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Indianapolis Star
a day ago
- 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
2 days ago
- 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
29-05-2025
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Mark Zackery IV lived for big moments at Ben Davis. But he appreciates the quiet ones too.
Mark Zackery IV's senior season of basketball did not go according to plan. Surgery on his left thumb, stemming from an injury suffered during football season, mostly relegated the two-sport star to a bench role for Ben Davis. Not ideal. It was unlike any previous athletic experience in Zackery's life. 'I learned that certain things are out of my control,' Zackery said. 'And what do you do to better yourself when you are not doing the things you love? From a leader's standpoint, it was having a voice instead of being able to show by action.' Zackery, fresh off winning 2025 IndyStar Indiana Mr. Football, was able to return to the basketball court and play in the sectional for the Giants. Though it was not the finish he envisioned, Zackery believes the experience made him tougher and more appreciative of his hundreds of athletic experiences. He loves the idea of starting at the bottom again as he prepares to get started on his college life – and football career – at Notre Dame. 'I'm feeling pretty good and pretty confident,' Zackery said of the transition from high school to college. 'I have the mindset going there that I'm the worst player in the team. That's my mindset. I've always been a humble guy and it's important that in my head, I want to hit the refresh button and build back that confidence at the next level. I'm appreciative of all the recognition I've gotten in high school, but I know you have to hit the reset button and start over when you are competing with players who are your same ability.' Zackery has at least one more accomplishment to add to his achievements before he departs for South Bend: 2024-25 Marion County Male Athlete of the Year. Zackery was the ultimate winner in high school, helping his basketball team to a Class 4A state championship as a sophomore and his football team several months later, as a junior, to a Class 6A state title. Zackery was the choice for County Male Athlete of the Year from a vote of the county's athletic directors, who had narrowed the finalists to Zackery, Lawrence North football/track standout Davion Chandler and Lutheran three-sport star L.J. Ward. 'I'll remember the people at Ben Davis the most,' Zackery said of his high school experience. 'Just seeing different people every day. With a big school like Ben Davis, you see your friends and people you know but also learn about new people and new walks of life. Everybody is human and personally, I just hopefully was able to treat everybody with respect because you don't always know what somebody is going through in their lives.' His individual accomplishments were numerous, culminating in football with the Mr. Football award after his senior season. As a senior, he caught 58 passes for 1,036 yards and 12 touchdowns to finish his four-year career with 119 receptions for 1,924 yards and 21 TDs on offense and 140 tackles, 14 interceptions (eight as a senior), four recovered fumbles and four defensive TDs. On the basketball court, he earned Indiana All-Star honors after helping Ben Davis to two state finals appearances (winning as a sophomore). In his best season, as a junior, Zackery averaged 11.0 points, 4.3 assists and 1.4 steals, shooting 39.4% from the 3-point line. But for all of special moments in sports, one of Zackery's favorite people at Ben Davis was completely outside the athletic realm. She wanted it that way, in fact. 'Miss Jessica Breedlove,' Zackery said of his sophomore year geometry honors teacher. 'She never attached me to my sport. I feel like that's the thing I really liked was that she didn't really look at me as an athlete. She looked at me as a regular person and helped me succeed in school.' Breedlove said she always leaned more into basketball due to her roots in hoops-centric Kokomo. She assumed Zackery was a basketball player. But even though Alijah Price, the Giants' star running back, and Zackery were in her class that fall, she did not even realize they played football until deep into the fall semester. Over the next 2 ½ years, Breedlove served as sounding board for Zackery at school. The topics of discussion rarely involved his athletic achievements. 'My approach with Mark is that we don't talk about sports,' Breedlove said. 'I think he's looking forward to being the little fish in the big pond again. It's weird being 18 and people knowing who you are. I think they get a lot of ideas about how they are supposed to act from social media and seeing how other people behave. One of the blessings of being a classroom teacher is you get to see them be their authentic selves. I don't have to also be his coach.' Breedlove would give Zackery knuckles on his way out the door with only three rules as it related to football and basketball: have fun; don't get hurt; and win. In that order. 'I always appreciated that in the offseason I could find him in my room because he would always have to wait around to go pick up his sister from middle school,' Breedlove said. 'So, he'd come and clean the calculators off my desk and kill time and chat for a few minutes. Just a kid.' Breedlove figured those moments outside of playing sports, talking about sports or practicing sports allowed Zackery a needed opportunity to take a deep breath now and then. When Zackery's family asked her to write a letter of recommendation for the Watkins Award, which is presented by the National Alliance of African American Athletes (Zackery was one of six high school athletes to win), she called it 'the easiest recommendation letter I've ever been asked to write.' 'I joked with his mom (Keisha) and him that I would never to get share my two cents,' Breedlove said. Breedlove brought her 9-year-old son to some of Zackery's basketball games. She joked that she gained some cool points in her son's eyes when she introduced them after a game. But the teacher in her just wants to see Zackery be able to enjoy being a kid as long as he can. 'Most of the time, I want to him to feel not like a celebrity,' she said. 'We just kind of do our little nods to let him know I'm there.' It is fun to think about where Zackery could be 5, 10 or 15 years from now. Though he will be 'starting from the bottom' at Notre Dame as a freshman, the coaching staff obviously has high hopes for a four-star prospect who is projected as a cornerback in college. His roommate will be Tampa, Fla., native Dallas Golden, another four-star cornerback prospect. But beyond his hopefully lengthy playing career, Breedlove said she could see Zackery as a coach. 'I've watched him coach his teammates I've had in class through my math course that he will still swear up and down is the hardest class he's had to take,' Breedlove said. 'I'd love for him to be able to experience playing, but I just want him to be safe and healthy and have any bit of normalcy that he wants. But he's so good at speaking and motivating his teammates, older and younger than him, that I could see him coaching. I think he'll figure it out. Either way, I think he'll be mentoring other people. He'd be fantastic at that.'
Fox Sports
06-03-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Jaeden Zackery returns to BC and scores 21 to lead No. 11 Clemson to 78-69 win
Associated Press BOSTON (AP) — Jaeden Zackery returned to Chestnut Hill and scored 21 points against his former team, hitting a key 3-pointer after Boston College cut a 16-point deficit to two and leading No. 11 Clemson to a 78-69 victory Wednesday night. Chase Hunter added 18 points and Viktor Lakhin scored 11 with 13 rebounds to help the Tigers (25-5, 17-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) win their seventh straight game. Jayden Hastings scored 18 for Boston College (12-18, 4-15). Clemson led by 16 in the first half and still held a 62-53 edge midway through the second before BC scored seven straight points to make it a two-point game. But then Lakhin muscled one in underneath and Zackery hit a corner 3 to extend the lead to seven. Takeaways Clemson: The Tigers have only lost twice in regulation all season. Their lone loss in the last two months was a triple-overtime defeat against Georgia Tech. Boston College: The Eagles have clinched one of the bottom three spots in the ACC and won't be going to the conference tournament. Key moment Zackery, who averaged just under 11 points per game in three seasons at BC before entering the transfer portal last offseason, gave former coach Earl Grant a big hug before the game. Key stat Clemson was 6 of 10 from 3-point range in the first half and 2 for 10 in the second. Up next Clemson hosts Virginia Tech on Saturday to finish the regular season, and BC wraps it up at Pittsburgh. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college basketball: and recommended
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Jaeden Zackery returns to BC and scores 21 to lead No. 11 Clemson to 78-69 win
BOSTON (AP) — Jaeden Zackery returned to Chestnut Hill and scored 21 points against his former team, hitting a key 3-pointer after Boston College cut a 16-point deficit to two and leading No. 11 Clemson to a 78-69 victory Wednesday night. Chase Hunter added 18 points and Viktor Lakhin scored 11 with 13 rebounds to help the Tigers (25-5, 17-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) win their seventh straight game. Jayden Hastings scored 18 for Boston College (12-18, 4-15). Clemson led by 16 in the first half and still held a 62-53 edge midway through the second before BC scored seven straight points to make it a two-point game. But then Lakhin muscled one in underneath and Zackery hit a corner 3 to extend the lead to seven. Takeaways Clemson: The Tigers have only lost twice in regulation all season. Their lone loss in the last two months was a triple-overtime defeat against Georgia Tech. Boston College: The Eagles have clinched one of the bottom three spots in the ACC and won't be going to the conference tournament. Key moment Zackery, who averaged just under 11 points per game in three seasons at BC before entering the transfer portal last offseason, gave former coach Earl Grant a big hug before the game. Key stat Clemson was 6 of 10 from 3-point range in the first half and 2 for 10 in the second. Up next Clemson hosts Virginia Tech on Saturday to finish the regular season, and BC wraps it up at Pittsburgh. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college basketball: and Jimmy Golen, The Associated Press
