Author: Mike Schumann

Four years ago at this time he was just looking to make an NFL roster. Signed by the Tennessee Titans in 2020 after going undrafted out of Indiana, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine is now entering his fifth season with the AFC franchise.  And he is now the longest-tenured offensive player with the Titans. Over the last four seasons, Westbrook-Ikhine has played in 61 games, with 30 starts.  He has caught 94 passes for 1,276 yards and 10 touchdowns. Westbrook-Ikhine signed a new 1-year, $2 million deal with the Titans during the offseason, but he says he’s taking nothing for granted going into…

The Miami Heat announced today they have signed former IU center Kel’el Ware. The Heat selected Ware in the first round (15th overall) in the 2024 NBA Draft. Per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed by the team. Reports suggest the four-year deal is worth approximately $20.5 million to $22.5 million. According to Spotrac, Ware signed a 4 year , $22,512,733 contract with the Miami Heat, including $9,542,760 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $5,628,183. In 2024-25, Ware will earn a base salary of $4,655,040, while carrying a cap hit of $4,655,040 and a dead cap…

Class of 2025 in-state 4-star forward Trent Sisley announced on Monday evening he’ll spend his final season of high school at Montverde Academy in Florida. Sisley announced that decision on his social media accounts on Monday afternoon. The 6-foot-7 Sisley averaged 24 points, 11.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 2.1 blocks and 1.9 steals per game this season as a junior at Heritage Hills H.S. He shot 60% from the field overall, and 35% from three on 78 attempts. At Heritage Hills Sisley played a lot on the block, but his future in college and beyond appears to be on the wing. …

IU sophomore guard Kanaan Carlyle is learning from one of the best this week, earning an invitation to the Chris Paul Elite Guard Camp. Carlyle is one of 12 student-athletes to earn an invitation to the elite camp, led by 19-year NBA All-Star Chris Paul. The camp, which is being held in Las Vegas from June 30 to July 3, teaches the attendees what it takes to play at the highest level and how to prepare for the hurdles they will face in college and then the NBA. It’s the same camp Jalen Hood-Schifino attended in 2022 before his Big…

Former IU baseball player and alumnus Michael Earley was announced as the new head coach of  Texas A&M on Sunday. Earley is an Anderson, Ind. product.  He graduated from Anderson H.S. in 2006.  He played one season at Cincinnati before transferring to play for IU and head coach Tracy Smith for three seasons. Earley had a magnificent senior campaign for IU in 2010, finishing with a .352 average, 13 home runs and 15 stolen bases to garner Third Team All-Big Ten recognition.  He provided protection for his star teammate Alex Dickerson most of the season, helping the sophomore earn Big…

In the early weeks after the NCAA began allowing college athletes to monetize their name, image and likeness, IU basketball players Miller Kopp and Tamar Bates drove 35 miles east to Columbus, Ind. to do a meet and greet with fans at a carpet store. It was one of the first NIL events that generated buzz involving Indiana players.  Hardly a $30 million shoe deal, but this whole brave new world had to start somewhere. Weeks earlier in 2021, a pair of podcasters known as Eric Pankowski and Ward Roberts decided to pounce on an opportunity to help IU athletes…

With his rookie season in the pros now in the rearview mirror, Trayce Jackson-Davis says he felt like he had a bit of a cheat code for playing in the league after two years with long-time NBA coach Mike Woodson. Jackson-Davis was asked in an interview this week with Steiny and Guru on 95.7 The Game whether Woodson did a better job getting him ready for the pros than another coach might have. “Oh absolutely, some of the coverages that we had (at Indiana), and our schemes, the plays that we ran, are similar or the same as what Golden…

Playing professional basketball in China has proven to be perilous for former IU star Noah Vonleh. After earning the Big Ten’s Freshman of the Year honor, Vonleh played 12 seasons in the NBA, last suiting up for the Boston Celtics in 2022-23. His best year came in New York in 2018-19, making 57 starts while averaging 8.4 points and 7.8 assists — all of which were career-bests. But his hoops journey has taken him overseas the last few years, including a stint with the Shanghai Sharks. The Sharks had to be saved from bankruptcy in 2009 by former player Yao…

Indiana has picked up a commitment from class of 2025 wide receiver Myles Kendrick. The Jacksonville, Fla. product announced his decision at his high school on Saturday.  Kendrick took an official visit to Indiana earlier this month. As a junior at Riverside H.S., Kendrick posted 1,100 all-purpose yards and 9 receiving touchdowns.  He also plays cornerback in high school. Kendrick also runs track and was a regional qualifier in the 100-meter dash. The 6-foot Kendrick does not appear in the rankings but had offers from Michigan State, Colorado, South Florida and a host of non Power Four schools. Indiana now…

As a player brought in to make shots off the ball, Illinois transfer wing Luke Goode is excited about Indiana’s new dynamic backcourt duo. Myles Rice and Kanaan Carlyle arrived in Bloomington this month both coming off All Pac-12 recognition as freshmen in 2023-24.  They represent the centerpiece of an acknowledgement by Mike Woodson and his staff that “you win with good guard play,” as the fourth-year head coach put it in late May. Goode has been working out on the court with Rice, Carlyle and the rest of his new teammates for the last few weeks, and the two…