Rundown: Ball State basketball teams sign recruits; NCAA adopts new transfer legislation
Robby General
MUNCIE, Ind. — Three Ball State basketball recruits — one on the men's side and two on the women's side — signed with the Cardinals in recent days.
Ball State's men's basketball team officially signed standout Basheer Jihad, a 6-9 forward from North Farmington, Michigan. As a high school senior, Jihad averaged 18 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks per game. As a junior, he also averaged a double-double (16 points, 10 rebounds). The All-Conference and Michigan Mr. Basketball candidate joins Winchester's Payton Sparks and Jaylin Sellers (Columbus, Georgia) as Ball State's early signees.
►RELATED:What BSU men’s basketball commit Basheer Jihad could bring in year 1, and beyond
"We are thrilled to add Basheer to the program," Ball State head coach James Whitford said in a release. "He comes from a great family and is a good student and an incredibly high-character young man."
On the women's side, Ball State coach Brady Sallee announced the signing of Indiana All-Star Madelyn Bischoff and Butler Community College's Skyla Knight.
The two become the fifth and sixth players to sign to the Cardinals' 2021-22 class, joining Ally Becki (Brownsburg, Indiana), Makenna Burch (Tulsa, Oklahoma), Marie Kiefer (Melbourne, Kentucky) and Jazmyn Turner (Marion, Indiana).
At Roncalli, Bishoff averaged 21.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.4 steals and 2.2 assists per game, while earning All-Marion County, All-Metro and All-Circle City Conference honors.
"We are so excited to be able to welcome Madelyn to our program," BSU coach Brady Sallee said in a press release. "The thing I love about her the most is that she set her sights on what she wanted and refused to settle for anything less. ... the impact I believe she will have in our program centers around the amount of work that she put in behind the scenes to become the player she is. Her work ethic is impressive and for me, made this decision a no-brainer!"
Knight, a Los Angeles native, is currently competing in the NJCAA national tournament. She comes to Muncie averaging 15 points, three assists and three rebounds at Butler Community College. In high school, Knight averaged 13.2 points, 2.5 rebounds, three assists and 2.5 steals per game.
"We are ecstatic to bring a high-level winner like Skyla into our program," Sallee said in a release. "She will immediately make a difference on both ends of the floor for us. You will see a motor that is second to none, a three-level scorer, and a truly impactful defender."
Here's what else happened Wednesday (April 14) and Thursday (April 15) in East Central Indiana high school and collegiate athletics:
High school track & field
Muncie Central boys beat Anderson, Richmond
Muncie Central's boys and girls defeated both Anderson and Richmond.
Event winners for the Bearcats' boys included a pair of personal bests from Sam Voss (800-meter, 1600), plus Da'Marion Walker (pole vault, 110 hurdles, 300 hurdles), Ashton Chambers (200) and the 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams.
On the girls side, personal bests from Victoria Hardnett (high jump) and Garynn Sims-Jones (100, 200) along with event wins from Delaney Strange (1600), Sayla McIntosh (100 hurdles, 300 hurdles), Angel Evans (3200) and the 4x100, 4x400 and 4x800 relay teams led the Bearcats to victory.
Wapahani sweeps four-way with Blue River, Seton Catholic and Union City
Wapahani's boys and girls teams swept a home four-way meet with Blue River, Seton Catholic and Union City. The boys team scored 106 points to top Union City (45), Blue River (38) and Seton Catholic (27) while the girls team scored 102 points to top Blue River (56), Seton Catholic (22) and Union City (9).
Winners included both of Wapahani's 4x400 relay team and 4x800 relay team and the girls 4x100 relay team. Two-time event winners for the Raiders included: Alden Mahaffey (high jump, long jump), Drayden Gates (110 hurdles, 300 hurdles) and Colton Boggs (1600, 3200) for the boys and Sarah Edmonds (100, 400) for the girls. Ally Madden won the shot put, discus and high jump events for the Blue River girls.
Daleville boys, Wes-Del girls win tri-meet
Daleville's boys team scored 68 points to top both Wes-Del (59) and Union (20), while Wes-Del's girls team scored 64 points to beat Daleville (55) and Union (33).
Delta sweeps Jay County
Delta girls pulled out a 62-61 win while the boys dominated 96-26 to complete a sweep of Jay County.
High school baseball
Blackford falls to Southwood
Blackford's late rally fell just short in a 10-6 loss to Southwood. The Bruins were led by Landon Rogers (two hits, four RBIs) and Cam Elam (two hits).
Blue River falls to Knightstown
Blue River lost to Knightstown 17-5. The Vikings were led by Clayton Turley (two hits) and Blake Silence (one hit, two RBIs).
Yorktown falls to New Palestine
Yorktown lost to New Palestine 10-6. The Tigers were led by Jacob Pruitt (two hits, two runs, five IP, nine strikeouts), Cole Temple (one hit, three RBIs) and Robby Hook (one hit, two RBIs).
Muncie Central falls to Richmond
Muncie Central was defeated by Richmond 15-2.
Delta falls to Greenfield-Central
Delta was defeated by Greenfield-Central 19-8. The Eagles were led by Ben Morris' two home run, 3-RBI performance along with Cooper Roach (one home run) and Luke Belangee (one hit, three RBIs).
New Castle tops Rushville
New Castle snapped a six-game losing streak, defeating Rushville 15-8. The Trojans were led by two-hit performances from Corbin Malott (one RBI), Miles Mann (one RBI) and Jacob Luca (three RBIs) along with Garrett Rusch (one hit, two RBIs).
Wapahani tops Daleville
Class 2A No. 1 Wapahani continued its winning ways with an 11-0 victory over Class A No. 1 Daleville. The Raiders were led by Gage Gadbury (one hit, three RBIs, one HR), Gavin Lash (one hit, two RBIs) along with Gavin Noble (one RBI), Luke Willmann and Nolan Dudley, who each recorded to hits.
Monroe Central beats Muncie Central
Class 2A No. 1 Monroe Central remained perfect on the season with a 20-4 victory over Muncie Central. Chase Baugh had a hit and an RBI for the Bearcats while Bryce Deckman (four hits, four RBIs), Joel Kennedy (one hit, three RBIs), Caleb Snyder (two hits, three RBIs) and Wyatt Burris (three RBIs, four innings pitched, five strikeouts) led the Golden Bears.
Blue River tops Randolph Southern
Blue River beat Randolph Southern 5-4 in eight innings. The Vikings were led by Jared Catron (three hits, two RBIs), Connor Bilby (three RBIs) and Ethan Blackburn, Garrett Grim and Blake Silence, who each recorded two hits.
Wes-Del tops Cowan
Class A No. 10 Wes-Del defeated Cowan 5-4 thanks to a three-run seventh inning from the Warriors. Wes-Del was led by Dawson Bookout (one RBI), Zack Todd (one RBI) and Jace Wilson, who each recorded two hits, along with Ty Freeman (one hit), Travis Bunch (one hit) and Will Kelly, who each recorded one RBI. Michael Hargrave and Zachary Flowers each had one hit and an RBI for the Blackhawks.
Burris falls to University
Burris lost to University 20-2. The Owls' two runs came in the fifth inning of play.
High school softball
Blackford tops Fort Wayne South Side
Blackford defeated Fort Wayne South Side 11-0 in five innings. The Bruins were led by Grace Simmons (two hits), Cassie Mounsey (one hit) and Kiley Eppard (five IP, seven strikeouts).
Wapahani tops Tri
In a game that saw a combined 26 hits, Wapahani defeated Class A No. 1 Tri 9-7. The Raiders were led by Mallory Summers' three-hit, two home run and 3-RBI day. Katie Bray (three hits, two RBIs), Baylee Richardson (three hits, two RBIs), Ashland Kahalekomo (two hits) and Lala Lee (two hits, one RBI) led the Raiders.
Yorktown dominates Centerville
Yorktown put on another dominant performance in a 26-0 victory over Centerville. Katelyn Knott (three hits, three RBIs), Alanah Jones (two hits, three RBIs), Savannah Baker (two hits, one home run, three RBIs), Jessica Stephenson (two hits, two RBIs) and Macie Dowd (one home run, three RBIs) led the Tigers at the plate. Kaylyn Coahran allowed just one hit and one walk while striking out 10 in five innings on the mound.
Blackford falls to Eastern
Blackford lost to Eastern 15-1. The Bruins saw Lillie Lamotte, Helen Whitesell and Grace Simmons record one hit apiece.
Blue River falls to Randolph Southern
Blue River was defeated by Randolph Southern 16-4.
Cowan tops Wes-Del
Cowan won its third straight game, beating Wes-Del 12-4. The Blackhawks were led by McKenna Minton (three hits, four RBIs), Tatum Rickert (seven IP, seven hits, 13 strikeouts), Aryonna Bynum (two hits, three RBIs), Kaylee Kear (two hits, two RBIs) and Lauren Smith (one hit, two RBIs).
Jay County tops Ft. Recovery
Jay County defeated Ft. Recovery 6-3. The Patriots were led by Haleigh Clayton (win, four strikeouts, six hits allowed), Renna Schwieterman (one hit, three RBIs) and Aubrie Schwieterman (three hits, two runs).
Yorktown tops Hagerstown
Yorktown moved to 5-1 on the season with an 11-0 victory over Hagerstown. Caitlin LaFerney led the Tigers with two hits and an RBI at the plate while also striking out 14 batters and allowing just two hits in five innings on the mound. Ainsley Phillips had two hits and one RBI, Alanah Jones hit two RBIs and a home run and Lexy Morris added a hit with two RBIs.
High school boys golf
Yorktown beats Pendleton Heights
Yorktown shot a 152 (+8) to beat Pendleton Heights (202). The Tigers were led by Bing Wilson (37), Bryce Hardwick (38), Evan Walsh (38) and Jacob Phelps (39).
Wes-Del falls to Shenandoah
Wes-Del lost to Shenandoah 214-192. The Warriors were led by Avery Carmin, who shot a 46.
Jay County tops Wapahani
Jay County defeated Wapahani 194-170. Wapahani's Blake Frazee shot a personal best 44. Jay County was led by Caleb Derome (41) along with Griffin Mann, Kyle Sanders and Simon Pryor, who all shot a 43.
Muncie Central finishes second in tri-meet with Anderson and Shenandoah
Muncie Central shot a 214 to finish second behind Shenandoah and in front of Anderson. Tyler Walker was the medalist for the Bearcats with a one-over-par 37.
High school girls tennis
Winchester sweeps Muncie Central
Winchester defeated Muncie Central 5-0. Winners for the Golden Falcons included: Kaylan McIntire (7-6, 6-2), Autumn Abel (6-0, 6-1) and Reagan Riggin (6-0, 6-0) in singles along with Morgan Williams and Mabrey McIntire (6-2, 6-2) and Evy Hinds and Kevalina Davis (6-4, 6-0) in doubles.
Blackford falls to Bluffton
Blackford lost to Bluffton 5-0.
New Castle falls to Eastern Hancock
New Castle was defeated by Eastern Hancock 5-0.
Winchester tops Lincoln
Winchester defeated Lincoln 3-2. Reagan Riggin (6-3, 6-7, 6-3) won in No. 3 singles for the Golden Falcons as did the doubles pairings of Morgan Williams and Mabrey McIntire (6-2, 6-3) along with Evy Hinds and Kevalina Davis (6-1, 0-6, 6-0)
Blue River sweeps Randolph Southern
Blue River beat Randolph Southern 5-0. Winners for the Vikings were Naomi Brewer (6-0, 6-0), Anna Hollingsworth (6-0, 6-0) and Ava Willis (6-1, 6-2) in singles along with Mallory Cross and Samantha Webb (6-0, 6-0) and Tara Jarvis and Jenna Willis (forfeit) in doubles.
Jay County tops Bluffton
Jay County beat Bluffton 4-1. Grace Brewster (7-5, 4-6, 6-4) and Lyric Garringer (6-0, 6-2) won in singles play while Madison Dirksen and Rachel Muhlenkamp (7-5, 6-2) and Lilly Hedgesand and Holly Hemmelgarn (5-7, 6-1, 6-3) won in doubles play.
Burris tops Muncie Central
Burris defeated Muncie Central 5-0.
New Castle tops Shenandoah
New Castle defeated Shenandoah 3-2. The Trojans swept all three singles positions.
IHSAA track, softball state final locations moved
On Wednesday, the IHSAA announced new locations for two spring state tournaments in track and field and softball. The track and field state finals will be held at Ben Davis High School (previously held Indiana University) with the boys meet on Friday, June 4 and the girls meet on Saturday, June 5. The softball state finals will be played at Center Grove High School (previously held at Purdue University) on Friday, June 11 and Saturday, June 12.
Monroe Central golfer Ryder Jones signs NLI at IU Kokomo
Monroe Central senior golfer Ryder Jones signed his National Letter of Intent to continue his academic and golf career at IU Kokomo. Since he was a freshman, Jones has been an integral part to the success of the Golden Bears, helping them qualify for a regional in 2018 and falling just short of qualifying for the regional individually as a sophomore.
BSU tennis players earn MAC POTW honors
Ball State saw two tennis players, one on the men's side and one on the women's side, earn Mid-American Conference Player of the Week honors.
On the men's side, Thibault de Negri won Player of the Week with his victory over Toledo's Cole Shoults. On the women's side, Emma Peeler earned co-Player of the Week honors, going 2-0 last weekend with victories over Northern Illinois' Maria Potsi and Bowling Green's Margarita Tavpash.
NCAA DI Council adopts new transfer legislation
The NCAA Division I Council adopted a new transfer proposal that will allow student-athletes in all sports a one-time opportunity to transfer and compete immediately during the 2021-22 season.
“Allowing student-athletes a one-time opportunity to transfer and compete immediately provides a uniform, equitable and understandable approach that benefits all student-athletes,” said Jon Steinbrecher, Council vice chair and Mid-American Conference commissioner, in a press release. “The decision is consistent with Division I’s goal of modernizing its rules to prioritize student-athlete opportunity and choice.”
Ball State soccer racks up postseason awards
Ball State's soccer team won a number of Mid-American Conference postseason awards, which were announced Thursday afternoon.
Head coach Josh Rife was named the conference's Coach of the Year while Nicky Potts earned All-MAC First Team honors for the second straight year alongside Lexy Smith. Tatiana Mason earned Second Team honors for the Cardinals while Mac Henson was named to the league's all-freshman team.
Joining in the award-heavy week for the Cardinals was Jenna Dombrowski and Shelby Kean, who earned MAC West Division offensive and defensive player of the week honors, respectively.
Ball State will play Bowling Green in the MAC Championship Saturday at 7 p.m. with a spot for the Cardinals' first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament on the line.
Hole-in-one reported at Muncie Elks Country Club
Craig Roberts hit a hole-in-one at the Muncie Elks Country Club, using a eight-iron on the ninth hole from 145 yards out. Witnesses were Steve Behrman, Rick Shirk, Rob Mynett and Mike Steed.
Robby General covers East Central Indiana high school sports for The Star Press. Contact him via email at rgeneral@gannett.com, on Twitter @rgeneraljr or phone at 765-283-8864.