Excel H Sports “Shootin’ The Stars” returns Thanksgiving Week
Excel H Sports “Shootin’ The Stars” returns Thanksgiving Week when once again Mike Beas pens this season’s first edition. Stay tuned!!
Shootin’ the Stars
Shootin’ the Stars: Indiana-Kentucky All-Star Series not the game it used to be
Shootin’ the Stars: Indiana-Kentucky All-Star Series not the game it used to be By Mike Beas Last June, as the final seconds ticked off the scoreboards inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse, I was handed a piece of paper with a number on [More]
Shootin’ the Stars: The Makings of a Hall of Famer
Shootin’ the Stars: The Makings of a Hall of Famer By Mike Beas The Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame is three-plus months removed from inducting its 63rd class of Hall of Famers – 18 men from various eras who made [More]
“Shootin’ The Stars” November 26, 2024
Shootin’ the Stars: Technology is diluting the game-night experience By Mike Beas, Excel H Sports Ever notice how those pre-1995 photographs depicting the passion funneled into Indiana high school basketball fandom are linked by the same obvious omission? Look really [More]
Shootin’ the Stars: The walk to the top always features different steps
Shootin’ the Stars: The walk to the top always features different steps By Mike Beas Indiana has celebrated a total of 195 boys state basketball champions, and, in snowflake fashion, no two have been alike. We’ve had dominant teams [More]
“Shootin’ the Stars” February 27, 2024: The NCC a league that never goes out of style
Shootin’ the Stars: The NCC a league that never goes out of style by Mike Beas No league in Indiana perspires droplets of basketball tradition the way the North Central Conference does. And, frankly, it’s not even close. Since [More]
Shootin’ the Stars: Putting the boys state championship teams to music
Shootin’ the Stars: Putting the boys state championship teams to music By Mike Beas There are noteworthy threads connecting the Dave Colescott-led Marion Giants, the absurdly unthinkable gas price of 57 cents a gallon and the karaoke-worthy oldie, “My Eyes [More]
Shootin’ the Stars: Single-class basketball is gone, but the weekly top 20 lives on
Shootin’ the Stars: Single-class basketball is gone, but the weekly top 20 lives on Freshman guard Madisyn Douglass drives the ball to the hoop for Caston in a game this season. By Mike Beas Caston’s girls’ basketball program loosens the [More]
Shootin’ the Stars: Holiday basketball tournaments a tradition that continues to keep on giving.
Shootin’ the Stars: Holiday basketball tournaments a tradition that continues to keep on giving. By Mike Beas One has little choice but to marvel at the all-encompassing nature of the Christmas season. Think about it. What other holiday is equipped [More]
“Shootin’ The Stars” looks at Buzzer beaters that stand the test of time
Shootin’ the Stars: The State Finals buzzer-beaters that stand the test of time By Mike Beas The months of February and March have long been fertile ground for the type of State Finals buzzer-beaters responsible for creating some of Indiana’s [More]
Shootin’ the Stars: Battle for best nickname of all-time is up for grabs
“Shootin’ The Stars” by Mike Beas “Shootin’ the Stars”: Battle for best nickname of all-time is up for grabs By Mike Beas This being March, no one will have his or her feathers ruffled if another set of brackets [More]
“Shootin’ the Stars” February 28th, 2023
Single-class tourney might be history, but it’s never too far away By Mike Beas Unless you grew up in Indiana at a time single-class high school basketball ruled the 31 days of March, it’s difficult to describe. The “it” [More]
“Shootin’ The Stars” February 21st, 2023
Shootin’ the Stars: The death of LN star still stings 24 years later. By Mike Beas When you’ve spent almost 40 years writing about high school sports in your home state, selecting a few favorite moments is attempting to solve [More]
“Shootin’ the Stars”: Work ethic, competitiveness continue to drive J.R. Holmes
Shootin’ the Stars: Work ethic, competitiveness continue to drive J.R. Holmes By Mike Beas The state’s career wins leader in boys high school basketball is a month removed from earning the right to exhale into 76 birthday candles. Whether [More]
“Shootin’ The Stars” December 22nd, 2022/Still in use or not, we always remember our gymnasiums
Shootin’ the Stars: Still in use or not, we always remember our gymnasiums Pinnell School 2022 By Mike Beas Growing up in a cornfield-dominated area outside of Kokomo, I attended an elementary school that had been built, I believe, prior [More]
“Shootin’ The Stars” December 12, 2022
Time will tell if new semi state format is a hit By Mike Beas Indiana’s latest postseason switcheroo makes its debut the third Saturday of February. Early last summer, the Indiana High School Athletic Association executive committee voted 15-2 to [More]