March 7, 2017 at 6:04 p.m.
Indiana, Jay Co. rule the NAIA tourney
Indiana is basketball.
As an outsider, especially one interested in sports, I can promise that you talk about it a lot. Not that it’s necessary. The evidence is everywhere.
Most sports fans, Indiana-based or otherwise, have seen the movie “Hoosiers.” It’s in the sports movie pantheon.
That love of basketball extends to the high school season, especially in late February and early March. Crowds aren’t what they used to be during the Milan Miracle days, but there’s still a lot of excitement in gyms across the state.
There is the strength of college basketball programs, including Butler, Purdue, Notre Dame and, yes, despite the recent struggles, those Hoosiers of Indiana. And the hoops power extends to the NBA, where there are an inordinate amount of players and coaches with connections to this state.
But, the strength of Hoosier basketball extends even beyond all of those levels. It's everywhere, even in places we sometimes forget to look.
For instance, it’s on full display this week … in Missouri.
Why Missouri?
Well, that’s where the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics holds its Division II national men’s basketball tournament. So, there are 32 NAIA teams gathered in Missouri, hoping to make it to the championship at College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout.
Seven of those teams are from Indiana, nearly a quarter of the field.
Two of them have a Jay County connection.
On the court, there’s 2013 Jay County High School graduate Kegan Comer, who will close out his college career over the next few weeks. He’s one of four University of St. Francis players scoring in double figures this year at 10 points per game and leads the squad as he averages 3.3 assists. Add in another 116 rebounds, 53 3-pointers, 23 steals and eight blocks and it becomes clear he is a key cog to the Cougars’ success.
As an outsider, especially one interested in sports, I can promise that you talk about it a lot. Not that it’s necessary. The evidence is everywhere.
Most sports fans, Indiana-based or otherwise, have seen the movie “Hoosiers.” It’s in the sports movie pantheon.
That love of basketball extends to the high school season, especially in late February and early March. Crowds aren’t what they used to be during the Milan Miracle days, but there’s still a lot of excitement in gyms across the state.
There is the strength of college basketball programs, including Butler, Purdue, Notre Dame and, yes, despite the recent struggles, those Hoosiers of Indiana. And the hoops power extends to the NBA, where there are an inordinate amount of players and coaches with connections to this state.
But, the strength of Hoosier basketball extends even beyond all of those levels. It's everywhere, even in places we sometimes forget to look.
For instance, it’s on full display this week … in Missouri.
Why Missouri?
Well, that’s where the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics holds its Division II national men’s basketball tournament. So, there are 32 NAIA teams gathered in Missouri, hoping to make it to the championship at College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout.
Seven of those teams are from Indiana, nearly a quarter of the field.
Two of them have a Jay County connection.
On the court, there’s 2013 Jay County High School graduate Kegan Comer, who will close out his college career over the next few weeks. He’s one of four University of St. Francis players scoring in double figures this year at 10 points per game and leads the squad as he averages 3.3 assists. Add in another 116 rebounds, 53 3-pointers, 23 steals and eight blocks and it becomes clear he is a key cog to the Cougars’ success.
Comer nearly led USF to a national title last year as the team advanced all the way to the championship game and erased a 13-point deficit before falling 69-66. The Cougars brought back a ton of talent, were ranked No. 1 to start the year and won their first 11 games before hitting a mid-season swoon. They’ve been playing much better lately, earned a No. 4 seed in the national tournament that begins Wednesday and hope for another deep run.
The other Patriot link is at Indiana University East, where former Red Wolves star Tyler Rigby is in his fifth year as an assistant coach. After leading JCHS to the Class 3A state championship game in 2006, he went on to become IU East’s all-time leading scorer.
This year, he helped coach the Red Wolves to a 26-7 record and a River States Conference Championship. The squad is a No. 2 seed for the national tournament.
(St. Francis and IU East, both of which were in the NAIA Division II final four last year, face a potential meeting in the quarterfinals.)
As if having seven teams in the tournament wasn’t enough, Indiana boasts two of the No. 1 seeds. One of those is Indiana Wesleyan, which is 26-7 this season and knocked off Comer’s Cougars for last year’s national title. The other is Bethel, which closed the year atop the rankings and boasts a 29-4 record.
The rest of the Hoosier state contingent is made up of eighth-seeded Calumet College of St. Joseph (17-13), which has the unfortunate task of playing Bethel in the opening round, fifth-seeded Indiana University Southeast (24-6) and seventh-seeded Taylor (20-11).
Need more proof that Indiana is dominant when it comes NAIA Division II men’s basketball?
Well, the state has had at least one team in the national championship game in four of the last seven years. Indiana Wesleyan and St. Francis have met in the title game twice in the last three years.
The NAIA flies under the radar in general, but for Hoosier basketball fans it's worth paying attention to over the course of the next few weeks. The tournament provides yet another opportunity to celebrate this state’s love for, and strength in, its favorite sport.
The other Patriot link is at Indiana University East, where former Red Wolves star Tyler Rigby is in his fifth year as an assistant coach. After leading JCHS to the Class 3A state championship game in 2006, he went on to become IU East’s all-time leading scorer.
This year, he helped coach the Red Wolves to a 26-7 record and a River States Conference Championship. The squad is a No. 2 seed for the national tournament.
(St. Francis and IU East, both of which were in the NAIA Division II final four last year, face a potential meeting in the quarterfinals.)
As if having seven teams in the tournament wasn’t enough, Indiana boasts two of the No. 1 seeds. One of those is Indiana Wesleyan, which is 26-7 this season and knocked off Comer’s Cougars for last year’s national title. The other is Bethel, which closed the year atop the rankings and boasts a 29-4 record.
The rest of the Hoosier state contingent is made up of eighth-seeded Calumet College of St. Joseph (17-13), which has the unfortunate task of playing Bethel in the opening round, fifth-seeded Indiana University Southeast (24-6) and seventh-seeded Taylor (20-11).
Need more proof that Indiana is dominant when it comes NAIA Division II men’s basketball?
Well, the state has had at least one team in the national championship game in four of the last seven years. Indiana Wesleyan and St. Francis have met in the title game twice in the last three years.
The NAIA flies under the radar in general, but for Hoosier basketball fans it's worth paying attention to over the course of the next few weeks. The tournament provides yet another opportunity to celebrate this state’s love for, and strength in, its favorite sport.
Top Stories
9/11 NEVER FORGET Mobile Exhibit
Chartwells marketing
September 17, 2024 7:36 a.m.
Events
250 X 250 AD