Mark Montieth: Players named Miss Basketball over five decades know the path that led to the WNBA All-Star Game in Indy
They form a human timeline that also measures the progression of their game. The early ones just happened to come along too soon.
Mark Montieth
Articles
Mark Montieth: For worse or sometimes better, the Pacers have been shaped by injuries to young stars
Kellogg, Stipanovich and Granger didn’t experience specific injuries; they had the misfortune of being stuck with knees with early expiration dates.
Mark Montieth: Pacers in 2000 were a few bad breaks away from championship
The Indiana team that reached the Eastern Conference Finals and took Chicago to seven games in 1998 might be sexier, but the 2000 squad had the guts and clutch shooting to go farther.
Mark Montieth: No one has come closer to assuming Reggie Miller’s mantle than Tyrese Haliburton
Head-to-head comparisons between eras aren’t always fair, but Haliburton has produced as many stunning individual highlights and led as many jaw-dropping comebacks in his three-plus seasons as a Pacer as Miller did in 18.
Mark Montieth: Confluence of Indy 500, Pacers playoff game reflects longtime connections
On Sunday, Indy’s twin passions will combine forces for a rare doubleheader that will send a jolt of adrenaline throughout central Indiana and capture the attention of the nation.
Mark Montieth: When playoffs arrive, some players excel at rising above their regular-season selves
Why do some players perform best when the pressure is greatest and the competition the toughest while others succumb to the moment and go quietly into the night?
Mark Montieth: Paying compliments pays off
A few words from an accomplished veteran or coach can give the young player enough confidence to carry him or her through the thickets of the early stages of a career, no matter what level.
Mark Montieth: Unprecedented shift of power
Changes are coming, but it’s a fluid environment with churning waters and probably always will be.
Mark Montieth: Soft skills on the hard court
Every coach craves leadership from players—someone who leads by both word and deed and supports the coach’s standards for on-court performance and off-court behavior.
Mark Montieth: Hobbled in college, Robbie Hummel could make Final Four as a star broadcaster
He will have worked 84 games by the time his broadcasting season ends, which is about 35 more than the industry norm for elite announcers.
Mark Montieth: Naming sports facilities is all the rage. What happens, though, when colleges run out of available real estate?
When attaching a name to something is done as an honor, it makes people happy.
Mark Montieth: Indy’s sports stars of yesteryear earned peanuts for endorsements
It’s safe to assume it’s a stratosphere or two beyond what the local stars of yesteryear received for their humble endorsements.
Mark Montieth: IU long jumper’s Olympic medal in 1956 was just the beginning of a golden life
Bell’s greatest recognition came from winning a gold medal as a long jumper in the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Australia.
Mark Montieth: Reflecting on the positive, negative decisions Indy’s general managers have made
There are some lessons to be taken from the best calls local decision-makers have made. And from the worst, too.
Mark Montieth: Clark, Cignetti and Skenes mark great year in Indiana sports
Stars can dim, of course. Sometimes they even fall. But given good health, these appear likely to maintain their shine wherever they go.
Mark Montieth: Rolling the dice
Last year at this time, nobody dreamed IU would have such a luxury, so Purdue fans deserve to be optimistic about Odom.
Mark Montieth: A rare coaching feat
At this point, Cignetti is amassing a nation of believers.
Mark Montieth: Pat Knight gets a fresh start
Knight, who was introduced as Marian University’s coach in May, will coach the Knights for the first time on Friday in an exhibition game against Indiana University in Bloomington.
Mark Montieth: Pacers season looks promising as long as history doesn’t repeat itself
Now, finally, they are poised to escape rebuilding purgatory and embark on an era of consistent excellence such as the franchise enjoyed from 1994-2000, when it reached the conference finals five times in a seven-year span.
Mark Montieth: Reclaiming his role
Bennedict Mathurin learned that the hard way last May when he had to sit and watch his Pacers teammates break through to the Eastern Conference finals before being swept by Boston.