Welcome to another edition of 6-Banner Sunday, a joint production between The Assembly Call and Inside the Hall, and presented by our friends at Trueblood Real Estate, where we highlight the five most essential IU basketball stories of the past week, plus take a look at how the other IU sports programs are doing.
It was a relatively quiet week for IU news, with rosters set and summer recruiting just beginning. The biggest stories involved former Hoosiers now in the NBA.
Besides this, the coaching staff evaluated prospects, Inside the Hall began an offseason at-a-glance series for Big Ten programs, a former Indiana women’s player signed a pro contract, and weekly shows round out the basketball portion of 6-Banner. We will as usual conclude with a look at other IU sports led by the baseball team’s performance in the conference tournament.
Here is what’s in this week’s edition:
• Hoosiers in the NBA
• Recruiting updates
• Big Ten offseason at a glance series
• Scalia signs professional contract in Italy
• Podcast on the Brink and Back Home Network shows
• Hoosier Roundup
Banner #1 – Hoosiers in the NBA
What former IU players have done in the NBA has been farther down the list previously in 6-Banner. However, with the lack of news out of Bloomington this week, these stories about former Hoosiers have become the most prominent.
As for other former Indiana players already in the NBA, OG Anunoby tried to play in a decisive game 7 of the New York Knicks’ second-round series against the Indiana Pacers. However, his continued injury caused him to struggle mightily on defense and did not return after the first few minutes.
The local NBA squad, to many IU fans, given their shared state, saw the Pacers dominate game seven with a record-shooting performance for their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance in ten years. However, their own injury problems have surfaced. Star Tyrese Haliburton is out with continued hamstring issues and they trail in the series against the heavily favored Boston Celtics.
Banner #2 – Recruiting updates
While major recruiting news will likely not happen until the summer, it is the May evaluation period for the IU staff. The middle of the month was the only time coaches were allowed on the road.
That weekend, they looked at prospects in Westfield, Cincinnati, and Texas. The top targets for 2025 are in-state blue-chip players Jalen Harrelson, Braylon Mullins, and Trent Sisley, as well as Kiyan Anthony and Malachi Moreno, among others.
Banner #3 – Big Ten offseason at a glance series
Inside the Hall started an offseason at a glance series looking at all the Big Ten teams for 2024-2025. The conference has expanded with the West Coast schools and has 18 squads in the league.
This week ITH looked at Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Penn State, and newcomer Oregon. The site also had a mailbag where readers could ask questions.
Banner #4 – Scalia signs professional contract in Italy
After not getting drafted into the WNBA, graduating IU women’s star Sara Scalia has finally found a home to start her career in professional basketball. This will be in Europe with the Magnolia Campobasso team in Campobasso, Italy. Scalia set an Indiana program record for three-pointers last season and was instrumental in the team’s third run to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament in four years.
Banner #5 – Podcast on the Brink and Back Home Network shows
Podcast on the Brink and The Back Home Network had several new shows in the last few days. POTB had Bay Area radio personality and former IU grad Damon Bruce on to discuss Jackson Davis’ rookie season.
Meanwhile, Assembly Call had a new episode of Doing The Work which discussed the incoming freshmen and transfers. Finally, TBH had new episodes of Crimson Cast and Right Up Meridian.
Banner #6 – Hoosier Roundup
• Baseball was likely in a do-or-die situation in the Big Ten Tournament with a resume that is probably not good enough for an at-large bid to the postseason. The Hoosiers tore through the first two games as heavy favorites against Purdue and Ohio State. This put IU in the catbird’s seat on Saturday for the first time since 2014 by staying in the winner’s bracket. However, they were challenged against arguably the best team in the league, Nebraska. Indiana needed to win just one of two games yesterday to advance to today’s championship and fell to the Cornhuskers in the morning. Facing elimination later in the day, the result was not good again. This almost certainly ends their season, as well as most of the sports on the athletic calendar for 2023-2024. Also, All-Conference honors were announced by the league, which included several Hoosiers.
• Rowing finished a record second at the Big Ten Championships for a bid to the NCAA Tournament. As a result of the strong season, coach Steve Peterson was honored as the best at his position in the conference.
• Track and Field had 16 athletes selected to the NCAA Tournament for the First Round. Here, four advanced to the National Championship.
• Football announced their spring transfer class
• Men’s Tennis added a transfer
• Water Polo had 12 players selected to the MPSF All-Academic team.
Now go enjoy yourself a 6-banner Sunday.
Aaron (Ari) Shifron
Assembly Call Contributor
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