I took the weekend off, but four local girls basketball teams were on the clock and performed quite nicely, to say the least.

How about University? What a story the Trailblazers have been during the tournament. Unranked and off the radar heading into sectionals, coach Bill Thornburgh's group has met every challenge in such impressive fashion.

On Saturday, University (20-6) disposed of Class A No. 4 Northeast Dubois with a 69-53 win at the Jeffersonville Semistate, punching its ticket to the state championship game this coming Saturday against FW Canterbury (20-5). The girls, with only one senior on the roster, have made school history with each win during the tournament...and that's just fun to talk about. With standout sophomore point guard Bria Sneed in foul trouble, the Blazers got 22 total points of their bench to help in Saturday's win. Erin Bortz scored 14 for University, while Katie Adlam added 13.

I don't know about you, but I'll be pulling for University on Saturday. I know I'm not supposed to say that, but I think many people are in the same boat.

In Class 2A, Heritage Christian survived in impressive fashion yet again by taking down Austin 82-66. Reading and hearing about Heritage Christian might seem a little monotonous, but what's so telling about these girls is that they continue to win with perhaps the biggest target on their back. Coach Rick Risinger has so many weapons and so much depth that it's almost scary. This Saturday, the Eagles have a showdown against undefeated Oak Hill (26-0) for the state title, which follows the 1A game at about 12:30 p.m.

And if it weren't for University, perhaps the best story during the girls tournament has been Class 3A Chatard...who won another close one on Saturday, ending the season of Vincennes Lincoln with a 56-51 overtime win. The Trojans have played in some nail-biters all tournament, earning close wins against Northwest and Roncalli during sectionals before eeking out two straight two-point wins at regionals. That's a sign of a tough team, I do know that much. This coming Saturday, Chatard is set to battle Plymouth (21-4) for a tip-off at 6 p.m.

Finally, in Class 4A, Carmel handily defeated Columbus East on Saturday 66-44 behind a huge 25-point performance from Chrissy Steffen. Talk about confidence. Following the Greyhounds (22-4) since the start of sectionals, it looks as though their confidence has been built at each step along the way...and that's a frightening thing for their state title opponent, defending champ South Bend Washington (23-2). Don't think for a minute that Carmel will be intimidated by Washington, as the Hounds have already won a big "underdog" game against No. 1 Ben Davis at regionals.

Here's a cheers for Central Indiana, getting representation in all four classes on the biggest stage this Saturday. I know many people will want to comment about the fact that three of the four schools are private, but I think people should be careful about that stuff. These student-athletes are busting their tails day in and day out, no matter which school they go to. Leave the public-private debate for dinner coversation with your friends, or other message boards.

VOTE NOW!

Thomas Finchum, a local diver from Lutheran featured in the February issue of HSSTM, has been named one of 11 finalists for the James Sullivan Award. The award is presented annually to the nation's top athlete, which will be announced on April 1 and is based on 2007 calendar year accomplishments.

If you click this link, you will be taken to a page on the USA Today site where you can vote for Finchum. Spread it around...once you see the list of nominees, you'll know this is quite an honor and it won't be easy to win. Either way, just the nomination is quite an accomplishment for Finchum.

ONE MORE THING

I find it hard to not comment about the Butler-Drake game on Saturday. First off, what a treat to be in Hinkle...the place was awesome and it's just an incredible sight to see it packed to standing-room only.

I'm not normally one to complain about officiating, and I certainly don't think the the calls going against Butler were the reason they lost the game. But I will say that it's disappointing to know that an officiating crew can, at their own discretion, completely destroy the flow of a game. As exciting as that game was, it could have been so much better if every single ticky-tack foul didn't get a whistle. The reason I say that the officials didn't decide the game is that the Bulldogs were unable to make wide open layups and make key free throws. That will kill you every time, and the problem with layups didn't just start on Saturday.

I know you missed me. Don't lie. And now that I'm done feeding my ego, let's get to a long list of notes this Friday.

• Had a phone interview last night with Eric Gordon. Unfortunately, I don't have much "news" to pass along. I was prohibited from asking the North Central grad his thoughts on the "situation" down at IU this week. Aside from wanting to have a great quote to put in this space, I was actually OK with the media relations department telling me to just not ask. That's not really what we're here for...you can read the paper if you'd like to be surprised by more canned responses. As for the interview, you can look forward to a follow-up story on our first cover boy, Mr. Gordon, in our 1st anniversary issue coming in April. I did ask him if he knew his cover ended up on Ebay (keep in mind we're a free magazine), to which he replied, "Oh man, really? That's crazy...it better have sold for a lot."
• What a weekend on tap in high school sports. I'll be headed to Conseco this evening for the first round of the individual wrestling state finals. There's loads of local grapplers hitting the mats, which you can read about by clicking here. Several undefeated wrestlers will be trying to close out their quest with ultimate immortality, including 103-pound Ethan Riley of Indian Creek (29-0), Kyle Ulrey of New Palestine at 152 (42-0) and heavyweight Chico Adams of Perry Meridian (47-0). I will admit that I've never wrestled, but just watching the state finals and other matches over the years, wrestling has to be at the top of the list for "most intense 2-6 minutes in high school sports". It's me and you, baby, mano-a-mano. We'll have magazines at the Varsity Club Restaurant at Conseco all weekend (until they run out), so be sure to stop by.
  
  
• I'd like to take a moment to congratulate Warren Central track and field coach Dennis McNulty, who is racking up just as many coaching honors as he is state titles. This month alone, McNulty, a firey fellow, was named a finalist for National Coach of the Year by the National High School Athletic Coaches Association, which will be announced in June in Colorado. On Feb. 1, the Indiana Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches named McNulty its Indiana Coach of the Year. And on Feb. 7, the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) selected McNulty as the Central Sectional Coach of the Year (coaches from Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin). Deep breath. That was a mouthful. "I am quite humbled by all of this," McNulty said.
• Not to shamelessly self promote our magazine, but we received good word this week that the Central Indiana franchise of HSSTM (that's us, duh) has the highest Web site traffic of any other franchise around the country. By a longshot. While this is good news, it's certainly not the end of it...we need your help. If you like what we're doing here with the mag and the online portion, please spread the word to friends, family and anyone else interested in high school sports. We can do all the promotion and magazine ads and everything else, but the simple fact is that word of mouth is the most powerful avenue to get new visitors and readers (and possibly advertisers). Brian and I might not always be blogging every day, but we consistently update other parts of the site (mainly the Showcase stories on the homepage) to give people a reason to come back every couple days. In advance, thanks for your help and support.
• As far as the hardwood is concerned, let's just say there's a lot going on this weekend. On the boys side, three showdowns are on tap: tonight, red hot Brownsburg (15-3) takes its 13-game winning streak on the road for a conference battle with Lafayette Jeff (18-1), who has a 13-game streak of its own. Then on Saturday, Lawrence North (15-4) travels down to Bloomington South (16-1) for another great match-up. Also, in a marquee small-school contest, Guerin Catholic (15-4) travles to take on Lutheran (14-4). On the girls side...that's obvious, regionals take the court tomorrow. Our very own Brian Moore will be headed to the Mt. Vernon (Fortville) Regional while our boss, Phil Temple, is headed to Southport.
• We received a humbling announcement this morning from Hamilton Heights High School. Junior student Tyler Shook has been diagnosed with inoperable cancer in his face and skull. Tyler is currently going through chemo and radiation treatments and there is a way you can help the Shook family. The Key Club at Hamilton Heights is trying to help raise money, and the Applebee's in Noblesville has agreed to donate 15 percent of their sales this Monday, Feb. 18th to his cause. You MUST bring a flyer to the restaurant, so please email assistant athletic director Ruth McKinney at rmckinney@mail.hhsc.k12.in.usfor more information and the flyer. HSSTM wishes Tyler and his family all the best through this very difficult time. 

Not many surprises last night as the first games of the girls basketball sectionals got underway, but that could certainly change. Here's a wrap-up of some of last night's games, as well as some interesting match-ups to look forward to.

• Our February cover ladies at Lapel started things off with a 66-32 coasting against Muncie Burris. The offensive balance continued, as Elizabeth Jennings, Courtney Prater and Betsy Guion each chipped in 13 points. Next up, the Lady Bulldogs face Wapahani (12-9) in Friday's semis at 6 p.m., hosted by Elwood.
• Also in 2A, Sectional 43 host Heritage Christian rolled to the next round with a 75-37 win over Park Tudor. It's a big night at the Heritage gym tonight, as Scecina faces Ritter followed by Indian Creek vs. Triton Central.
• Jumping to 4A, the marquee early-round contest between No. 7 Carmel and No. 13 Hamilton SE didn't disappoint, as the Greyhounds held off a late surge by the Royals and avenged four straight losses to HSE with a 56-51 win. Another Hamilton County school awaits after Fishers (16-5) beat Zionsville...the 'Hounds and Tigers will now tip off in Friday's semis.
• In the 4A Avon sectional, Pike notched a mini-upset of Brownsburg last evening to earn a semifinal game against the host Orioles on Friday. The other semifinal on Friday is one of the more intriguing, with No. 1 Ben Davis set to face Decatur Central (16-6). Ben Davis is undoubtedly the heavy favorite, but if there's a team that can scare them in this sectional, it's going to be the 'Hawks.
• Sectional 10, hosted by Arlington, has all signs pointing to a sectional championship showcase game between No. 4 Lawrence North and No. 8 North Central. The Panthers soundly defeated Lawrence Central last evening and have Broad Ripple in the semis, while the Wildcats have to get through Arlington tonight and a Friday semifinal against the winner of the Cathedral-Warren Central contest.
• In perhaps the most "unknown" sectional in 4A, Sectional 11 hosted by Southport, things are looking interesting. After Franklin Community beat Southport last night, the Grizzly Cubs have earned a Friday game against Franklin Central. In a big double header tonight, Center Grove will face Greenwood while Whiteland is set to play Perry Meridian.
• Shifting to 3A, Maggie Boyer and her Lebanon squad avoided a repeat of last season by winning their sectional opener against North Montomgery, led by Boyer's 31 points and 10 boards. The sectional host Lady Tigers now have a Friday semifinal game against Sagamore Conference foe Crawfordsville, a team they lost to by 11 points back on Nov. 30. The other semifinal pits Danville against Western Boone. Can the two Boone County rivals, Lebanon and WeBo, make it to the title game for another heated battle?
• The defending 3A champ has been beat, with Chatard taking down Brebeuf last evening for the second time this season. Heavy favorites in the Beech Grove sectional, the Trojans will face Northwest in the semis while the host Hornets and Roncalli square off in the other semifinal.

I know that was boring, but hopefully it gives you a pretty clear picture of what lies ahead during this week's sectionals. Here's some other news and notes, outside the hoops world:

• We're tracking National Signing Day as football stars across the state give pledges to their future college programs. I got a call from my buddy Derek Schultz at XL 950 this morning, so it's looks like I'll be going on the afternoon show to discuss area committments. In early this morning were two expected committments from Hamilton Southeastern, as DT Nick Sliger penned his name for Indiana University and LB Chris Carlino signed with Purdue. Do you think those two will have any fun playing for the Bucket the next four years? Check back tomorrow, as we plan on posting a Showcase on the homepage of every signing we can get our hands on.
• Girls swimming state finals are this Saturday at the IU Natatorium on the campus of IUPUI, with the finals heats starting at 1:00 in the afternoon. HSSTM wants to know, will anyone be able to "Catch 22"?
• The individual wrestling semistate is also this weekend. I have always thought, in any sport, semistate is the toughest round. Think of all the wrestlers that are one, two, maybe three matches away from earning the ultimate trip to the state finals. That's the kind of pressure that athletes feed off. It's also the kind of pressure that can tighten everything up. Best of luck to the guys.

From time to time, there's a night where a team simply isn't going to lose.

That was the No. 2 Carmel boys hoops team on Friday night, simple as that. The Greyhounds beat then-No. 6 Lawrence North for the first time in 18 years. But they didn't just beat them, frankly, they ran the Wildcats out of the gym by a final of 77-45.

I realize it was just one game. I'm sure LN realizes the same thing. But for Carmel, it was monumental. And it was done in front of a standing-room only crowd of roughly 4,000 hoop-crazed fans. I showed up about 10 til 7:00 and there wasn't an open seat in the place...40 minutes before tip.

Even during pregame, I got the sense that Carmel was all business. They were jacked up and it seemed as though every player, student and fan wearing blue and yellow had this game circled on the calendar for quite some time.

Then, it was proven in a matter of minutes. In what seemed like the blink of an eye, Mark Galloway's group used a flurry of offense and stout defense to explode for an 18-2 lead. The Greyhounds couldn't be stopped, and LN collectively looked like they didn't know what hit them.

By the way, Carmel point guard Daniel Moore can hoop with the best of them. The kid is special. He wound up with 19 points, eight rebounds and nine assists. Not a bad stat line, except for the fact that it still doesn't do him justice. Moore could be described as an athlete...an All-State soccer player that just happens to also have a shot at going D-I on the hardwood. He looks to pass first and shoot second, and he uses his body incredibly well to penetrate the lane.

As you can tell, I was impressed with the Greyhounds. Between Moore, Stuart Douglass, Jordan Brewer, Morgan Newton and Charlie Hansen, this squad has a lot of ways it can beat you. And perhaps the defensive unit was the most notable strength as anything else. I haven't seen No. 1 New Albany play this season, but I'd be hard pressed to think they could look much better than Carmel did on Friday.

But as impressed as I was on Friday, I'd have to say that I was a thrown off a bit when I saw the 'Hounds sqeaked one out on Saturday at Zionsville by just six points. After such an emotional win for a conference title on Friday, you can see how there could be a bit of a letdown the next night.

The question is, are the Greyhounds the slight favorite in 4A? They've got a shot to be undefeated heading into the tournament, as their biggest road block is a Feb. 12 showdown at Warren Central.


OTHER NEWS AND NOTES:

• After just writing about Carmel above, I'd rather not mention the school again right here. But it's pretty hard to ignore the fact that the Carmel girls swimming team qualified 23 athletes - four short of the maximum - to compete at this coming Saturday's state finals. That depth has put them in a position to win No. 22 in a row.
• Last week I mentioned the Chatard boys hoops team, and now the Trojans aren't making me look too good. After upsetting Cathedral to move to 12-2 on the season, Chatard lost back-to-back games to Roncalli and Anderson this weekend. Roncalli is playing tougher as the season progresses, so 3A Sectional 26 is looking more and more ridiculous as time passes. You've got Chatard (12-4), Roncalli (12-2), Northwest (13-3), Howe (10-5) and Beech Grove (12-3) all vying for the title.
• The fun starts this week for girls basketball teams across the state. Anyone care to go out on a limb and predict an "upset" sectional champion? If I had to choose an under-the-radar squad that could pull it off, it would be Fishers. That means the Tigers would have to beat Zionsville, then the winner between No. 7 Carmel and No. 13 Hamilton Southeastern, followed by a sectional title game against either Noblesville or Westfield.

It's always nice when I can include both a girls team and a boys team in the same discussion. And this discussion is about Chatard, whose basketball teams could both be on their way to garnering some headlines as tournament season heats up.

Let's start with the Trojans' boys squad, who last night got a huge win over longtime Catholic rival, No. 5 Cathedral, by a score of 61-55. Chatard now stands at 12-2 on the season, and has bounced back quite nicely after two straight disappointing losses on Jan. 17 and 23 to Washington and Broad Ripple, respectively.

Last night's win over the Irish is by far the biggest win of the season for the boys team, but they also have a nice win over Guerin Catholic (13-3) on their resume, 74-52 on Jan. 4. Coach Chris Quinn's group has been led all season by the Kennedy trio of seniors Jimmy and Billy, and junior Pat (featured in our very first issue on p. 34). Also part of a strong senior class are Daryn Hightower and Michael Zimmerman.

The Trojans aren't going to scare you with size, but frankly, that's not the game they play. With Pat Kennedy running the point, Chatard runs a motion offense that distributes the ball and finds holes. Keep an eye on this group through the rest of the regular season, as they travel to Roncalli on Friday and have tough games left against Anderson (Saturday) and Northwest (2/21).

As for the No. 20 Lady Trojans, coach Kevin Sweeney's group now sits at 16-4 with their final regular season game scheduled for tomorrow night against Broad Ripple. After losing three straight in a tough stretch against Southwestern (Hanover) (17-5), Lafayette Jeff (12-9) and Carmel (16-4), the girls have won five straight and definitely head into sectionals on the upswing.

One of those wins came against Brebeuf on Jan. 25, and Chatard has drawn the Braves for the sectional opener. Guard Anna Boese, who is headed to IPFW, has been on a tear...including a season-high 40 points against Park Tudor last time out.

If the Lady Trojans can get past Brebeuf once again in the tournament, there's really not much standing in their way for the sectional title. The opening game of the regional would then put Chatard up against the winner of the Mt. Vernon sectional, where Hamilton Heights could be looming.

It will be interesting to see how the girls learn from their losses, as most of the top teams they have played, they have fallen just short. In addition to the three straight losses mentioned above, this group's other loss came at the hands of No. 3 Heritage Christian. Will they learn from those losses and be able to get over the hump?

A FEW OTHER NOTES:

• I know so many of you are anxiously awaiting the debut blog of our new intern, Bob. We thought that was going to be today, but we're still working out the minor kinks in getting his account set up. Once he's up and running, I'm sure he'll have no problem making fun of my movie-watching history like many of you. I can take it from Brian, but not the intern. In fact, I'm a little parched...coffee, anyone?
• We got word on a successful delivery of our new February issue, which will be available at Marsh and Blockbuster starting this Friday. We'll be sending out the digital issue to our online subscribers tomorrow, so if you haven't signed up for this free and wonderful service (if I do say so myself), you can do so by clicking here.
• I'll be headed up to the Northside on Friday, ready to take in the boys hoops battle between No. 2 Carmel and No. 6 Lawrence North for the MIC championship. I'll also have some copies of the new mag, so be sure to scoop one up. And if you feel the need to introduce yourself, go right ahead. I'll be the guy that looks like a student but really isn't a student.

Before we get started, a few off-the-wall things for you.

Did anybody happen to catch "60 Minutes" last night? I'm not one for the news-magazine format most of the time, but I have to give a tip of the hat to Scott Pelley for conducting one of the most intriguing interviews I've ever seen. Pelley sat down with FBI interrogator George Piro, who was the lone confidant/outlet for Saddam Hussein during the former Iraqi leader's time in prison. You can catch a clip of it here, but I don't have time to go find the entire interview for you.

Second, as my buddies here at the HSSTM office would be happy to attest to, I'm not much of a movie guy. But I will say that I watched two movies this weekend. I'm about three years late on this observation, but if you haven't seen it, go out and rent "Crash." It's a quite thought-provoking script about how race affects us in our everyday lives.

Now to high school sports, which is what I actually do for a living.

• The IHSAA wrestling state tournament is in full swing, and this past weekend there was tons of action to take in. Of note, New Pal qualified nine wrestlers for this upcoming Saturday's regional at Perry Meridian. Dominating at 152 pounds was Kyle Ulrey, who moved to 34-0 on the season. And Ulrey wasn't the only undefeated to come out of that sectional. At 171, Roncalli's Jacob Blackwell moved to 32-0 after his sectional championship match against New Pal's Max Begovich. And in a marquee match at 119, Franklin Central's D.J. Rackley pinned Shelbyville's Justen Lock to take his 32-0 record into regionals.
• In the team wrestling competition, this Wednesday's regionals have some really interesting matches to follow. Cathedral's depth will be tested in the opening round against a below-the-radar Pendleton Heights squad, and if the Irish move past the Arabians, a likely match against a tough Lawrence North team would follow. Those matches start at 6 p.m. at North Central. Also, the Beech Grove regional features a semifinal match between Perry Meridian and Roncalli. If the Falcons can get past the Rebels, they would likely face New Pal for the regional title.
• The girls basketball sectional pairing were announced last night, and I'm going to leave most of the analysis to my colleague Brian Moore for his blog tomorrow. But I did look over some of the scheduled games, and I thought Ben Davis got an interesting draw and will have to face a good Decatur Central team in its first game. Also, the Carmel vs. Hamilton Southeastern sectional opener will be one of the better games, with the winner likely to face an up-and-coming Fishers team.
• Finally, keeping tabs on one of our featured preseason girls ballers, HSSTM November covergirl Maggie Boyer of Lebanon has committed to play at Miami (Ohio). I've made a call to Lebanon to get a quick interview with Boyer, so look for that later this week on this blog or our Web site homepage. Congrats to Boyer, who is currently leading the area in scoring at 28.5 points per game.

• First up, congrats to Cathedral for its championship in last week's City Tournament, edging a short-handed Howe team in the title game, 64-60. Howe was playing without 6-foot-6 sophomore Jordan Manuel and had lost to the Irish by 17 just a few weeks prior, but still had a strong performance in falling just short. Thanks to the tourney, Cathedral jumped back up to No. 5 in this week's all-class top-20 from the IBCA.
• One boys team has been a bit forgotten since the season got underway: Brownsburg. Since starting 2-3, the Bulldogs have rattled off nine straight wins in impressive fashion. The leadership of seniors Gordon Hayward and Julian Mavunga seems to be bringing this team together, and the winning streak was highlighted by a decisive 70-40 win over Center Grove last Saturday. Keep an eye on Brownsburg.
• Not to forget the girls, how about Heritage Christian? They just might be the best ladies team in the state, regarless of class. The Eagles are now 19-0 after last night's notable win on the road over Carmel, and the program has won 28 straight games dating back to last season. It's hard to see anyone derailing Heritage Christian on its way to a third straight 2A title, with the exception of Lapel (they would meet in regionals).
• Back to the boys, here's a shout-out to Hamilton Southeastern's Matt Maloof, who scored 17 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter of last night's 84-71 win over Lawrence Central. Maloof poured in seven 3-pointers, but with just a one-point lead going into the final frame, it was his fourth-quarter performance that allowed the Royals (9-4) to pull away.

Gotta love the heart of hoops season. What a win for Washington last night, upsetting 3A-ranked Chatard, 63-58, to earn a spot in tonight's City Tournament semifinals. That makes three of the final four schools from IPS, and how nice is that to see? Visit the "Showcase" story on our home page for more breakdown of the tourney.
I'd also like to take a moment and welcome HSSTM's new intern for the upcoming spring semester, Butler University junior Bob Herman. Bob is the managing editor of the Butler Collegian, formerly interned with the National Federation of High Schools (NFHS) and currently holds duties as the man underneath the Bulldog mascot costume at basketball games. If you go to a Butler game, walk up to the mascot as say "Bob!" and see if he breaks "mascot code" by giving a verbal response. Taunt him a little bit, it's OK by me.
Today, I'd like to respond to a few reader comments posted on my blog the past couple weeks. Let's get some interaction going.
First up, I'd like to thank my fine cohort, Brian Moore, for giving me some props on interviews in his last blog on Tuesday.

Rex M. says: "Cal Ripken? How did you guys score that? Who do you know around the area to get these (interviews)?"

• The Mind: Well, Rex, I could tell you, but then I'd have to....only kidding. To be honest, it's all about who you know, what you know and when you know it. The interview with IU football coach Bill Lynch (p.24 of the September issue) was landed through my close friend's parents, who are longtime friends with the Lynch family since their high school days at Chatard in the early '70s. It just so happened that I was able to talk with him right before the season got started, so it was perfect timing. As for Ripken, whom I'm talking to tomorrow, I just heard about his coaching clinic coming to Indy (see homepage) and got on the phone to talk with media relations at Ripken Baseball. Sure enough, there's definitely a local story and he was happy to set me up with an interview. You get the idea. As for Butler coach Brad Stevens, I'm a Butler grad, so that's just me being a homer. Kind of. Stevens is a fantastic guy and being a local graduate of Zionsville, it only made sense.

In response to my last post, regarding boys hoops, Wesley P. writes: "Who makes these schedules? What a grueling trip it's been few weeks for Warren, LN and North Central...How huge is that sectional going to be? Who will survive? And does Warren have an even better chance with Offutt (possibly) coming back?"

• The Mind: Woah there Wesley, one question at a time. Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. As far as the schedules are concerned, with schools such as the ones you mentioned, most of that has to do with the in-season tournaments these teams are playing. When the same schools are part of the same county and conference, there's a chance they might play each other three times before it's all said and done. As for that sectional, which is Sectional 10, you'd be right to call it "huge." Personally, I don't think there's any way of knowing who is going to survive out of LN, Warren, North Central, Cathedral and even a capable Broad Ripple team. If you ask me, any one of those top four teams could walk away with the sectional title. The ONE thing that sets LN apart, big surprise, is its size advantage. Cathedral would scare me as an opposing coach with their depth and versatility, while Warren has really shown their overall talent with Offutt injured. If he comes back, it certain makes things a little more interesting.

"Baked on Bball" says, in response to my County Tourney blog: "I found the whole comparison kind of cool, but count me among those sick and tired of hearing about Marion County hoops. Tell me the last state champion to come out of there in class 4A? I think it was North Central in 1999. I just feel like much, much better basketball is played around the metro area as opposed to in it."

• The Mind: Not to be incriminating, but do you remember a couple guys named Greg Oden and Mike Conley that led Lawrence North to three straight 4A titles, from '04 to '06? I believe they are a Marion County school. Before that, Pike, who is also located within county borders, won titles in '01 and '03. I agree that there is some darn good hoops being played around the metro area, but it simply just doesn't have the consistent competition or depth as Marion. Hence my "loaded baked potato" analogy. Since class basketball started, seven of the 10 state champions in 4A have come from within Marion County borders. The only exceptions are Marion High School in '00, Gary West Side in '02 and last year with East Chicago Central. This season, however, I do think that Carmel has a chance to make a long run...we'll see.

We're not in the "breaking news" business here at HSSTM, which isn't really news to most of you. We're a monthly publication...with very few chances to "break news" other than this Web site. As you can tell it's not our focus, as I only had the opportunity to write one blog last week with our writing and content deadlines for the Feb. issue.

That being said, I was haging out before the Marion County championship game on Saturday night down at Southport and had an interesting conversation.

Watching Warren Central warm up before the game, I spotted Walter Offutt doing his best player-coach impersonation out on the court and got his attention. He came over.

"What's up Dave?" he said, shaking hands. Last time we talked was before the season at the photo shoot for our November cover.

"Nothin' much. How've you been? How's the knee?" I asked.

"It's good...it's real good," Offutt quickly responds. "Had my surgery; I'm comin' back."

So there you have it, Offutt says he's coming back. For the second time, actually. His original "comeback" was the season-opener, before another heartbreaking knee injury.

"I'll be back for sectionals," he continues. "Doctor says three months, and it's already been a month. I'm comin' back."

That's a basketball player talking right there, plain and simple. The kid wants to get back on the court. Desperately. You can hear it in his voice.

I'm not going to sit here and say whether or not he'll actually see the floor again this season, but who am I to say he won't? I just hope, no matter what happens, that the decision is a sound one and that he keeps his future in mind.

But with how well Warren has been playing in his absence, despite the 56-53 loss to Lawrence North for the County title, it's hard to blame Offutt for wanting to come back. That team with him on the floor, even if he's not quite as explosive, will be an even more formidable opponent come tournament time. Even if he's more of a decoy and spot-up shooter, any defense will have to account for him. That's a plus for the Warriors.

"I might not have that first step," Offutt tells me, "but I could still shoot, pass, set screens - all the little stuff. That'll help."

It's admirable, to say the least. Knowing him fairly well, I know he's working his tail off and I certainly wouldn't put the possibility out of reach.

News and Notes

• In that county game, Lawrence North got a big performance from guard Kyree Jones and some key put-backs by big man Stephan Van Treese to pull out the win. Jones scored a team-high 20 points, including a lethal jump shot in the final mintues. Another Jones, Warren's Josh Jones, was dueling all night and dropped in 22 points for the Warriors, who visit Southport tomorrow night. No. 4 LN will make a short trip to No. 12 North Central on Friday for yet another showdown.
• On the south side, Center Grove earned its third straight Johnson County championship with a 50-33 victory over Whiteland. Guard Corey Gray scored a game-high 21 points, including three 3-pointers on the night. The Trojans are now 8-3 and host Ben Davis this weekend.
• I would be doing a disservice if I didn't mention the Carmel boys hoops team, who notched a very impressive win over Cathedral last Thursday in a matchup of undefeateds, 75-60. The Greyhounds, the new No. 2 in this week's all-class Coaches' Poll (posted on our home page), followed that up with a 79-70 win over a Kokomo team that had been playing pretty well. The foursome of point guard Daniel Moore, Jordan Brewer, Charlie Hansen and Stuart Douglass have proven to be a lot to handle recently. The 'Hounds will host Pike on Wednesday night.

After a brief hiatus from the HSSTM blogging scene, we're back to give you a good 10-minute break from work or another reason to keep procrastinating. You're welcome.

Now to get serious. Or a little more focused, let's put it that way.

One of the great traditions of the boys basketball season kicks off tonight, the Marion County Tournament. I know that most of you in surrounding counties probably get sick and tired of hearing about it every year.

Some of that is justified, because county tournaments all around the area are always ripe for some true high school hysteria. But truth being told, it's hard not to get a little more juiced up for the Marion tourney -- it's a loaded baked potato.

Think about it, in terms of this year. You've got No. 7 Lawrence North (the main base, always there at the end).  You've got No. 13 North Central (the butter -- without it, everybody knows it just doesn't taste that good).

Then you've got No. 5 Warren Central (the bacon bits, showing versatility in its use and really and up-and-coming staple). Throw in No. 19 Franklin Central (the chives, giving a nice little kick and extra presentation) and you're really starting to put something together.

Now we're getting a pretty tasty looking potato, right? I still think we're missing a few things. First comes the salt and pepper, which this year has to be Southport and Pike. It's nice to have the extra spice with salt and pepper, but if they don't show up, the rest of the ingredients will suffice and still taste pretty good.

And finally, the last thing this loaded baked potato is missing is a bad cook -- the team/person/school/factor that has the ability to come in and change everything. This year, Decatur Central, Perry Meridian, Roncalli, Park Tudor, Ben Davis, Beech Grove, Brebeuf, Speedway, Lutheran and Lawrence Central all fall under this category.

Wait a minute, this entire analogy just got screwed up. Because if you have a bad cook and the potato tastes like liquid concrete, you're not going to eat it. But if any one of these teams comes into this tournament and shakes things up, you're still going to eat it up. Because it's the Marion County Tournament, and we like this baked potato no matter what.

High school swimming doesn't get a whole lot of pub on the HSSTM blog, so I feel it necessary to let you know just how crazy it can be.

Last evening, I went up to Hamilton Southeastern where the Royals, the No. 1 boys and No. 2 girls, were hosting a four-way meet with Carmel (No. 1 girls and No. 4 boys), Fishers and West Lafayette.

It was a relatively innocent trip, just to drop off some copies of our new January issue, and certainly wasn't the first high school swim meet that I've attended. It was probably the 50th, so none of what you are about to read came as a surprise to me.

I got there about 5:15 with the meet scheduled to start at 6. The stands were already half full and would later fill to hold about 300 spectators. I stood on the deck just having come-and-go conversation with Royals coach Andy Pedersen, HSE co-athletic director Greg Habegger and Fishers co-athletic director Jon Miles.

The start time quickly approached, and that's when the fun began. I looked at my watch and it read 5:53, which was the punctual time that the HSE boys team began its pre-meet chant.

When I say chant, I mean chant. If you've been to a swim meet, you know what I'm talking about. The Royals were in their home pool and wanted to let everybody know that they were there defending their turf.

Of course you can't understand a word of the chant, but that's not the point. And soon after the HSE boys were through with their display, the girls team took their turn and began an intricate calling of their own.

The girls are a little bit more creative, I have to say, including several hand gestures and mini dances along with their message. But once the HSE teams were done, were any of the visiting teams going to respond?

Have no doubt. Up next was Carmel, as their boys team got together for their own yell fest. Keep in mind, all of this overshadows the beat-box of several top-40 radio hits blaring loudly over the PA system.

The vaunted Carmel girls team next took their turn, clapping along with the beat as they let everybody know that they're in attendance. Fishers was next, but I never officially heard anything from West Lafayette.

The highlight of the pre-meet festivites had to come from one of the Carmel boys, as "Souldja Boy" played for everyone to hear. This guy, a taller fellow with curly hair and probably a senior, stepped onto the narrow deck that splits the competition pool from the diving pool. He went ahead and completed the "Souldja Boy" dance for everyone to see, much to the approval of his teammates.

This isn't the only place that this atmosphere shows up, but it's certainly one of the better places to attend a swim meet. Both Hamilton SE and Carmel have built high school and club programs that most could only dream of. It's intense and they have helped make it that way. At HSE, they made a move to put a set of bleachers on the deck right next to the action. Why? So that the Southeastern Swim Club youngsters can sit close and get an idea of what they aspire to be in 3-6 years.

It's events like this that make my job fun. I recently had a parent ask me what my favorite sport is to cover, and the first thought in my mind was football...because I've been a football junkie forever. But then I thought about it a little more, and it's really things like this swim meet that make you realize what high school athletics is all about. Especially with swimming, you've got such a tight-knit community and support system that just makes things a little more memorable and unique.

Just another Thursday evening on the high school circuit. By the way, the Carmel girls and HSE boys won the meet.

Welcome back everybody, and welcome to 2008. I bet everybody feels like a new person with the turn of the calendar, right? No? OK, me neither.
The 2007 year ended with all of the high school basketball action one could really ask for, with enough holiday and county tournaments to feed even the largest appetite. Today on "The Mind," a little recap with some thoughts on performances, starting last Thursday and going through the weekend.

• I went to the early-round games in the girls portion of the Hall of Fame Classic out in New Castle last Thursday. I was impressed by the balance that Lapel put on the floor in its 55-43 win over Huntington North, which wasn't ever much of a game on the scoreboard. But then to see how No. 13 Terre Haute South absolutely ran away from both Lapel in the championship and Greenfield-Central in the early round, they've got some things going. TH South's three losses of the season have come to No. 4 North Central (by 4), No. 12 Bloomington South (by 3) and No. 2 Ben Davis (by 26).
• Did you just read that? Yes, the Ben Davis Lady Giants beat TH South by 26 earlier this year. They also beat North Central by 12 and No. 5 Lawrence North by seven. Which brings us to the annual Ben Davis Holiday Tournament this past weekend. The Lady Giants continued to impress by beating No. 12 Bloomington South, 54-28, and a 10-4 Anderson team, 76-32. Please take this as no disservice to their opponents, but they aren't even close to Ben Davis in these games, save for LN. And they're good teams. If the Lady Giants found themselves in the state title against reigning champ and No. 1 SB Washington, that will be one to see.
• On the boys side at the Hall of Fame, held on Friday, No. 3 New Albany certainly made a name for itself here in Central Indiana. The Bulldogs notched an upset of No. 1 Marion in the opening round, 51-46, before taking down Batesville in the championship, 67-51. Will New Albany be the new No. 1 in the next Coaches' Poll? It would be tough to bet against that. And what about Marion? It will be interesting to see how the Giants, previously undefeated, bounce back after two losses in one day (the second to No. 10 Edgewood in the consolation).
• County tournaments are always a highlight on the schedule, and while most of the girls county championships have already completed, the boys are about to take the spotlight. And this past weekend, a county tourney "transition", if you will, took place when Hancock County played both its girls and boys tournaments. Here's a tip of the hat to the boys team at New Pal, who edged Mount Vernon 41-39. And on the girls side, congrats to Greenfield-Central as the queens of Hancock County with their 54-38 win over Mount Vernon as well.
• Back to the boys, I know myself and colleague Brian Moore have mentioned No. 5 Cathedral in this space the past few times we've written. Well, the Irish had an impressive performance on Saturday night with a 100-83 victory over a nice Howe squad. Cathedral had five players in double figures, including a monster 24-point performance by Jarrett Hamilton off the bench. It should be said that Howe's Larry Stone had an offensive explosion of his own, pouring home 40 points in the loss. Wish I would have seen that one...183 points in 32 minutes? That's some good bang for the buck as far as viewing pleasure is concerned. 
• And for a little HSSTM promotion, we have recieved word that our new January issues are being delievered and are set for distribution this Friday. We'll be sending out the digital copy to our online subscribers tomorrow, so if you haven't do so yet, sign up quickly here.

There's many drawbacks to Christmas and New Year's falling in the middle of the week, say on a Tuesday for example. But there's one huge benefit that overrides all - before you have the chance to blink, it's Friday already. Sweet.
To celebrate this occassion of a 2.5-day work week, followed by another four-day weekend, I've got kind of a scattered notebook of thoughts and observations for you. Enjoy, and an early cheers for 2008.

• With Warren Central's hiring of former Evansville Reitz football coach John Hart recently, I've heard some different rumblings and opinions that seem to come up routinely when money is being spent. One of the arguments I hear is that it's ridiculous for schools to put all this money into coaches, new facilities and athletic funds when this money could be put elsewhere. One main point to this argument is that the money needs to be spent on education-based activities...AKA "learning." I see what people are saying, but I'd like to throw out the argument that a high school student can learn comperable and important lessons on the field of play as they can in the classroom. A good coach can be a vital parent figure to our area student-athletes. If a school has a good coach, in more ways than X's and O's, then the money is being spent wisely with the lessons they teach on the field - leadership, teamwork, adversity, success and many more. Athletics are about more than wins and losses, but let's be honest, the mainstays of football and basketball are what brings a little revenue to the school.
• The Cathedral boys hoops squad is off to a solid start, including last night's one-sided affair against Brebeuf. The Irish have started to show their inside-outside capabilities with junior Errick Peck low in the post and sharpshooters Sean Esposito and Patrick Paligraf on the outside. Throw in slasher Kelsey Barlow and you've got some versatility on the floor. Saturday night, Cathedral has its make-up game against Howe that should be the Irish's toughest test to date.
• One of the holiday tournaments taking place this week down south is the Shelby Shootout, where host Shelbyville notched a thrilling 76-75 win over rival Rushville last night. Josh Kredit-Phelps knocked down the game-winner with four seconds to play and totaled 29 points in the contest. The Golden Bears will be playing Roncalli on Saturday at 8 p.m. in the tournament championship after the Rebels beat Heritage Christian, 54-41.
• Well, the introduction of the McConnell Mailbag has been a resounding failure thus far. At least I can say that I tried. And in response to "Tim G." who posted a comment about the Mailbag introduction a few weeks ago, no, I will not need to pay royalties to Bill Simmons if I can't even post the Mailbag in the first place. But the thought of even being included in the same arena as Simmons is quite flattering...can I just have his job? I'd still like to answer questions whenever they might be asked, so feel free to post one here or e-mail me at dave.mcconnell@hsstm.com.
• Is New Year's Eve the most overrated "holiday" ever? Discuss. I say yes.
• Christmas in the McConnell family was a blast this year, with my 2-year-old nephew absolutely stealing the spotlight. And I was officially introduced to kid TV, having to sit through multiple episodes of the Doodlebops. I hope most of you don't even know what the Doodlebops are. If you care to be weirded out, visit www.doodlebops.com and tell me you expected to see blue, purple and yellow people.
• As a reminder, our January issue will hit Marsh and Blockbuster stores on Friday, Jan. 4. We will be sending out the digital copy a few days before, so if you haven't yet subcribed to the ditigal copy for free, you can do that here.

His quarterback has long been the face of the NFL. His team is still the reigning Super Bowl champions. For years, he has best been known for his humility, grace, honesty and spirituality. And this past summer, his book, “Quiet Strength,” debuted on the New York Times bestsellers list at No. 2 and quickly climbed to the top spot a week later.

Tony Dungy is a national figure, have no doubt. But it’s not just the fact that Dungy is the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts – his climb to the highest of praises comes from the fact that Dungy balances a well-rounded lifestyle along with his prolific coaching gig. He’s much more than a football coach, which the residents of this state know all too well by now.

Which brings us to the story of Dungy’s personal involvement with the Family First organization, and more specifically, the organization’s arm of All Pro Dad. To be honest, I hadn’t the slightest idea what this was until my research for the Dec. issue feature story began in late October.

Having Dungy’s presence in our magazine started as a bit of a joke. I’ll never forget, our CEO and Publisher, Phil Temple, walked into the office one day and said something to the effect of, “I just told this guy that we’re putting Tony Dungy on our cover.”

That was it, that’s all he said. And not long after, I found out “this guy” was a gentleman by the name of Darrin Gray who works with Family First. Phil had met with Darrin as an introduction to our publication, and what came of it was the opportunity to profile and highlight a true family organization with a spokesman whose name and reputation are much bigger than the man himself. Dungy is a class act, but he certainly doesn’t look at himself as any type of saint. He’s humble, to say the least.

In the start of the process, as the idea and possibility of doing this story came within reach, I sat down with colleague Brian Moore to write down some possible questions one of us would ask Dungy if given the opportunity. At this point we didn’t even know which one of us would write it, but Gray wanted to see the direction of the interview before he granted its permission. Sure enough, there were several ways to make the story relevant to our wide audience…and there wasn’t a better fit than our continuous monthly series on community service.

Long story short, I ended up being the one assigned to the story – almost by default. It was just the way each of our knowledge and background contributed to which stories we would write that month, as Brian had familiarity with Franklin Community High School which made him the best fit for the “Franklin's Foundation” piece in the same issue.

So off I went on Nov. 3, headed for the Colts practice complex for the annual Father and Kids Experience and most importantly, to interview Dungy and others for the story.

Personally, I have quickly discarded any “star-struck” qualities that we call have as kids and teenagers. What you have to learn is that, especially with a man like Dungy, they’re just people. They happen to have a high profile job and Dungy is quite good at his profession, but he has a heart, head, eyes and smile just like the rest of us. He goes home every night to a wife and kids…and still has to take out the garbage (yeah, he really told me this).

Prior to doing this story, I have had the opportunity to interview the likes of John Wooden, Bobby Knight, Greg Oden and others. It’s what comes with the job, and I certainly appreciate and realize that. It’s one reason why going into sportswriting is, frankly, pretty cool. If this is work, then I’m OK with it.

Upon arrival to the practice facility, I was directed into a film room that was set up for VIP guests to line up for a photo and hand shake with Dungy. I’m guessing it wasn’t Dungy’s first time in this situation. So I sat and patiently waited, interviewing punter Hunter Smith in the meantime (who, not mistakenly, is also a class act). Then the photos were over, and Darrin kindly introduced me to Dungy.

The setting was quite casual really, which was perfect. If you know me, you know I have more of a laid-back personality.

“This is pretty hectic out here today,” I said.

All he could do was laugh, out loud.

“What was your inkling when you first got involved with All Pro Dad? Did you ever imagine this?” I said to follow my first statement.

Dungy laughed again and said, “We never thought it would get to this point.”

So the interview went on, talking about why he first got involved with All Pro Dad and why he’s still involved with it. We talked about his family, his schedule, his father-like role as a coach and the constant challenge for him to keep good balance in his life.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise, but Dungy is simply just a well-spoken man. It was comforting to notice how he intently listened and made eye contact with each question I asked, seeming genuinely interested in the depth and focus of the question. With a guy like that, fulfilling interview requests the better part of his life, I would almost expect the opposite. But not from a man with his character.

Although I neglected to tell him that I wished he lost the Super Bowl (nothing personal, I was just born and raised a Bears fan…gulp), I did wish him the best of luck in the following day’s game against the New England Patriots. His mind couldn’t have been further from that game.

While local sports radio stations, TV stations and newspapers – not to mention the ESPN hype machine – were busy breaking down “the biggest regular season game in NFL history,” Dungy was at the complex to spend time with local fathers and their kids. Sending his message of the positive impact a father can have with his children was the focus that day. Not the Patriots.

In hearing Dungy address the crowd at the event, it made me realize a few things. The people of Indiana should be forever grateful to have a figure like Dungy for their kids to look up to. With events like this, Dungy makes himself visible and available to the fans…and that is partly why the Colts have become so popular the past 8-10 years. He is the coach of this town’s NFL team, but he’s also an active member of the community and uses his notoriety to teach locals some valuable lessons.

“It’s very intense at work and you’re in a very public setting when you’re with the Colts,” Dungy explains to me, talking about keeping family a priority. “You have to flip the switch and say, ‘Now I’m back at home, I’m just Dad and doing what needs to be done whether it’s taking out the garbage or driving my kids to school.’ That’s the real thing I try to do, just be as normal as I can.”

He’s a normal guy, but he’s far from average.

(Editor's note: To find out more information on how to get involved with All Pro Dad, visit www.allprodad.com. To read the full story on Dungy and the local high school ties to the organization, see p. 40 of the December issue.)

The past five days have seen some pretty darn impressive performances and accomplishments.

• To start off, what a showing by the Indiana School for the Deaf at last weekend's City wrestling tournament, where the Deaf Hoosiers finished a staggering second place to perrenial winner Cathedral. You may have read this stat before, maybe during the Deaf Hoosiers impressive run this football season, but they have a total of 49 boys enrolled at the school. 49. Think about that for a minute. Each earning second place individual finishes for Indiana Deaf were Jamie Johnson (285 pounds), Corey Burton (215) and Colin Analco (125). Here's a tip of the hat to the athletes themselves, as well as coach Mike Paulone and the rest of the administration for running such a fine athletic department.
• Not to be forgotten, North Central earned a boys-girls sweep at the Marion County Swimming Championships on Saturday, led by the girls 200 yard freestyle relay team of Amy Katz, Brittany Kent, Kristen Lewis and Lauren Massey setting a new county and school record with a time of 1:38.74. And the Lawrence North girls had an impressive finish in second place, getting a county record in the 100-yard butterfly from freshman phenom Julie Ogden.
• And what about the Warren Central boys basketball team? What a job early this season by coach Scott Heady, keeping his team hungry and downright driven after losing standout Walter Offutt for the season. After hearing the news of Offutt's injury, the Warriors went out and defeated then-No. 1 East Chicago Central at the Dec. 8 Challenge of Champions. Then, this past weekend Warren used a spark from guard Jarrin Forte to defeat rival Ben Davis, 73-62. The Warriors are now ranked No. 2 in the all-class coaches' top-20 and have a big one tonigh