6-Banner Sunday: Mike Woodson speaks at annual event at Huber’s Winery
6-Banner Sunday is Inside the Hall’s weekly newsletter in partnership with The Assembly Call. Almost 10,000 Indiana fans receive the newsletter each week. In addition to appearing each week on the site, you can also opt to receive 6-Banner Sunday by email. A form to subscribe via email is available at the bottom of this week’s 6-Banner Sunday.
Welcome to another edition of 6-Banner Sunday, a joint production between The Assembly Call and Inside the Hall, and presented by our friends at Trueblood Real Estate, where we highlight the five most essential IU basketball stories of the past week, plus take a look at how the other IU sports programs are doing.
As the offseason continues, several big news items occurred this week. First and foremost, Indiana coach Mike Woodson was the featured speaker at the annual Huber’s event in Southern Indiana. This was not the only story of substance though as recruiting, a contract extension, an incoming Hoosier representing his country, and several rankings of note also made headlines this week. We will as usual conclude with a look at how other IU sports are doing led by baseball taking part in their first NCAA tournament since 2023.
In other brief items, AC Radio was on-air this week and three former Hoosiers have made the NBA Finals.
• Mike Woodson speaks at the annual Huber’s Winery event
• Two Hoosier recruiting prospects set official visits to campus
• Teri Moren agrees to contract extension through 2029
• Kel’el Ware selected to participate in USA Basketball U19 men’s national team training camp
• Final RSCI rankings and IU is 27th in Andy Katz’s power rankings
• Hoosier Roundup
Banner #1 – Mike Woodson speaks at the annual Huber’s Winery event
Each year IU fans look forward to the event that the Hoosiers put on in Southern Indiana at Huber’s. In the past, it has been a fundraiser for the athletic department. However, in 2023 it was changed to be a way to raise money for NIL for the players. However, from a logistical point, little was different as a bunch of Indiana supporters gathered at the venue to hear the coaches speak and interact with players.
Both Tom Allen and Mike Woodson spoke in front of the crowd. Also, Hoosier point guard Xavier Johnson was present and spoke with the media. Both Woodson’s and Johnson’s words can be viewed here.
Banner #2 – Two Hoosier recruiting prospects set official visits to campus
While IU’s 2023 class is set, future years are still up in the air as Indiana turns it sights on the very best players for 2024 and 2025. Now two of the top prospects for 2024 have confirmed they will take official visits to Bloomington this summer.
The big name to come to campus in the coming weeks is Boogie Fland. The No. 6 recruit per 247Sports will come June 13-15. The other visit will be from Tyler Betsey who will take his around the same time from June 14-16. Betsey is the No. 22 player in the same 2024 class. While no other players have been confirmed to be visiting IU at this point, the Hoosiers continue to be involved with much of the top talent for 2024.
Banner #3 – Teri Moren agrees to contract extension through 2029
IU women’s coach Teri Moren has taken the women’s basketball programs to heights no one could have imagined. The team has been amongst the very best in college basketball the last four seasons with an Elite Eight, Sweet 16, and Big Ten championship since 2019. Now she has been rewarded accordingly with an extension through 2029 that will pay her $1.3 million per season which is second in the Big Ten and top-ten nationally.
Fans have taken notice as the team now ranks in the top 10 in attendance and 33 of the 41 largest crowds in program history have occurred in the last decade since Moren took over. Just over half have taken place in the last two seasons alone. Also, the program opened the balcony four times in 2023 due to large crowds and exceeded 10,000 on six occasions while averaging a program record of 8,104 per contest. As a result of high demand, the team is going to reserved seating in a portion of Assembly Hall for the first time in 2023-2024.
Banner #4 – Kel’el Ware selected to participate in USA Basketball U19 men’s national team training camp
Incoming Oregon transfer Kel’el Ware has been invited to participate in the U-19 USA Basketball training camp. Ware was a top-10 recruit coming into college and one of the top-ranked players in the transfer portal. He figures to fill the role of Trayce Jackson-Davis who departed for the NBA after the 2022-2023 season.
Ware also spoke with Draft Express recently and the interview can be viewed here. He is currently working out on the west coast with his agency, CAA Sports.
Banner #5 – Final RSCI rankings and IU is 27th in Andy Katz’s power rankings
The RSCI averages out the final recruiting rankings for all the major services including 247Sports, ESPN, On3, and Rivals. Incoming Indiana freshman Mackenzie Mgbako comes in at No. 10 nationally and is tied with Cody Zeller as the fifth-highest incoming Hoosier player since these ratings started. He is also the highest-ranked prospect coming into the Big Ten in 2023.
The only other player who comes close to Mgbako is Michigan State’s Xavier Booker at No. 12 nationally. Booker is part of a class that ranks third nationally and is joined in the Big Ten by No. 9 Ohio State and No. 17 Maryland. IU fell outside of the top 18 as a squad that the site mentions. This is because their other incoming prospects did not finish in the top 100 and the service does not take transfers into account.
With the addition of Mgbako and Ware as well as the return of Johnson and Malik Reneau, the Hoosiers come in at No. 27 overall in Andy Katz’s rankings for 2023-2024. This puts Indiana seventh in the Big Ten which is led by the Spartans at No. 3 followed closely by Purdue at No. 4 after star center Zach Edey withdrew from the NBA Draft.
Banner #6 – Hoosier Roundup
• Baseball won their NCAA tournament opener against West Virginia on Friday. They followed Friday’s result with a thrilling win against Kentucky on a late home run by Peter Serruto. Indiana advances to their fourth Regional Final in program history and will play the Mountaineers vs. Wildcats winner at 6 pm today in this double elimination format. Assembly Call is on site in Lexington and had feature stories for subscribers of its Community.
• Rowing finished 17th at the NCAA Championships.
• Men’s Golfer Drew Salyers completed his season as an individual at the NCAA Championships.
• Men’s Soccer had an alumni team compete at the TST where they were eliminated after going 2-1 in pool play.
• Football set kick times for early season contests and announced the addition of premium suites.
• Women’s Basketball added three graduate managers.
• Softball’s Taryn Kern was named an All-American as were two athletes in water polo.
• IU dominated Purdue in the Governor’s Cup for 2023-2024. This trophy factors individual head-to-head results across all sports. The Hoosiers won in most of the top competitions as they swept men’s and women’s basketball, softball, and baseball.
• Swimming and Diving announced an addition to the coaching staff.
Thanks for your continued support for The Assembly Call and Inside the Hall. We’ll be back next weekend with a new roundup.
Now go enjoy yourself a 6-banner Sunday.
Aaron (Ari) Shifron
Assembly Call Contributor
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