A few holiday leftovers that don’t even need a microwave oven:
• Ohio junior Armon Bassett of Terre Haute South was named Mid-American Conference East Division Player of the Week for the period of Dec. 7-12.
Bassett had his best week to date for the Bobcats, averaging 18.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.5 steals in 30.5 minutes in Ohio's two contests. He shot 50 percent (10-20) from the field and 3-point range (2-4), while netting an 85 percent clip (17-20) from the charity stripe.
The 6-2 junior punctuated his week with a career-high 27 points on 8-12 shooting in the 16-point win at Delaware on Saturday.
Bassett has played in seven games for Ohio since transferring from Alabama-Birmingham a year ago, starting six and ranking fourth on the team in scoring at 11.0 points per game.
• It’s been a good year for Division I head coaches with Indiana University ties.
New Mexico’s Steve Alford (12-1), Texas Tech’s Pat Knight (10-1) and Alabama-Birmingham’s Mike Davis (11-1) have combined to go 33-3 so far.
Alford’s Lobos lost their only game 76-66 at Oral Roberts, a team which lost to Indiana State earlier this month. Knight and the Red Raiders lost their only game at Missouri Valley Conference power Wichita State.
• A pair of future Division I athletes were left out of a list in a preview story of the Wabash Valley Pizza Hut Classic this week describing how many talented basketball players were in the 2008 tournament.
Terre Haute South’s Adam Austin will compete in track and field next spring for Lipscomb University, while West Vigo’s Joel Modesitt was the No. 4 singles players in men’s tennis at IUPUI this fall.
• Shakamak grad Jared Rehmel has started 11 of 12 games for the 5-7 Central Arkansas Bears, and is fifth on the team in scoring at 10.8 points per game.
Two of UCA’s losses were difficult road encounters at Kansas and Memphis. Rehmel’s best game was a 21-point effort against Tennessee-Martin, in which he was 4 of 12 from the field (3 of 8 from 3-point range) and 10 of 10 at the free throw line.
• Northview grad Julia Whitted has left the IUPUI women’s basketball team. She had missed most of the first month of the season due to an injury, and had only been able to play 61 minutes in seven games for the 1-10 Jaguars.
The pre-season first-team all-Summit League selection is a psychology major.
• Two other high profile athletes ended their careers after the 2008-2009 school year.
Sullivan’s Justin Ridge, who was the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference men’s golf champion as a freshman, ended his career for Franklin College. He is focusing on the end of his teaching curriculum, which will include his student teaching experience.
Terre Haute North grad Amy Hamilton did not return to the University of Indianapolis this fall, after finishing fifth overall in the 2008 Great Lake Valley Conference women’s cross country race and earning “Freshman of the Year” honors.
• Several high school baseball players have recently made their college choices, according to prepbaseballreport.com.
Among those are North Central’s A.J. Boyll (South Carolina-Beaufort), South Putnam’s Cam Chestnut (Lincoln Trail), Shakamak’s T.J. Hill (Olney Central) and Northview’s Caleb Mason (Olney Central).
• Terre Haute North grad Samantha Meissel was named the Great Lake Valley Conference player of the week for the last week of November.
Meissel opened the week by posting a game-high 26 points and seven rebounds in Indy’s 91-60 victory over Central State. Meissel connected on 12 of her 14 shot attempts on the evening, an 85.7 percent clip.
In the Greyhounds' 93-39 win over Oakland City in the opening round of the UIndy Thanksgiving Classic, Meissel tallied 19 points, converting 8 of her 14 shot attempts and adding a pair of rebounds.
The junior closed the week and the Thanksgiving Classic by scoring 21 points and grabbing four boards in the Hounds' 68-55 victory over Lake Superior State. Meissel shot 8 of 12 from the field and was successful on two of her three three-point attempts.
On the week, Meissel averaged 22 points and 4.3 rebounds while averaging only 20.3 minutes per contest. Meissel finished the week by shooting 70 percent from the field, draining three of her five three-point tries, and hitting seven of eight attempts at the charity stripe.
The Greyhounds are 9-0 on the season, and ranked fourth nationally. They are in the midst of an 11-day break, and return to action on Wednesday by hosting Christian Brothers.
• Fellow North grad Molly Martin continues to dominate play in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference. Martin has been named the conference’s player of the week twice already this season, and leads the conference in scoring (19.9 per game) and rebounding (12.0 per game).
The Panther are 6-3 overall, but only 1-2 and tied for sixth place in the HCAC.
• Austin Akers of Northview continues to shine on the court for Olney Central, ranking in the top 10 in scoring among all Illinois junior college players at 13.9 points per game.
He is shooting 39.6 percent from 3-point range (23-58) and averages 3.3 assists per game. Akers had his collegiate career high recently with 23 points against IU-East, hitting 8 of 10 from the field (5-5 from 3-point range) and also dishing out six assists.
• Ball State’s women’s basketball team, which defeated national power Tennessee in the NCAA tournament last spring, is off to just a 5-6 start this season.
Emily Maggert of Paris is definitely doing her share, having led the Cardinals in scoring in seven of the 11 games and in rebounding in 10 different games. Maggert, a junior, leads the team in scoring at 17.5 and in rebounding at 11.6.
• Three former Indiana State players are competing for new schools this year.
Tyler Cutter transferred to Lee University (an NAIA school in Tennessee) after one season at ISU and is averaging 4.2 points per game.
Marico Stinson, a junior, is averaging 12.3 points per game for Kentucky Wesleyan – which is ranked 19th nationally in the National Association of Basketball Coaches Division II rankings.
On Tuesday, KWU will host Tiffin University in a game that will match Stinson against former ISU teammate Keenan Barlow. A walk-on who played very little for the Sycamores, Barlow leads Tiffin (1-7) in scoring at 13.0 points per game and in rebounds at 5.1.
Joey Bennett is a former Tribune-Star sports reporter and copy editor who now teaches and coaches at Northview High School in Brazil. He can be reached at tribstarcollegereport@yahoo.com.
College Report
College Report: South grad Armon Bassett has his best week yet for Ohio Bobcats
- College Report
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Catching up as the school year winds down
Odds and ends from here and there as the school year quickly winds down. For starters, high jumper Nick Jaeger of Terre Haute South was named the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference’s male track & field newcomer of the year:
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College Report: Lively earned collegiate upgrade with strong play
Hillary Lively signed to play Division II basketball at Maryville (Mo.) during her senior year at North Vermillion, but those plans changed and she would up at nearby Danville Area Community College — where she recently concluded an outstanding two-year career.
Lively was impressive enough to earn a Division I scholarship to Southeast Missouri State of the Ohio Valley Conference, and both her future and past college coaches think she will continue to succeed there.
“She fits what we need,” SEMO coach Ty Margenthaler said. “She has college experience, she is strong and physical and plays well around the basket and moves well.
“Her strength, rebounding and touch around the basket will be a big help. On the defensive end, she’ll be able to guard a true center.” -
COLLEGE REPORT: Valley prep athletes getting ready for next level
The NCAA “regular” signing period begins Wednesday for all sports except football, field hockey, soccer, track and field, cross country and men’s water polo.
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COLLEGE REPORT: Conferences honor Valley softball players
Several Wabash Valley area college softball players have been honored by their respective conferences for outstanding play this spring.
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COLLEGE REPORT: Jake Newton makes big impact for Lincoln Trail College
Jake Newton had a long time between playing in competitive basketball games, a span of about 18 months, and used the frustration from that long dry spell to produce a stellar freshman season for Lincoln Trail College this winter.
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COLLEGE REPORT: A.J. Reed earns SEC Player of the Week honors
After belting three home runs during a five games last week, Kentucky sophomore left-handed pitcher/first baseman A.J. Reed was named Southeastern Conference Player of the Week.
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COLLEGE REPORT: Spring newcomers making marks
Several freshman baseball and softball NCAA Division I players from the Wabash Valley have already made immediate impacts at their new schools, while others are waiting for their turns to shine.
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COLLEGE REPORT: A.J. Reed named third-team preseason baseball All-American
Two-way sophomore standout A.J. Reed was one of three University of Kentucky players named third-team preseason All-America by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
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COLLEGE REPORT: Sponsler honored after big week for Wabash men's hoops
Wabash College freshman Ross Sponsler of Terre Haute North was named the North Coast Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week for the period ending Jan. 6.
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COLLEGE REPORT: North grad Hughes finds success after facing preseason adversity
A.J. Hughes knew he was in for a battle as he competed with three other walk-on punters in the preseason for the lone starting job on the Virginia Tech football team.
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Etling, Meggs enjoying great year
It’s been a great year so far with more to come for a pair of longtime friends and St. Patrick’s School classmates.
Former Terre Haute resident Jack Meggs quarterbacked the Bellevue Wolverines football team to the Washington Class 3A state championship this fall, culminating with a 35-3 win over Sammamish Eastside Catholic — Bellevue’s fifth straight crown.
Danny Etling, meanwhile, has completed graduation requirements at Terre Haute South and is preparing for an upcoming high school all-star game and his first college classes in a couple of weeks. -
COLLEGE REPORT: Valley’s women’s college hoops players start strong
Several women’s college basketball players from the Wabash Valley have gotten off to good starts this season on the hardwood. Highlights:
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COLLEGE REPORT: Mayhew, Mascari provide fall highlights
Several dozen Wabash Valley athletes enjoyed successful fall seasons collegiately in cross country and tennis this year. -
COLLEGE REPORT: Former North teammates start strong in college
Former Terre Haute North teammates Ross Sponsler and Matt O’Leary made their college basketball debuts last week and had outstanding initial performances. -
COLLEGE REPORT: Shoemaker OBP leads Chisox farmhands
Former Indiana State, Olney Central and Northview baseball standout Brady Shoemaker opened a lot of eyes last summer in the Chicago White Sox farm system, earning him a spot on a mlb.com blog team that highlighted the team’s outstanding minor leaguers at each position.
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COLLEGE REPORT: Boeglin has plenty of ISU memories, but not all are related to basketball
Melanie Boeglin, an All-American who played on the women’s basketball team at Indiana State from 2002-2006, will be inducted into the 21st class of the Indiana State University Athletics Hall of Fame on Thursday.
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COLLEGE REPORT: North grad leading DePauw volleyball in winning streak
DePauw’s volleyball team has won seven straight matches entering this weekend’s DePauw Invitational, including four straight wins last weekend to capture the Rose-Hulman invitational title.
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COLLEGE REPORT: Engle moving up football coaching ranks
Michael Engle graduated from DePauw University in the spring of 2011 with a degree in political science and future plans to advance his studies in law school.
Being a coach’s son and a competitive athlete by nature, Engle has put those plans on hold for now. -
COLLEGE REPORT: From Terre Haute South to Division I competition to coaching careers
Adriane Wunderlich and Katelyn Bishop both turned stellar high school careers at Terre Haute South into Division I collegiate careers at Indiana State and Southern California, respectively.
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COLLEGE REPORT: Former prep athletes getting ready for fall college season
An impressive total of at least 122 Wabash Valley athletes and coaches will be competing collegiately for the first time during the upcoming school year or have changed schools to continue their careers.
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COLLEGE REPORT: SP’s Boetjer is Indiana’s Miss Softball
South Putnam’s Brooke Boetjer, who will be a freshman on the Indiana University softball team next spring, was named the 2012 Indiana Miss Softball last month between games at the North/South All-Star games in Carmel.
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College report: North grad Mayhew is second team all-American at IU
Indiana University running standout Zach Mayhew of Terre Haute North was honored earlier this month as a second-team All-American by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
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College report: Bloomfield runner to join IUPUI track, cross country teams
Bloomfield track/cross country standout Julie Riggins will be joining the developing IUPUI program next fall as one of six incoming recruits.
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COLLEGE REPORT: Roberts takes coaching position at UNC-Greensboro
Terre Haute native Mike Roberts is continuing his climb up the college basketball coaching ladder, recently departing Rice for a spot as the associate head coach at North Carolina-Greensboro.
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COLLEGE REPORT: Valley grads playing role for No. 13 Vincennes
A few springtime odds and ends:
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COLLEGE REPORT: Shouse making his mark for Danville Community College
Derek Shouse definitely flew under the radar in his one season of playing for the Terre Haute South boys basketball team last winter.
Not highly recruited, he made his way to Danville Area Community College as a walk-on with the hopes he could find his way onto the court at some point. -
COLLEGE REPORT: Bullock finds sunny home to continue tennis career
Most college athletes progress along similar paths to get to their final destinations athletically, but Terre Haute South grad Taylor Bullock’s route to the Eckerd College women’s tennis team was a little different than most.
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COLLEGE REPORT: TH South QB entertains Division I offers
Danny Etling’s trek to being a big-time college quarterback took a huge step this week when the Terre Haute South junior picked up a scholarship offer from Purdue, according to 247sports.com.
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COLLEGE REPORT: Seibert stepping up her game
Terre Haute South grad Haley Seibert has seen the usual ups and downs of her freshman basketball season at Indiana-Purdue-Fort Wayne and is making the most of her opportunities this season.
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COLLEGE REPORT: Vikings Waters, Barton excited about college basketball
West Vigo grad Lauren Dailey helped the Lady Vikings basketball program to a lot of success at the end of the 1990s, and went on to play for Eastern Illinois from 2001-2004.
- More College Report Headlines
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Catching up as the school year winds down
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Steak n' Shake waitress scores huge tip
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