Trains and railroads connect communities, which is what Big Four Rail Park and its staff hope to do in Muncie.
Prior to Ball State, Lewis had spent 18 years as a graduate assistant and assistant coach at Texas Tech, Stephen F. Austin, Eastern Illinois, Butler, Nebraska and UCLA, with an overall record of 349-292 with six NCAA Tournament appearances. Lewis played collegiately at Indiana University from 1996 to 2000.
Although the stories have not always been instantly published, The Daily News has placed an emphasis on covering important moments in Ball State Sports like bowl games, postseason tournaments and grand openings of athletic facilities for decades.
Now a junior, Love is an active participant in wheelchair basketball and said it’s helped her build relationships and empower herself after undergoing extensive surgery at 16 years old because of her spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy diagnosis.
Freshman guard Jaylin Sellers scored 12 points in 25 minutes off the bench, including a stretch of eight consecutive points. With three minutes and 12 seconds remaining in the second half, Sellers intercepted an Eagles pass and threw down a breakaway dunk on the other end.
Moving forward, Adrian said he wants to emphasize the importance of a team-first mentality and hopes to create an atmosphere where the Cardinals respect one another and become a part of something bigger than themselves. Adrian believes there is a role for everybody in the program and wants his athletes to prosper in three phases.
Redshirt sophomore guard Tyler Cochran contributed 10 points, eight assists and six rebounds. Cochran also totaled a team-high six steals and defended Buffalo forwards because of foul trouble. Whitford said Cochran did an excellent job adjusting and doing what the coaching staff asked of him.
Freshman center Payton Sparks finished with his fourth consecutive double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds, but accumulated five personal fouls. Sparks said Central Michigan forced him to defend guards along the perimeter, but said he was prepared and knows he will improve defending opposing guards.
In Ball State’s 93-83 victory against Toledo, the Cardinals shot 14-for-29 from the 3-point line and totaled 17 assists. Bumbalough said the offense opened up because they emphasized sharing the ball.
Ball State (10-10, 5-4 MAC) defeated Western Michigan (4-16, 0-9 MAC) 83-72 Jan. 29, and head coach James Whitford said the consecutive charges from Sparks and Thomas represented the Cardinals toughness.
