Author: Mike Schumann

Indiana’s approach to nonconference scheduling has been in the news this month after it was revealed the Hoosiers had canceled a 2027-28 home-and-home contract with Virginia. That maneuver left IU’s known future schedules void of any non-league games against Power 4 opponents, save for a 2030-31 home-and-home series with Notre Dame. And it left the door open for a wave of criticism. Even before IU coach Curt Cignetti could take the stage in Las Vegas for his Tuesday appearance at Big Ten Media Days, at least two media members lobbed questions at league commissioner Tony Petitti that mentioned Indiana’s schedule…

Five former Hoosiers and another player with ties to head coach Darian DeVries appeared in NBA Summer League action this month. Below are their final stats. Kel’el Ware played in Las Vegas for Miami and averaged a double-double with 17.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game.  He also played in the California League and scored 13 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks.  Ware was challenged by the his head coach this summer and appears to have responded with a strong finish.  He’ll look to have a breakout campaign in year two with the Heat. Oumar Ballo also played…

Indiana offered one of the top players in the 2028 class this week. Georgia-based wing A.J. Williams announced an offer from the IU staff. The 6-foot-6 Williams attends Dutchtown H.S. where he was named the Region 3 5A Co-Player of the Year after averaging 18.4 points and 12.5 rebounds per game as a freshman. There’s not much in the way of 2028 rankings to this point, but at ESPN, Williams is a 5-star and the No. 2 overall player in the 2028 class. Williams’ father played college basketball at Vanderbilt. Williams helped the 2025 USA Men’s U16 National Team win…

Indiana has their quarterback for the 2027 class. Illinois-based signal caller Jameson Purcell announced his commitment to the Hoosiers on Monday morning. “Beyond excited & grateful for the opportunity to be a HOOSIER & proud to announce my commitment to Indiana University! Thx to my family, coaches & friends for the support! Cant wait to get to work w ⁦ @CCignettiIU,” he wrote on his X post. Purcell is one of the best quarterbacks in the 2027 class.  He told the national outlets that Indiana’s offensive system, Curt Cignetti’s winning ways, and the IU Kelley School of Business were some…

Ahead of the Big Ten’s annual media days this week in Las Vegas, a couple annual polls from outlets who cover the conference were released, along with some preseason award voting. In both polls Indiana is picked preseason to finish in sixth place in the league. And in both cases, IU faces three teams picked above them in 2025 — Penn State, Oregon and Illinois — with two former games coming on the road.  So the voters appear to be telling you how they think those games will go. A year ago IU was picked to finish 16th by USA…

Class of 2027 guard Dooney Johnson announced an Indiana offer on Sunday. Johnson is connected to IU assistant coach Rod Clark, who he thanked on social media when announcing the offer. Around 6-foot-5, Johnson hails from Milwaukee, Wisc. where he attends Juneau H.S.  As a sophomore there he averaged 25.1 points, 8.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game while shooting 45.9% overall including 33.3% from long range. According to the average of the national rankings, Johnson is a 4-star, the No. 39 overall player in the 2027 class, and the No. 11 point guard. Johnson’s father, Torre Johnson, played Division…

Incoming IU freshman Aleksa Ristic’s run at the FIBA U20 Eurobasket is complete. Ristic and the Serbians finished 4th at the event after losing their final two games in Greece.  Serbia started 5-0 to reach the semifinals but lost to Italy and France on Saturday and Sunday. Over the seven games, the 6-foot-3 Ristic averaged 11.3 points and 6.3 assists.  He made 9-of-30 from three over his last five games after an 0-for-10 start.  He struggled with efficiency throughout the event, but Ristic was a strong facilitator with a 2.6 assist-to-turnover ratio, and made 85.7% of his free throws. Ristic’s…

Well known for being a challenging cover for sportswriters, not even Bob Knight could bring himself to dislike Bob Hammel. In fact, the two were close friends, especially in their respective retirements. That has always been the most obvious indication there was something special about Hammel, who covered IU Athletics for decades. Truth be told, I’ve never heard a negative word spoken about the man, who passed away this weekend at the age of 88. And in several “I’m not worthy” moments, I was able to see first-hand the pedestal Hammel sat on in Bloomington. Indiana saved a media seat…

Indiana offered class of 2027 center Darius Wabbington this weekend. Wabbington attends Sunnyslope H.S. in Phoenix, Arizona, where he averaged 13.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.3 blocks per game as a sophomore.  He shot 26% from three on 99 attempts.  Sunnyslope reached the state finals in Arizona’s top class. Typically listed in the 6-foot-9 to 6-foot-11 range, Wabbington is one of the first centers IU has offered in the rising junior class, along with Indianapolis Pike H.S.’s Isaiah Hill. Based on the average of the national recruiting sites, Wabbington is a 4-star, the No. 23 overall player in…

A season that almost never happened became one of Indiana’s best ever. As the COVID-19 virus created chaos around the globe, the summer of 2020 saw several modifications to the Indiana football schedule. First the Big Ten canceled nonconference games, then it moved to postpone the entire season to the spring. Coming off a solid 2019 season with most of his key players back, IU head coach Tom Allen was not happy to see a promising season imploding. “It has been very frustrating,” Allen said in August after the postponement. “This has been a season that I have been looking…