosiers Yogi Ferrell, Troy Williams, Race Thompson and James Blackmon Jr. Now, Hulls — who played professionally for a decade overseas and was on Mike Woodson's coaching staff before Woodson's departure — will join that core. Hulls played in the TBT for other teams during his professional career. Get IndyStar's book on legendary IU coach Bobby Knight Widely regarded as a program legend, Hulls grew up in Bloomington and led an undefeated state champion in his senior year. The 2009 IndyStar Mr. Basketball finished his college career with 1,318 points, 366 assists and 254 made 3s.
Indianapolis Star
09-06-2025
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
'One of best weeks of my life.' Putting a bow on Indiana All-Stars, 2025 graduating class
The completion of the Indiana All-Stars series against Kentucky is always a little emotional, maybe more for the parents than the players. Literally a day later for many of the All-Stars, they check in at their colleges and officially close the door on their high school experience. Lives change. Parents say goodbye, knowing it will never quite be the same as it was those first 18 years — no matter how far away their sons or daughters are going away to college. I was reminded of that fact Saturday after the Indiana All-Stars' team defeated Kentucky 105-92 to sweep the boys from the Bluegrass state for the 19th time in the past 26 years of the series that dates to 1940 (not counting the cancelled year of 2020). There were plenty of hugs and smiles and then … poof … they were gone. Time marches on. Maybe I'm a little more emotional and connected to this 2025 class because I have a graduate of my own in this class. It feels like I have been watching and covering players like Braylon Mullins, Mark Zackery IV, Dezmon Briscoe, Azavier Robinson, Julius Gizzi, Justin Kirby and Brady Koehler for a long time. It will be fun to see what they accomplish at the next level in college and beyond. For Mullins, Greenfield-Central's first IndyStar Mr. Basketball, it is off to UConn, where he will get caught up quickly with the rest of the incoming recruits, who are already on campus. He will move in Monday and get to work — really get to work — Tuesday. 'I've just been going through watching the film and watching what I need to so I can get caught up to speed,' said Mullins, who finished with 20 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and two steals to earn MVP honors in Saturday's game. 'It's way different than I expected. I'm going to be in the best shape of my life by week two. But I'm excited for it. It's an experience I can't take for granted.' Ben Davis' Zackery, this year's Mr. Football, played his best game of the week for the All-Stars on Saturday, going for 10 points (2-for-4 from the 3-point line) with six assists and five rebounds. The crazy thing about Zackery is how little basketball he's played in the past several months after getting surgery on his thumb from a football injury and missing almost the entire season. I know his future is in football at Notre Dame, but I will always wonder what he might have been if he played just basketball. His quickness and wing-span alone would put him at an elite level. There were a few times this weekend when he just hit the accelerate button and Kentucky could not stay in front of him. 'He's one of the smartest people on the floor,' Mullins said of Zackery. 'You won't see anybody quicker, faster or smarter. He does a lot of things good for our team. He's a very unselfish player. I can believe he's really good at basketball on top of that, a really good football player. He would do really well on both sports if he wanted to do that.' I thought it was cool Zackery and Lawrence North grad Azavier Robinson, named the Wooden-MCL Citizenship award winner, were roommates. Imagine putting those two in the same backcourt together, especially on defense. Though Zackery called it his 'last basketball game ever,' All-Stars coach Marc Urban of Chesterton said he was more than happy to have him on the team. 'He's one of the most elite people I've ever been around,' Urban said. 'Being able to observe him from our first practice, through this whole week, the way he carries himself and how hard he goes, he is elite. He's super dialed in, super focused, super mature. He led us in a lot of ways. He just stayed focused throughout and was fun to be around. I feel very lucky to be around him for this week.' I think that is a pretty typical feeling after the All-Stars experience. There will always be a few outliers (often related to playing time) or behavior issues during the week. But Urban said the experience was even more fulfilling than he imagined. 'Honestly, it's been one of the best weeks of my life,' Urban said. '(All-Stars director Mike Broughton) and my assistants (Steve Cox, Chris Hawkins and Jason Speer) were really fun to be around. It was super fun. It was hard, it was challenging, but it was very rewarding. I feel very lucky and very blessed to have the opportunity to do it.' ∎ It was odd to leave Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Saturday night knowing I would be back in four days to help cover Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers. There were reminders, though, including the 'Finals' logo and backdrop already in the press conference room. Basketball in June is better than Christmas. ∎ How good is 6-8 Tre Singleton going to be at Northwestern? The Jeffersonville star and Class 4A state champion had 14 points and four rebounds in Friday's 98-89 win at Kentucky, going up against 7-1 Kentucky Mr. Basketball Malachi Moreno. In Saturday's win, Singleton had 12 points on 6-for-8 shooting and six rebounds in just 15 minutes. I think Singleton and fellow Jeffersonville teammate and Indiana All-Star Michael Cooper (Wright State) are going to be really good players at the next level. Cooper was 8-for-13 from the 3-point line in the two games combined. ∎ Attendance for Saturday's game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse was announced at 5,411. The competition took a hit by Moreno's absence in the return game. Kentucky's team had some good players, but not enough to play 40 minutes head-to-head with Indiana without Moreno. ∎ Mt. Vernon point guard Luke Ertel continues to ascend. Nothing he did for the Junior All-Stars during the week will change that thought. The Purdue recruit backed up his 36-point game on Sunday against the Kentucky Junior All-Stars with 35 points, nine rebounds and four assists in the win over the Indiana All-Stars on Wednesday. Another Matt Painter recruiting victory. ∎ Fishers' Justin Kirby is ridiculously athletic. Alley-oops from Brady Koehler on back-to-back possessions in the second half — the second on a bounce pass — were big highlights from Saturday's win. Kirby finished with 11 points and four rebounds after going for nine points and four rebounds in the win at Kentucky on Friday. 'It was like a college experience,' Kirby said of All-Stars week. 'The way you do things, the way you carry yourself throughout the week. It's a lot. It's a lot of three- and four-hour practices you have to go through, but you have to get ready for that for next year in college. I think it was good for me to have that experience.' Kirby's next few years will be interesting. He is going to Miami of Ohio for his freshman year as a player who has improved dramatically as an outside shooter during high school (he shot 41% from the 3-point line as a senior). Kirby will not be overmatched athletically at the next level. 'I'm just going to outwork everyone and work as hard as I can,' Kirby said. 'I'm going to be the best teammate. I'm not going to complain or say or do anything bad. I'm going to be who I am and see what I can do.' Kirby said All-Stars week was something he 'will remember my entire life.' ∎ The Indiana girls were swept by Kentucky but managed to play in one of the wildest All-Stars games I can remember on Saturday. Rich Torres, who covered the game for us, and I were flipping through the program to try to find the lowest scoring games with the score 53-48 Indiana going into the fourth quarter. After the fourth quarter and two overtimes, Kentucky's 106-103 victory was the highest-scoring game in series history, eclipsing Indiana's 100-97 victory in 1994. Kentucky Miss Basketball ZaKiyah Johnson (LSU) set a new single-game scoring record with 34 points and the two-game total with 62. ∎ Things you find out in All-Stars program compiled by Pat McKee: Julius Gizzi's favorite song is 'Hunger Strike' by Temple of the Dog. There is hope for our future. Maybe even better: Chase Barnes' and Azavier Robinson's favorite movie is 'Above the Rim.' Great soundtrack, too. ∎ I'll miss covering this group of seniors, even beyond the All-Stars. Good luck, class of 2025.
Indianapolis Star
08-06-2025
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Indiana All-Stars put it all together to sweep Kentucky, win for 45th time in past 52 games
INDIANAPOLIS – It happened quick. A Michael Cooper 3-pointer. A Mark Zackery IV layup. A Braylon Mullins' 3-pointer off a between-the-legs assist from Zackery. Just like that, the 2025 graduating class put its stamp — more of an exclamation point — on its senior season in the Indiana All-Stars' annual series against the Kentucky All-Stars. The All-Stars rolled to a 106-92 win Saturday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in front of 5,411 fans to put the wraps on Indiana's 45th win in the past 52 games against Kentucky since 1999. Mullins, IndyStar Mr. Basketball who will have his graduation party Sunday and then leave for UConn on Monday, led the All-Stars with 20 points, nine rebounds and seven assists to earn MVP honors. 'We gave the crowd a game.' Indiana, Kentucky set girls single-game scoring record in 2OT nail-biter 'You can't really say we didn't play great,' Mullins said. 'We all played together and had fun tonight. You can't do anything better than playing on Gainbridge (Fieldhouse) floor. It certainly helped that Malachi (Moreno) wasn't on the floor because there was a lot more opening up. But we all played great together.' Kentucky was playing without Moreno, its Mr. Basketball. The 7-1 star center who went for 22 points, 14 rebounds and four blocked shots in Friday night's game at Lexington Catholic High School — a hard-fought 98-89 Indiana win — stayed back in Lexington as he gets started with his college career at Kentucky. But regardless of Moreno's presence, it was just a cleaner, crisper Indiana team on Saturday. A big reason for that, among several factors, was the play of point guard Mark Zackery IV of Ben Davis, who finished with 10 points on 2-for-4 shooting from the 3-point line, along with six assists and five steals. Zackery, a Notre Dame football recruit, seemed to shake the rust off after playing just two games during the season due to surgery on his thumb. 'Those first two games were kind of like preseason games for me,' Zackery said of the game vs. the Junior All-Stars on Wednesday and at Kentucky on Friday. 'Tonight I felt like I came out and did what I was supposed to do and had a couple boards, had a couple assists, got my 10 points and we got the win, so it was a good night.' The Indiana All-Stars took command with a 13-0 run at the end of the first half, going into halftime with a 50-32 lead. The game was essentially over at that point, though a couple of Brady Koehler-to-Justin Kirby alley-oops — the second bounced off the floor to a waiting Kirby — certainly sealed the deal. Indiana led by as many as 32 points midway through the second half. Indiana All-Stars boys history: Which schools have most? Players list by school 'It was definitely fun to end it that way, especially catching all those lobs,' said Kirby, who finished with 11 points and four rebounds. 'Playing with some of my favorite guys in my last high school game, I just had a great time playing with them. I wish the best for all of them.' Lawrence North's Azavier Robinson, a Butler recruit, was named the Wooden-MCL Citizenship award winner. Others in double-figure scoring for the Indiana All-Stars were Jeffersonville's Tre Singleton (12 points, six rebounds), Cathedral's Koehler (12 points, seven rebounds, four assists, three steals) and Jeffersonville guard Michael Cooper (10 points). It was the first sweep of Kentucky since 2022. Crispus Attucks' Dezmon Briscoe swept the floor as the buzzer sounded to celebrate the feat. Kentucky was led by 18 points from East Tennessee State recruit Maddox Huff. 'Give these guys credit because they really worked all week,' Urban said. 'We had a great practice Thursday and a really good film session. I felt they were really loose but they were a fun group and really connected and when it was time to lace them up and go play, they did a really good job. They were a super fun group to be around.' And just like that, as each of Indiana All-Stars departed Gainbridge Fieldhouse, it was off to a new and much different chapter of the lives. Zackery IV reports to Notre Dame on Sunday. Kirby leaves for Miami of Ohio in a week. Mullins to UConn. Koehler to Notre Dame. Robinson is already moved into Butler. After several nights at Marian University, Mullins said he was ready for a good night's sleep in his own bed. '(This week) was kind of preparation for college,' Mullins said. 'I got to room with a couple roommates (Koehler was his roommate and Zackery and Robinson were in the adjoining room), so we got a little taste of that and we were all able to hang out all week. I enjoyed it. But I do miss my bed.'
Indianapolis Star
05-06-2025
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
'There's a lot of bragging rights.' Ertel goes for record 36 points as Juniors beat All-Stars
GREENFIELD — Other than the 80-plus degree temperature outside, it felt like March at Greenfield-Central High School on Wednesday night. The boys Indiana All-Stars were tested, pushed and eventually lost to the Junior All-Stars 117-114 in a game that was as physical and hard played as one at the end of the high school basketball season. Mt. Vernon's Luke Ertel was again the catalyst for the Junior All-Stars, setting a junior record vs. the seniors with 36 points. 'I obviously don't go around watching other all-star games around the country but, I mean, that was about as competitive of an all-star game as you could possibly get,' All-Stars coach Marc Urban of Chesterton said. 'The energy of the crowd was good. We just have to figure out how to play harder, longer. And make those tougher plays more consistently.' It appeared the senior All-Stars had put themselves in position to finally get some distance from the Juniors after Jeffersonville's Michael Cooper keyed a run to put the All-Stars ahead 92-83 with 8:50 left. A little more than a minute later, Crown Point's Dikembe Shaw fouled out for the Juniors, leaving the game with 26 points. Game over? No. The fun was just beginning. 'There's a lot of bragging rights,' Shaw said. The Junior All-Stars kept coming, tying the game on a shot by Ertel, who matched his point total in the win over the Kentucky Junior All-Stars on Sunday at Charlestown. The Juniors took a six-point lead with 3:45 left after the senior All-Stars were whistled for a technical. But the senior All-Stars were not done, getting it tied at 108-108 on a basket by Brady Koehler with 1:16 left. After Justin Curry made one of two free throws to put the Juniors ahead by one point, Ben Davis' Mark Zackery IV scored and IndyStar Mr. Basketball Braylon Mullins, playing his final game on his home floor, made two free throws with 28.9 seconds left to give the All-Stars a 112-109 lead. Then it really got crazy. Terrence Hayes Jr. of Gary 21st Century drove the lane, narrowly avoiding a travel call, and turned and whipped a pass to Lawernce North's Brennan Miller under the basket to bring the Junior All-Stars to within one point. A tipped pass led to a turnover and Haynes pushed ahead and tossed an alley-oop to Fishers' Kai McGrew, who laid the ball off the class just over the outstretched hand of the 6-9 Koehler for a 113-112 lead for the Juniors. Jeffersonville's Tre Singleton drove the left side of the lane, attempting to give the senior All-Stars the lead. But his shot was blocked by McGrew and Ertel corralled the rebound. His two free throws with 5.1 seconds remaining gave the Juniors a 115-112 lead. On the next possession, Zackery was fouled before the seniors could get a look at a 3-pointer. He made two free throws with 3.7 seconds left to cut the Juniors lead to 115-114. Miller was fouled and made two free throws for the Junior All-Stars before the ball was inbounded by make it 117-114. Mullins got off a final heave from beyond halfcourt that was just left of the basket and bounced off the backboard. 'It was a good test for the two games with Kentucky,' said Mullins, who finished with 17 points and four assists. 'We haven't played together at all and (the Junior All-Stars) got to play a game together. I'm not going to use that as an excuse. They played harder than us tonight. But I think we'll gel more this week and I think we'll be better this weekend.' The All-Stars will play the Kentucky All-Stars on Friday at Lexington Catholic High School before returning home for the rematch on Saturday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Cathedral's Koehler, a Notre Dame recruit, matched Mullins for team-high scoring honors with 17 points. Singleton and Fishers' Justin Kirby each had 11 points. Dezmon Briscoe of Crispus Attucks had 10 points and nine rebounds and Zackery also had 10 points. 'We have a good rotation of guys,' said Mullins, a UConn recruit. 'It's just a matter of who wants to play hard or not. I think that's really going to determine how our team is going to play. I think we just didn't play hard enough. But I think our coach is going to get on us (Thursday) and we'll be better. There's no reason you should be losing to the juniors as seniors, especially playing one last time on this court.' Ertel's 36 points broke the record a junior against the seniors, a mark that was shared by Greg Oden and Eric Gordon with 29 points. Ertel is second all-time for points in junior-senior rivalry behind Park Tudor's Trevon Bluiett, who scored 44 for the seniors in 2014. Ertel left the game briefly with blood on his jersey in the second half. Urban joked that he needed to stay out of the game for a longer look at the jersey. 'I thought his effort and how competitive he was and how hard he played was outstanding,' Urban said. 'That was my first time seeing him live and he was really, really good.' Ertel called it 'just an all-star game at the end of the day.' But there was no denying how hard he played during the game. 'It's a joy playing with Luke,' Shaw said. 'On the court, he's a dawg. He fights tooth and nail. We could be going against first graders and I know he'd give 100 percent.'
Indianapolis Star
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Standouts on and off field: 3 finalists for Indianapolis City Male Athlete of the Year
The Marion County Athletic Association will soon name its City and County Athletes of the Year, an award that dates to 1950 and grew to include girls' achievements in 1979. The awards are geared toward athletic achievement, but almost every winner over the years has exhibited impressive credentials in and out of their athletic, academic and personal areas. Generally, multi-sport athletes are given consideration over single-sport athletes, though in some cases a single-sport athlete has been so outstanding that he or she has been selected as the winner. Here are the three finalists for City Male Athlete of the Year (Bishop Chatard's Sam Feeney won last year): More: 3 finalists for Indianapolis City Female Athlete of the Year More: 3 finalists for Marion County Male Athlete of the Year Briscoe, a four-year letterman and Kent State recruit, was a finalist for IndyStar Mr. Basketball and an Indiana All-Star after finishing fourth in scoring in the program's history with 1,181 points. He also set program records with 953 rebounds and 375 blocked shots. Briscoe, the City Player of the Year as a sophomore and junior after leading the Tigers to a pair of City tournament titles, missed 10 games early in the season of his senior year due to an ankle sprain. He returned to averaged 15.8 points, 9.4 rebounds and 5.1 blocked shots per game and help the Tigers to the Class 3A state finals. In 91 career games, he averaged 13.0 points and 10.5 rebounds. Briscoe was named to the honor roll all four years at Attucks. He has goals of playing in the NBA and working in sports management for his career. Sargent is a seven-time letterwinner in football and track and field and has plans to continue his track career at Indiana University. Sargent ran on the Trojans' 4x400 relay team that took second in state as a junior. He was the City champion in the 200 meters and 4x400 relay as a sophomore, junior and senior and won the 100 meters as a senior. Sargent was a sectional champion in the 200, 400 and on 4x400 relay team as a senior and helped his teams to City titles all four years. Sargent helped his football teams to state titles as a sophomore and junior. His 4x400 relay team set the school record this spring with a time of 3:15.38. Slaughter, a seven-time letterwinner in football and track and field at Cathedral, has plans to attend Tennessee State and play football in college. Slaughter was named the City football athlete of the year after catching 43 passes for 562 yards and six touchdowns as a senior. Over three seasons, he caught 102 passes for 996 yards and 13 TDs. Slaughter also passed for two TDs and averaged 32.5 yards on kickoff returns. In track and field, Slaughter is a three-time City champion and a five-time state qualifier as a sprinter. He ran on the 4x100 relay team as a junior that finished fourth in the state. Slaughter was Class 6A all-state in football and holds three state records in track.
