The Indiana Fever checked off the final item on their championship celebration by visiting the White House and being honored by the President on Friday afternoon. And much like their 2012 championship campaign, it didn’t come without obstacles in the road.

Most of the traveling party was scheduled to fly out after practice late Thursday afternoon. However, because of storms on the East Coast, all flights to D.C. were canceled, causing the Fever’s exceptional travel agent, Tambra Brenner, to work all night. The franchise won its first title with a couple key players sidelined with injury and their championship parade was sent indoors because of worrisome weather. Just like in those instances, the Fever overcame the problem.

Ultimately, most of the group got on the first flights Friday morning to D.C., though some had to split up and extra staff had to decide whether to drive or miss this unique opportunity. Despite the minor holdup, which had some players worried, it was a memorable day for all. Players were even allowed to bring one person with them. At around 2:50 PM on Friday, the ladies stood on the risers and welcomed President Barack Obama to the room.

Obama opened his remarks by saying, “If you’re from Indiana, you’d better have a good basketball team.”

Such an awesome day at the @WhiteHouse @BarackObama @IndianaFever @WNBA pic.twitter.com/Z6prmmojEM

— Tamika Catchings (@Catchin24) June 14, 2013

President Barack Obama an I having a laugh!! @BarackObama @TheWhiteHouse #amazing pic.twitter.com/nhyo9ThrPl

— Erin Phillips (@erinphillips13) June 14, 2013

I will never forget this day. So amazing meeting @BarackObama at the White House. Glad I could share it with my mom too.

— Jeanette Pohlen (@JFP32) June 14, 2013

After spending time in the White House and interacting with the President, the Fever ran a basketball clinic for local kids on the South Grounds of the White House.

It’s one last high school game for seniors in two basketball crazy states. For the second consecutive year, we are proud to broadcast the annual boys All-Star game between Indiana and Kentucky at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 PM EST.

The crew from last year returns as Scott Agness — a 2012 Jim Nantz Broadcasting Award Finalist — and Jimmy Cavanaugh team up to take the game from the Fieldhouse to your ears.

Game One featured an outstanding performance from the Indiana All-Stars, who easily dispatched their Kentucky Rivals by a 114-60 margin, the largest in series history. V.J Beachem, a recent graduate of New Haven High School who will play basketball for Notre Dame led the Indiana All-Stars in scoring with 22 points on perfect 9-9 shooting – including four 3-pointers. Indiana-signee Devin Davis chipped in 10 points and 10 rebounds, while Derek Willis led Kentucky in scoring with 18 points.

Indiana is seeking its 11th straight win in the series, which dates back to 1940.

The Phoenix Mercury were at Bankers Life Fieldhouse Saturday afternoon to face the defending champion Indiana Fever. ABC, with permission from the WNBA, placed a camera on Simpson to give viewers an official’s exact perspective for the first time.

Simpson wore a camera on the right side of his head and attached to a headband that looked very much like glasses. The band had a drawstring in the back and a couple items sat tight on his nose to keep the device in place.

Simpson said it took him about a half to get used to. As he began to sweat, it got a bit annoying and he had to tighten. By the second half, after adjustments were made, he didn’t notice it much. He also had to wear a vest that powered the unit and sent the signal to ABC’s receivers. Because Simpson didn’t felt like it got in the way of his job, we’ll presumably see it used more often — maybe a handful of games this season.

In March, the WNBA agreed to a new deal with ESPN, which secured games and events on the Worldwide Leader through 2022. That agreement included the rights to televise 30 games, the draft and All-Star game on ESPN’s family of network. Part of that deal also included unique and special access that would positively impact both parties.

When players criticized a call, it made for some entertaining television. They’d be better off making their case to either of the other two officials who are without a camera and microphone. In this game, it caught Candice Dupree getting in the face of Simpson and receiving a technical foul.

Enhancements like this referee camera will continue to be introduced. At first, I didn’t like the idea because I though the referee would be bothered by the new headgear and extra weight he had to pack. This can help bring fans closer to the game and provide a nice in-game tough that’s not seen elsewhere. Plus, the Fieldhouse was smart to occasionally show his view on the ginormous video board overhead.

It was a successful launch for ref cam. Can we get it on the NBA’s Joey Crawford next? Pretty please?

Below are their thoughts on IU’s Victor Oladipo and Cody Zeller.

FRASCHILLA:  Chad probably talked to the teams about both, so I’ll speak about them individually.  To me, Victor is a great story because, first of all, there are certain programs in college basketball that have what I call an execution culture and a work culture, and Indiana certainly has that.  I think we all know how much Indiana emphasizes player development.

So in Victor’s case, you’re looking at a guy that’s rapidly improved over three years.  A ridiculous athlete, plays with high energy, high motor, low maintenance guy, wants to be not just in the NBA, but wants to be an NBA player.

My only concern or two concerns I have is size.  Is he going to measure out at 6’5″, the second concern is although he made more jumpshots this year than he did in his first two years, he was 9 of 39, I think, down the stretch from behind the arc.

But I love him, he’s going to be a good, solid player.  With Cody, the thing I’m concerned about with him is he’s a face up post player, who gets pushed off his spot.  He only took 24 jumpshots all year, but he’s a great runner like his brother.  And his brother was an all-rookie second team.  So Cody’s size and his ability to run the floor with energy is I think his biggest strength.

FORD:  I’m a little higher on Oladipo than Fran.  Part of it is his work ethic, and part of it is the way he’s improved.  I think that factors into NBA scouts’ decisions.  Have you worked on your game?  Are you improving every year?  Are you going to be willing to put the work in the gym that’s necessary?  And I think no one has those questions about Oladipo.  When you see how much he’s improved from year to year, you can start to project that he’s going to keep working on that jumpshot.  That he’s going to keep tightening that handle and become even better off the dribble.  Then defensively, he’s already arrived.  He’s a guy that can defend multiple positions in the NBA.

I’m a little bit worried about the size, but he’s going to have length, and he’s going to have explosive athletic ability as one of the three or four best athletes in this draft.  He has a motor.  I really feel like that’s an NBA skill, maybe one of the most underrated of NBA skills that he goes hard all of the time.

I was talking to Tim Hardaway Jr. yesterday at a workout, and I was asking him who he would take between McLemore and Oladipo because he played against both players this season and he praised both of them.  He said Oladipo on both ends of the floor was a nightmare for him.  He was a nightmare on one end because you couldn’t get what you wanted to do offensively done.  You just couldn’t do that at the next level.  And then on the other end, he was so difficult to guard offensively because it’s not like he’s going to shoot jumpshots or not that he’s going to try to create offense by dribbling and isolation.  He is constantly moving without the ball.  He’s going to be in there.  You have to block him out for offensive rebounds.  He’s everywhere.  It’s just an exhausting experience for him, and I think that translates to the next level.

So maybe I’m a little bit higher on Oladipo for those sorts of intangibles that he brings to the table.  With Zeller, I think the question is how he performs against lane.  I think that brings serious questions about his ability to play center.  And as Fran said he is being marketing now as a face the basket four at the next level, but you’re talking about a guy that took 24 jumpshots all season being marketed as a face the basket four.  I think that’s an area that he’s going to have to improve on.

I think there are some question marks about why he didn’t go back to Indiana and work on that and show that to the NBA guys as opposed to coming to the draft and basically tell people, hey, trust us.  I’m going to be able to make this transition at the next level.

The state of Indiana recently approved a loan worth $100 million for improvements to the facility. Anyone that has come through the track would likely point towards the restrooms as an area begging for improvement. Speedway officials also believe that adding lights around the oval would enhance the Brickyard 400, which is set for July 28. The interest was lost and and the crowds were empty. IMS estimates had the crowd over 100,000 but that is being favorable.

May 26th is the date of this year’s Indianapolis 500, and it’s my hope that IndyCar and the Speedway and get the place going like the old days. I remember my parents going making the race an annual event. My dad went for 20+ years straight before the run ended in 1999 because 10-year-old me had a soccer tournament. I asked him if he was going to the race this year and he shrugged. It doesn’t quite have the same allure.

One big item the Speedway is adding is a zip line. After Indy’s Super Bowl success, which included a zip line that stretched in the middle of everything, the track is hoping that it’ll help attack fans back to the track and provide additional entertainment.

The zip line begins 32 feet above ground and travels 200 feet. It’ll be installed just north of the Tower Terrace and be open this weekend – Friday, Saturday and Sunday – before moving to the Snake Pit for race day. On the practice days it’ll cost just $5 to ride while on race day it’s free for those with a wristband.

These types of opportunities only add to the prestigious track and race. Every driver reiterates that the Indy 500 is the ultimate prize. On race day, fans can get in for as low as $30 with a general admission ticket (or from scalpers for under $10).

Another way the Indy 500 could improve its health is by bolstering the list of celebrities. We still don’t know who’ll serve as the Grand Marshall for the 500 Festival – might I suggest WNBA champion Tamika Catchings? Getting big names to attend race day raises the credibility of the event and shows it to be an event not just worth watching, but attending.

This is how I’d recommend navigating the month. Attend pole day this Saturday, tailgate in the Coke lot on the Saturday before the race, and definitely attend the race.

It’s a busy, yet welcome strain between the two events. When the Pacers are on the road, as they are right now in New York, it puts the local television stations down one of their three reporters. For fans, however, it’s a win-win.

To Hoosiers, there’s something truly special about this time. It reminds me of my younger years when Pacers playoffs and festivities at the track went hand in hand. Cars reaching speeds of 230 MPH by day, to Reggie Miller swishing in 3-pointers from 24-feet at night. Fans have to be careful to wear sunscreen and not get too burnt out in the day to stay awake and excited come game time. They will get that opportunity on Thursday, as the Pacers play the Knicks in New York, tipping after 8 PM.

To outsiders, it’s an attraction that is on every sports fans’ bucket list.

On Wednesday, Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, Matt Hasselbeck and Chandler Harnish made an appearance, their first at the Speedway, to watch practice. (Harnish is from Bluffton, Indiana so it is surprising that it’s his first time inside the track.) They visited with Charlie Kimball, who applied to Stanford University but was deferred. The guys clearly had a ball roaming the garages, putting on the headsets and setting the cars speed on by at 222 MPH.

With my Pacers responsibilities, Wednesday was also the first time I had been able to make it out to the track. The weather was absolutely beautiful – 82 degrees and clear skies. Take a day off of work and check out all this place has to offer. While in Indy, a handful of drivers and teams have attended one of the Pacers’ recent

Practice days will set you back just $10, qualifying $15 and Carb day $20. [Click here for more info.]

Butler will always be the NCAA home of head coach Brad Stevens. Since his first season with the Bulldogs in 2007, he is the NCAA’s all-time winningest coach in his first six years at 166-49.(Photo by MTC Campus)

Since the conclusion of both the 2010 and 2011 runs to the National Championship game, Butler head coach Brad Stevens has been one of the hottest coaches on the NCAA market.

This success brought schools from across the country who wanted to make the ultimate catch for their programs: hire Stevens.

Over the early portion of the off-season in both years, Stevens was the target by many major programs such as Oregon, Wake Forest and Clemson, along with being one of the highly speculated rumor options for the Illinois head coaching position when it opened up last year.

As the offers continued to flood in, many speculated that he would depart for bigger and better job opportunities. After all, that’s what his predecessor were known for.

1)Thad Matta was a strong coach at Butler, (his alma mater,) as an assistant from 1997-2000 and officially being appointed the head coach for the 2000-2001 season.

Following his capture of the Horizon League regular season and postseason titles in his first and only year, he was named National “Rookie Coach of the Year” by CBS SportsLine.com and College Insider.com. Lastly, he lead the Bulldogs to a 28-4 season which ended in a loss in the second round of the NCAA Tournament that year to eventual runner-up Arizona. Following that successful year, Matta took the head coaching job at Xavier and from there went to Ohio State, where he is 250-73 with an appearance in the National Title game and two final four appearances to his credit.

2)Most recently there was Todd Lichliter who guided the Bulldogs to a 131-61 record in 6 seasons including two appearances in the NCAA Sweet 16. After losing to eventual National Champion Florida in the 2007 Sweet 16, Lickliter was named National Coach of the Year. Following in the footsteps of his predecessor, Matta, Lickliter realized his stock was high and took a job as the head coach at Iowa.

That’s what the Butler position had become, a high quality mid-major position that was a catapult to bigger and better things.

Naturally once Stevens took over the team in 2007 and made quick work as a head coach, (taking them to the title game in 2010,) everyone expected him to be gone.

Yet to the surprise of the college basketball world, he did what none of the coaches before him had the guts to do: he turned the big programs down.

The following season, when some experts didn’t even have Butler making the tournament, he took the Bulldogs back to the title game and once again turned the “big kids” down.

He was rewarded with a new contract good through the 2021–22 season.

However, the Bulldogs didn’t stop there.  After missing out on the NCAA Tournament in a rebuilding year last season, they joined a top-tier conference in the off-season, the Atlantic 10.

Then, just when the basketball world thought the growth was complete, the Bulldogs joined the new “Big East” last month, completing one of the most remarkable transformations by a program in NCAA Tournament history.

Still other programs wouldn’t give up, and just a few weeks ago, and everybody thought there was finally a school Stevens couldn’t refuse: UCLA.

While not the same as they used to be in the John Wooden days, the Bruins are a rich in history as well as money. There was no way he could turn them down..right?

“@BUCoachStevens: Love walking thru Hinkle in the morning… Anxious to get started on our spring workouts next week.”- via Twitter

There was the answer.

Stevens wasn’t crazy, he was loyal..not to mention successful. He isn’t just good enough to get job offers from the big conferences, he is good enough to get the big conferences to come to him.

Butler basketball has always been about “The Butler Way”, (a motto that started well before Stevens, but is something he practices every day on and off the court,) which “demands commitment, denies selfishness, accepts reality, yet seeks improvement every day while putting the team above self.”

That’s why he turned down UCLA. True, job security and the ability to recruit players that fit his system freely play a factor, but mainly because of his values.

Brad Stevens “demands commitment” from his players, “denies selfishness” from his players, and ensures himself and his players “accept reality, yet seek improvement everyday while putting the team above [themselves]”

That’s why he is never leaving Butler.

It’s time for us to “accept that reality”.

-Jimmy Cook

Follow on Twitter: @theJCook

If you would have asked me a few years ago if college athletes should be paid the answer would have been no, absolutely not. It didn’t seem ethical. It would be paying amateurs for something they choose to take part in.

Anyways, they already have scholarships. Their room and board is paid for, books are paid for and they even receive a monthly stipend. If being an athlete is such a burden, why are you doing it? Go be a regular student and join a club. Put more effort into your schooling and become an educator, a doctor, a lawyer, anything. Abide by the rules and you will reap the benefits.

But, I believe, while all those reasons are legitimate, they ignore what college athletics have become.

Today, the entire landscape of college sports is changing right before our eyes. Conference realignment has become a mad dash for money and profile. Athletes are selling jerseys and receiving cars, while agents continue to infiltrate college campuses and off-season workouts (Miami, anyone?). Parents are allegedly selling their kids during recruitment. Money is shaping college athletics today; it is at the root of all NCAA issues.

Players feel they deserve to be paid, so coaches and boosters feel they must meet the player’s demands because of pressure from the athletic departments to succeed. College athletics today has become an immoral world. One in which it seems almost everyone is cheating.

With the constant criticism of the NCAA and its president Mark Emmert in recent months, paying the players is a topic of discussion again, and it may solve many of the issues.

But how does the NCAA pay the players and regulate who gets paid?

The NCAA signed a contract with CBS/Turner Television that will pay $10.8 billion (yes, billion) from 2011-2024 to broadcast all of March Madness. Furthermore, ESPN is paying the BCS $500 million a year to broadcast games. Take a percentage of this money, an amount so large it’s actually hard to comprehend, and use it to pay the athletes. How much a player does receive would be the school’s decision, most likely incentive based.

Without the players, there is no billion-dollar television contract. Take, say 20%, of the combined $11.3 billion and the NCAA is left with roughly $2.6 billion to pay the athletes. That is all money generated by the players. Not money the students are paying in their tuition, not a “student” stipend used to pay athletes. It is a simple solution and the NCAA avoids a PR nightmare.

Who to pay is the next step and the answer is easy, the athletes who generate the money: football and basketball. With no disrespect to volleyball, soccer, baseball, softball, and other sports, basketball and football simply generate the money. Everything isn’t always fair in the world of economics. It’s capitalism. It’s America.

Football and basketball players are superstars just like professional athletes. No longer is it 1980. Athletes are all over the country. You think more people throughout the nation know Manti Te’o and Trey Burke, or George Hill and Gerald Wallace, who will make a combined $17.8 million this year. The media has created a world where college athletes receive almost as much of the limelight as professionals. This is the cold-hard truth and it’s time to adapt to the rapid evolution of college sports.

College athletics have become the foundation of some colleges and universities. Alabama is better known for its football team than its law school. People associate Indiana University with basketball, not their business school. Sports have become a reason for the regular student to attend a particular school.

Regardless of what you want to believe, sports have a special place in American society. Sports, and all those involved, are put on a pedestal.

When it’s all said and done the fact remains college athletes are bringing in billions of dollars to the NCAA. In essence, college athletes are employees of their school, but with no compensation.

Does that seem fair? No. Pay the athletes. It’s only ethical.

follow me on twitter: @samtdevoe

No. 1 Louisville faces No. 9 Wichita State on Saturday at 6:05 PM EST, followed by No. 4 Michigan vs. No. 4 Syracuse.

Each year, there is a brand new floor created by Connor Sports Flooring. Below is an HD video time-lapse of the court being put together, painted and lined before being shipped down to Atlanta:

Pictured: Cody Zeller and Victor Oladipo. Photo courtesy of thestarpress.com

I apologize for not writing an article on my thoughts after Indiana lost to Syracuse in the Sweet Sixteen last Thursday. To be honest, the fan in me came out and I was mad.

I didn’t want to think about the game for a few days and now that I have my thoughts can be summed up in the next paragraph.

Indiana blew a golden opportunity to hang a sixth banner because they were soft. I saw no toughness from the majority of the players. Maybe Crean’s gameplan wasn’t the best, but it wasn’t his fault this time. It’s not his fault when the backcourt of Yogi Ferrell and Jordan Hulls is outscored 38-0. I thought there were times where the Hoosiers got the ball in the right spots, but there was very little execution after that point. And it all comes back to toughness. There was none. This game was lost because Indiana went soft in the biggest game of the year on the biggest stage. You can’t win on talent alone. Team’s that are tough are the most successful.

Now, in fairness, it was a good season (I refrain from saying great because, well, it wasn’t). But, now the attention turns to the offseason and two decisions that will greatly affect Indiana next season:

Should Victor Oladipo and Cody Zeller turn pro?

Victor Oladipo:
This one is really a no-brainer. Sorry to any fans who are trying to talk themselves into believing Oladipo will return for his senior season and to finish what has been started, but not only will he not, he should not.

Oladipo has gone from a relative unknown his first two years in college to a standout All-American candidate that overshadowed who many had tabbed as the preseason player of the year, his own teammate, Zeller.

Sporting News named him their National Player of the Year, he was a unanimous first-team all-Big Ten selection and the Big Ten’s Defensive Player.

Not that accolades mean everything, but that is impressive for a three star recruit no one knew about.

He will be a surefire lottery pick now, and while he would certainly improve if he came back to school, he won’t improve his draft stock coming back to school, especially with a loaded 2013 class.

And that’s the ultimate question: will a player improve their draft stock if they return?

The scouts love his defensive ability and upside. He improved immensely as a shooter and is a good enough ball handler already. He moves well without the ball, and, perhaps most importantly, can impact the game without scoring or touching the ball, something coaches love.

He won’t be a top 3 pick, but, as I said earlier, he won’t be if he comes back either. He may also luck out and be drafted by a team like Minnesota, where the future is bright and he won’t be dragged down by an inept front office incapable of providing a winning atmosphere for Oladipo to succeed (aka Charlotte, Washington).

Victor is going pro and he should. Don’t think otherwise, Indiana fans.

Cody Zeller:
Zeller’s situation is much different from Oladipo’s. He came into the season as a preseason player of the year and, quite frankly, didn’t live up to expectations.

That’s not to say he didn’t have a good year, he did. And he was a vital part to Indiana’s success, but his stock dropped from being a potential first overall pick to a likely lottery pick, perhaps even a top-10 pick.

At this point, Zeller is a very skilled offensive player that plays hard, runs the floor as well as any big man you will see and moves his feet well defensively. He also has a high basketball IQ.

However, he also has his faults. He isn’t long (a “skill” front offices and coaches love), he’s an average rebounder, not a shot-blocking threat and, for whatever reason (not sure if it’s Zeller or Crean’s fault), he has shown a shocking stubbornness to shoot a 15-foot shot. Having personally watched Cody practice, he is a skilled shooter, even showing the capability to shoot a 3-pointer (he won Indiana’s 3-point shooting contest at Indiana’s Hoosier Hysteria preseason event). So at least he has that in his arsenal, he just needs to show it.

The bottom line with Zeller is he is a great college player and, while I personally would not want to draft him, scouts still agree he is lottery pick.

At this point, Zeller may be doing himself more harm than good if he returns. It was noticeable as the season progressed where his weak points are and teams draft on potential. Often times, the longer a player stays, the more he hurts his draft stock because teams stop seeing the potential they initially saw.

This looks to be the case with Zeller and that is why he should go pro now.

I’m not sure if he will, part of me believes he will return.

But he should, because he could be risking millions by not.

follow me on twitter: @samtdevoe