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(10/10/06 2:37am)
INDIANAPOLIS -- Stephen Jackson missed the Indiana Pacers' annual Fan Jam scrimmage Sunday at Conseco Fieldhouse, but the fans didn't seem to miss him.\nSecond-year Pacer Danny Granger said players were a little uncertain how fans might react just two days after Jackson was involved in a fight as he and three teammates left an Indianapolis strip club.\n"It was very important that we got applauded," Granger said. "We want the fans to stick with us and don't want one incident to make the season go bad. I want to thank everyone for sticking with us."\nPolice said Jackson fired a gun in the air in apparent self-defense after he was slugged in the mouth and struck by a car that sent him tumbling onto the hood about 3 a.m. Friday.\nA team spokesman said Jackson was at home recuperating from his injuries Sunday.\nPacers President Donnie Walsh would say only that he was disappointed in what happened.\n"There is a legal process going on. That's the only reason we haven't stood up and said anything. When the right time arrives, as soon as we understand what the situation was, we'll get up and express our thoughts on it," Walsh said.\n"I feel secure to say we're disappointed with what happened," Walsh added. "We're not in favor of what happened, and other than that, there is not much to say because I don't want to interfere with the process."\nCoach Rick Carlisle said Saturday that Jackson and teammates Jamaal Tinsley, Marquis Daniels and Jimmie Hunter committed an "error in judgment" by staying out late during training camp but he was relieved no one was seriously injured.\nThe crowd at Conseco didn't seem to miss Jackson on Sunday as his teammates treated the fans to a 20-minute scrimmage that featured the new up-tempo style game Carlisle plans to use this season.\nThe Pacers have reconstructed their roster after going 41-41 last season and being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the New Jersey Nets.\nThe roster includes 12 newcomers and only six players who were with the team last season, and the Pacers must cut at least three players before the season begins.\n"We're still checking and evaluating," Carlisle said. "We have time to make specific decisions and will try various combinations of players during the exhibition season to determine a final roster."\nThe fans welcomed back Al Harrington, who rejoined the Pacers after two seasons in Atlanta. Harrington led all scorers with 12 points, including three 3-pointers.\n"For this team to be successful, I'm going to have to score," said Harrington, a first-round draft pick out of high school by the Pacers in 1998. "I just want to let the game come to me and whatever happens, happens"
(07/20/06 1:11am)
INDIANAPOLIS -- Linda Frohlich's patience paid off for the Indiana Fever.\nThe German forward scored a career-high 15 points to help the Fever beat the Phoenix Mercury 71-65 on Tuesday.\nFrohlich, who was waived by the Charlotte Sting and Phoenix before coming to the Fever as a free agent, had scored only 36 points this season and stayed on the bench in 10 games. But she hit three 3-pointers against the Mercury, including one that gave Indiana the lead for good late in the game.\n"She's a good perimeter shooter," Fever coach Brian Winters said. "They played (zone) the majority of the game. We needed somebody to make some perimeter shots. She's capable."\nTamika Catchings, who led the Fever with 17 points, credited Frohlich with playing key minutes off the bench.\n"Now that she's done that she has some expectations to live up to," Catchings said.\nFrohlich said she has no problem with her role.\n"The coaches have their plan and being a part of this team, I just have to buy into their philosophy," she said. "It's frustrating, every player wants to play, but if you look at the big picture and see that it is good for the team. ... I'm just there to wait for my minutes."\nCatchings also shut down WNBA scoring leader Diana Taurasi, who failed to score in double figures for the first time since she was shut out in a game last season.\n"It's a great matchup for us defensively," Winters said. "(Taurasi) is a great offensive player and Tamika gives her a hard time."\nTaurasi, who came into the game averaging 24 points, finished with seven points on 3-of-14 shooting. She picked up three personal fouls and a technical in the first quarter.\nCatchings said it was difficult to keep up with the former Connecticut star.\n"She's a great player and the thing I have to focus on is getting to her fast," Catchings said. "She has a really quick release."\nPenny Taylor led the Mercury with 18 points and Kamila Vodichkova had 14.\nNeither team led by more than eight points. There were nine lead changes and five ties.\nFrohlich gave Indiana the lead for good 67-65 late in the fourth quarter with her third 3-pointer.\nTaurasi then missed a 3-pointer, and Tan White drove the length of the court for a layup that put the Fever ahead 69-65. Tamika Whitmore clinched the victory on two free throws with 29 seconds remaining.\nThe Mercury, who were averaging a league-high 84 points per game, were held to a season-low point total and shot 40.6 percent from the field. Phoenix also had a season-high 26 turnovers and Indiana scored 25 points off them.\nIndiana has now beaten Phoenix four consecutive times and won eight of their last nine meetings.\n"It comes down to making shots, maybe taking easier shots and putting them away," Taylor said. "If we just would have had a little bit more at either end"
(06/05/06 2:33am)
Boys State Tournament \nDepth paid off for the Warriors of Warren Central as they captured the state boys high school track and field championship without winning an individual event.\nThe Warriors, runner-up in the meet last year, finished first only in the 400-meter relay while accumulating 74 points. Fort Wayne Northrop was a distant second with 45 and Indianapolis Ben Davis took third with 42, while Indianapolis Chatard and Southport tied for fourth with 26.\nSeniors Joey Hodges and Anthony Vaden teamed with sophomore D'Juan Richaredson and junior Devin Pipkin to win the 400 relay in 41.18 seconds. Indianapolis Ben Davis placed second in 41.72.\n"We would have liked to have won some individual events, but the big thing to us was winning the championship and we accomplished that as a team," said Pipkin, who placed second to Arthur Wims of Fort Wayne Northrop in the 100.\nThe triumph, combined with the girls championship Friday night, gave the Warriors the destinction of becoming only the second school in state history to capture both titles in the same year. Gary Roosevelt was the other school, sweeping the championship in 1983.\nBryce Brown of Evansville Harrison successfully defended his championship in the 300 low hurdles, finishing in 36.56. Joey Hodges of Warren Central, who went into the meet as the top seed, was second in 36.76.\nBrown, who was also the defending champion in the high hurdles, finished second to Brian Brautzch of Fort Wayne Wayne. Brautzch won the race in 13.82 with Brown timed at 13.88. Hodges, who also had the top seeded time in the event, placed third at 13.96.\nBrautzch was awarded the IHSAA's mental attitude award for track and field.\nOther state champions included junior Josh Greenwald of Decatur Central, discus; senior Arthur Wims of Fort Wayne Northrop, 100; senior Brandon Youngdale, Western, high jump; senior Keenan Hall of Ben Davis, long jump; senior Eric Werskey, Seymour, shot put; and senior Clayton Wilson of Southport, 400; junior Dan Stockberger, 800.\nGirls State Tournament\nA photo finish in the final event gave Warren Central a victory in the 1,600 meter relay Friday night, giving the Warriors the state girls high school track and field championship.\nJaminnia States, Ashley Seehase, Candyce McGrone and Milanie Gilbert teamed to win the event in 3 minutes, 52.471 seconds. Indianapolis North Central finished second in 3:52:478\nThe victory gave Warren Central 47 points, six more than Fort Wayne Northrop, which was going for a seventh consecutive state championship. Northrop was tied with Muncie Central for second with 41 points.\nEarlier, it looked like victories by senior Tamara Adams in the 100-meter dash and 100-meter hurdles would be enough to lead Northrop in the 30th annual IHSAA girls track and field state meet.\nAdams had little rest between her two victories. After winning the dash in 11.85 seconds, she had only about 15 minutes before going out to finish her hurdles race in 13.94. That was a tick quicker than the state record of 13.95 seconds set by defending champion Vanneisha Ivy of Muncie Central, who placed second in 13.96.\nHowever, the wind was too strong during the event so Adams had to settle for a championship without the record.\n"I didn't care about the record," said Adams, who came into the meet seeded second in both events. "I was just pretty happy because I beat \nVanneisha."\nLater, Ivy came back to give Muncie Central 10 big points by winning the low hurdles.\nOne other state record was set. Katie Veith of Homestead claimed the mark in the pole vault, clearing 13 feet-6 inches. She had set the old mark of 12-9 last year when she and Brianna Neumann of Northrop both cleared the height last year and Neumann claimed the championship of the basis of fewer misses.\nIndianapolis Ben Davis was fourth with 40 points and Chesterton finished fifth at 29.\nRachel Thiel of Lowell, who won the state championship in the shot with an effort of 45 feet, 3 1/4 inches was awarded the IHSAA's mental attitude award for track and field.
(01/13/06 5:10am)
INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indiana Pacers are getting accustomed to all the trade rumors involving Ron Artest. The stories have come so fast, and without substantiation, the Pacers are just ignoring them.\n"It's good for us to get a rhythm and stay with the guys we have and understand that these are the guys who are going to be here," Stephen Jackson said Thursday. "We have to get it done with these guys. We can't worry about who is coming in and when they are going to make a trade."\nThe Pacers need to just play basketball, said Jackson, who has usually been the team's No. 2 scorer in the 16 games since Artest last played in early December.\n"I've heard of some trades, but none of them have probably been true," Jackson said. "I've talked to Ron, but it really hasn't been on my mind. I wish him the best and hope for the best for this team."\nThe latest rumor had Artest, who has been inactive since last month, heading to the Los Angeles Clippers in a trade for forward Corey Maggette, who has been out with a torn left foot ligament since early December. Earlier, there were rumors Artest would go to the Golden State Warriors in a package deal that included Troy Murphy.\nBut Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said Thursday he had no word on a deal.\nArtest's agent, Mark Stevens, declined comment. A message left by The Associated Press with Rob Pelinka, Maggette's agent, was not immediately returned.\nPacers CEO Donnie Walsh was at Thursday's practice, but did not talk with reporters. He has been consistently declining comment on trade rumors and said the team would have an announcement when a deal had been completed.\nArtest, the 2003-04 NBA defensive player of the year, was averaging 19.4 points when he voiced his desire to be traded last month. He later recanted that statement, but team president Larry Bird and Walsh have said they were no longer interested in having him play for Indiana.\nMeanwhile, Artest said he was anxious to have the team complete a deal. He hasn't played in a game since Dec. 6 and is not welcome at the team's practices.\n"You hear about them, but you never know what's true," Artest said. "I'm just waiting to find out which team I'll be playing for."\nInjuries, illness and the absence of Artest have compounded the struggles of the Pacers, who were expected to contend for the Eastern Conference championship when the season began. After winning three of their last four games, the Pacers are 19-14 and trail Central Division leader Detroit by 8-1/2 games heading into Friday night's visit by Washington to Conseco Fieldhouse.\nJermaine O'Neal, who leads Indiana in scoring with a 21.8 average, looked surprised when told about the reported deal for Maggette.\n"I really don't want to comment about it. He's hurting and is going to have about six more weeks off," O'Neal said. "I would prefer to have somebody who could play right away, but I don't run the team. I just play the game and know that (Walsh) and those guys will make a decision over what's best for the team"
(04/16/01 6:12am)
INDIANAPOLIS -- Jermaine O'Neal's summer plans are being revised, thanks to an invitation the Indiana Pacers' star received from Hall of Fame member Bill Russell.\nThe former Boston Celtics star and coach, a sideline spectator at Friday night's game between Boston and the Pacers, took time to chat with O'Neal at halftime.\n"It was definitely an honor," said the 6-foot-11 O'Neal, whose franchise record of 219 blocks in a season is the second-highest total in the league.\n"It was really an honor when he said he wanted to get with me in the summer and to work out. I'm definitely looking forward to that phone call so I can get with him," O'Neal said. "He's one of the greatest ever. He's one of those pioneers who helped build this league."\nRussell, who dominated the inside with his shot blocking and defensive skills as a player, said he made the offer after watching O'Neal play for Portland and Indiana over his five-year career.\n"He's a young player who has plenty of potential," Russell said. "I think I know a few things that can help him reach it."\nO'Neal came to Portland directly out of high school and became the youngest player to participate in an NBA game at the age of 18 on Dec. 5, 1996. He spent most of his four seasons with Portland watching from the bench, averaging about 23 minutes for 211 games, before being traded for All-Star forward Dale Davis last August.\nThe 22-year-old has demonstrated his potential in his first full NBA season as a starter.\nWith three games remaining, the former South Carolina high school player of the year has already topped his career totals for points, rebounds, blocks, assists and steals while recording a team-high 39 double-doubles. That's the most in the Eastern Conference and the third highest single-season mark in franchise history.\nBut those figures mean little to O'Neal compared to Russell's praise.\n"He said he likes the way that I play. That meant an awful lot to me, a guy who means the world to me," said O'Neal, who wasn't born when Russell retired.\nHowever, O'Neal said he's looked at film of Russell.\n"He's one of the best defensive players to ever play the game. If I can learn some moves, and how to keep some blocks in play, it's going to be great for me next year."\nO'Neal's recent play is one of the keys to Indiana's late season surge that has given the Pacers a season-high six-game winning streak to take into Chicago on Sunday. He's had three double-doubles in the streak, along with 23 blocks.\nThe run has sent the defending Eastern Conference champions into the playoffs for the 11th time in 12 years. But, unlike last year when the Pacers had home court throughout the conference playoffs, they'll be opening postseason play at either Philadelphia or Milwaukee and will likely not have home court advantage in any series.\nStill, the streak has boosted the team's confidence.\n"We're playing good basketball," said coach Isiah Thomas. "We're basically right on schedule, right on track to where we wanted to be, where I thought we would be at this time of year, that this would be the time of season that we would play good basketball."\n"I knew early on in the season ... that there were going to be some ups and downs. This is the time of the year when you want to play your best basketball."\nJalen Rose, the team's leading scorer, said the team feels fortunate to be in the playoffs and really doesn't care who it plays.\n"The way we're backing into the playoffs, we've got to take who they give us. We're just fortunate to be playing good ball and as long as we continue to get better and stay healthy, we're going to be a tough outfit"
(12/30/00 9:56pm)
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Tom Coverdale saved his best for last, saving the perfect record of Indiana in its Hoosier Classic.\nCoverdale scored nine of his 17 points in the final seven minutes as Indiana held off Valparaiso 63-60 in Friday night\'s championship game of the 19th Hoosier Classic.\n\"We knew we had to have this game as far as having momentum going into the Big Ten,\" said Coverdale, voted the tournament\'s most valuable player.\n\"We weren\'t really playing the best basketball that we can play and coach (John) Treloar told me, \'We got to get \'em going.\' So I just looked for my shot a little more, and tried to set people up.\"\nCoverdale connected on two 3-pointers in succession as the Hoosiers (9-5) moved ahead to stay at 54-51.\nKirk Haston, who contributed 13 points and a team-high eight rebounds, was also named to the all-tournament team. Freshman Andre Owens, who led Indiana with 20 points in its opening-game victory, joined Valparaiso\'s Lubos Barton and Jason Jenkins on the all-tournament team.\nValparaiso (9-4) had the consolation of knowing that it came closer than any other Indiana opponent in the tournament, which the Hoosiers have never lost. The previous mark was a 72-66 loss by Boston College in 1983.\n\"I told our guys before the game that it would be close because this team beat Ohio State,\" Indiana coach Mike Davis said.\n\"Coverdale stepped up and played well. I wanted to give him a rest. He said he was OK. He proved it by making the big shots.\"\nTwo free throws by Jenkins, who led the Crusaders with 18 points, made it 54-53 with 3:45 remaining. The Hoosiers then appeared to take control on a three-point play by Jared Jeffries and a 3-pointer by Andre Owens, who took a pass from Coverdale and got the ball off before the shot clock expired.\nA driving layup by Coverdale made it 62-53. Valparaiso refused to quit, scoring on two free throws by Jenkins and a layup by Barton. Coverdale then made one of two free throws with 31.3 seconds to go and Jenkins closed the scoring with a 3-pointer as the buzzer sounded.\n\"I knew it was going to be a difficult game when I was outside the locker room and the IU cheerleaders kept filing out, then the dancing group, then the men. I think there are more IU cheerleaders than students at Valparaiso,\" said Valparaiso coach Homer Drew, who will have to wait until next week before making another attempt at producing victory No. 1000 by the Crusaders.\n\"The two big plays were Coverdale\'s 3 that he hit, and Owens had the ball in the air, the clock goes off, and it goes in,\" Drew said. \"If they miss that, the last 30 seconds could have been very, very exciting for the fans and for all of us out there.\"\nValparaiso had tied the game for the 11th time on two free throws by Barton, who played nearly the entire second half with four personals and never fouled out while scoring 17 points.\nBoth teams started the second half cold. Valparaiso had three turnovers and missed its first five shots before Dwayne Toatley\'s jumper tied the game at 32 with 14:17 left in the game. Indiana\'s only score in the half had come on a dunk by Jared Jeffries on a pass underneath by Kirk Haston.\nThe first half ended in a 30-30 tie when Coverdale threw in a 3-pointer at the buzzer from about 35 feet. It was the fifth deadlock in a half that included four lead changes with neither team leading by more than four points.\n\"Kirk got the rebound and I got it and I just drove down the floor and I saw two seconds left, so I knew I had time to take a couple of more dribbles and I just got a little lucky,\" Coverdale said.