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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
Center Grove gets off to hot start, buries Brownsburg for baseball regional title
Center Grove scored six runs in the first inning and never looked back, earning a 14-3 win over Brownsburg in the Class 4A regional championship game Saturday. The win clinches Center Grove's second regional title in the past three years. The Trojans advance to face Franklin next Saturday in the semistate semifinals. "The offense came out firing today," Center Grove starting pitcher Gannon Grant said. "I felt really comfortable. All I had to do was throw strikes and let my defense work." IHSAA baseball regionals: Statewide pairings, schedule, scores Elsewhere: North Central outlasts Greenfield-Central ace, wins first regional title since 1994 Grant allowed three runs over six innings, striking out six and walking one. Brownsburg did a great job getting hard contact on Grant, but the Trojans' defense made plays on the ball, limiting the damage. Colin McNeer and Ty Jarvis each had an RBI. Cayon Koonce had two hits and two runs scored. Carson Bush, Tristan Yerman and Hudson Stewart all drove in runs in the first inning. Bulldogs' reliever Ryan Murphy held the Trojans in check until the six innings when Center Grove scored four more runs. The Trojans added four runs in the seven as well. Yerman led Center four with four hits and seven RBIs. Gannon Grant had three hits and one run scored. Andrew Krupa had four hits and three RBIs. "That is a fabulous offensive team, so for us to come out and put six (runs) on them, maybe tighten them up a little bit, it was awesome," Center Grove coach Keith Hatfield said. "It really set the tone. Maybe we relaxed a little bit for a few innings, but when you build that kind of a lead it gives you a little leeway to not play well."
Indianapolis Star
07-06-2025
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
IHSAA softball: Greenfield-Central falls to Floyd Central
Interview with Josie White, Leilani Forshey and Savvanna Riall following Greenfield-Central's 6-1 loss to Floyd Central in the Class 4A semistate semifinals. Brian Haenchen IHSAA softball: Noblesville seniors remember Craig Lutz IHSAA basketball: Addi Baxter scores 13 points, eight assists in All-Stars win Cathedral 2B Connor Christiansen on leading Irish to City championship Savvanna Riall helped Greenfield-Central blast its way into semistate
Indianapolis Star
07-06-2025
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
IU softball commit overcame 3 ACL tears to lead Greenfield-Central. 'She's a different breed'
GREENWOOD — Josie White remembers sitting with her Greenfield-Central softball coach at an IU camp a few years ago, forced to watch off to the side as she recovered from a torn ACL. 'If I have to do this again, I'm quitting. This sucks,' she told her coach. "And that was just the first time," White said. 'I went through it two more times.' The second half of that quote is enough to make most anyone do a double take. Greenfield-Central senior Josie White — who just last week announced her commitment to IU softball — tore her ACL three times during her high school career. The second occurrence limited her to just 18 games as a sophomore, then the third ended her junior campaign after only 12 games. And each time, the sure-handed shortstop worked her way back. Noblesville honors assistant's memory: 'If you were coached by him, you knew what love was.' IHSAA softball semistate: Statewide scores, schedule, recaps "I knew I wasn't ready to be done," she said following Saturday's 6-1 loss to Floyd Central in the Class 4A semistate semifinal. "I love softball and even before I committed, I was like, 'I'm not done. I can't give up this sport. I have no reason to quit.'" 'She's a different breed,' added senior first baseman Leilani Forshey. 'Not very many people would tear their ACL three times and be like, 'Yeah, let's go back. Let's try it again.'' White played the entirety of her senior season and used those 27 games to make up for lost time, batting .500 with 51 hits, 41 runs and 13 RBIs. She was nearly perfect in the field, recording 95 putouts and 16 assists on 116 chances with 12 double plays, and showed off her wheels, swiping a team-high 16 bases. A career .467 hitter (134 hits in 80 games), White scored twice as part of a stirring come-from-behind win over Pendleton Heights (trailed 7-0) in the sectional, then went 3-for-4 with three runs scored amidst a regional rout of Lawrence North. On Saturday — one year since her most-recent knee surgery — White clocked a couple hits and scored Greenfield-Central's (19-8) lone run against the Highlanders. "It's been great (having White as a teammate). I couldn't be more thankful that she's been healthy this year," junior third baseman Savvanna Riall said, fighting back tears as she continued. "I've been playing with her since I was 10, so to see her have a full season and have a great one — that's pretty special." Those long-running ties and deep connections with her teammates helped White keep going these past few years, pushing her through the moments of doubt. She also played with junior second baseman Kristen Wineinger growing up, the two starting out at pitcher's helper and first base before moving to their current positions. At home, her parents — former college baseball and softball players themselves — have been a constant source of motivation. "I wanted to be like them — to be better than them," White smirked. "(My parents) got me here and I'm trying to use what they helped me build, my skills and everything." Asked what it's meant to play for Greenfield-Central and to lead the Cougars to their first sectional and regional championships since 2017, White replied: "It's just been huge." "I think everyone around me knows I try to lead by example as best I can and these people are just so amazing, as softball players and outside of it," she continued. "Great friendships have been built. I just loved being here."
Indianapolis Star
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Indianapolis Star
Greenfield-Central has new HR record holder, Cougars slug way to first regional title since 2017
GREENFIELD – Savvanna Riall didn't think she'd get a pitch to hit during the IHSAA softball Class 4A Regional 5 championship Tuesday night. Greenfield-Central coach Gary Roberts assumed the same after his junior third baseman crushed two home runs during sectionals, including a grand slam for a total of eight RBIs the past three games. 'We talked about not getting a pitch at all. I thought I was going to get walked every single time, but thankfully, they did throw to me,' Riall said. Surprisingly, Lawrence North (13-16) decided to offer Riall six pitches in total. She hit two for singles, and the final one never stood a chance. Riall took two balls in the bottom of the fourth, and then as she's done 14 times this season, blasted a solo home run over the right-centerfield fence at Greenfield-Central to become the program's single-season record holder. Her leadoff home run jump started a five-run frame as Greenfield-Central (19-7) bested their 21-run sectional championship showing with a 23-3, five-inning run-rule victory to capture the program's fourth regional title all-time and first since 2017. 'I've been a little bit too antsy at the plate. I've kind of been swinging to try to get a home run, and then finally it happened,' Riall said. 'Oh, yeah. I bat flipped, which I kind of got scared with after, but, I mean, you gotta do it. It was one of the greatest feelings. Honestly, I couldn't be happier, and my teammates were right there with me the whole time. They knew I could do it.' The previous home run record belonged to former Cougars' all-state slugger Morganne Denny at 14, but the record-breaker Tuesday held special meaning for Riall, who was mobbed at home plate by her jovial teammates. Riall's longball was the exclamation point for a Cougars program that has won 11 games in a row with its last loss dating back to May 12 at Triton Central, 6-1. 'They refuse to lose,' Roberts said. 'When we were down seven to Pendleton (in the sectional semifinals), I looked in the dugout, and they were all positive. They were like, we'll get one or two here, and we'll do this and this, and they did it. They made a believer out of me.' Greenfield-Central rallied to beat rival Pendleton Heights, 8-7, after trailing the first two innings. Riall's grand slam highlighted the comeback before she hit another home run against Anderson in the sectional final, while the Cougars posted 20 hits to score 21 runs. On the season, the Cougars are hitting .354 with 30 home runs and 215 runs scored in 26 games. Greenfield-Central had 18 hits against Lawrence North and two home runs. Senior Leilani Forshey (3-for-4, 5 RBIs) belted a two-run homer to cap Greenfield-Central's five-run bottom of the first and a two-run double in the second. An 11-run second inning put Greenfield-Central ahead 16-1, while junior Charlotte Riehle (2-for-4, 3 RBIs) gave the Cougars four extra-base hits with a two-run double in the second. Riall was intentionally walked twice, including with the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth for the game's final run, but she still finished a perfect 3-for-3 with four runs scored and two RBIs. On the season, she carries a .658 batting average with 58 RBIs. 'Technically, she should have had 17 (home runs). We were a half inning short at Rushville. She hit two before we got rained out in four innings,' Roberts said. 'If we'd have got another half inning in, she'd have two more and four more RBIs. She's been wanting that record real bad, and how about starting that triple play?' Riall ended her milestone day by catching a line drive before doubling up two base runners at third and first base for a triple play in the top of the fifth, clinching another banner for the team's outfield wall. Along the inside of the fence, Greenfield-Central has eight sectional banners hanging in left field where No. 9 awaits, and three regional banners in right-centerfield next to a 1987 state finalist and 2015 Hoosier Heritage Conference sign. After a 12-12 campaign in 2024, the Cougars are surging following a 7-7 start to the 2025 season. 'It's huge for the community, really. We were kind of underdogs. A lot of people think in semistate, we're not going to make it far, but I have different thoughts. I think we can really make it far,' Riall said. 'We're just glad that we can put a banner on the board for everyone and keep building as a team. It's going to take a lot of grit, and right now, that's exactly what we have.'
