Category: Student Work

By Alaa Abdeldaiem | @Abdeldaiem_Alaa Sports Capital Journalism Program INDIANAPOLIS — Maryland’s Brionna Jones and Satori Walker-Kimbrough, consensus first-team All-Big Ten players, are what Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder called two of the best players in the nation. Stop them from the outside, and they’ll find a way to succeed from within. Trap them inside, and they’ll …

By Alaa Abdeldaiem | @Abdeldaiem_Alaa Sports Capital Journalism Program INDIANAPOLIS – Going into the second round of the Big Ten Women’s Tournament, the 11th-seeded Penn State Lady Lions knew what they were going up against as they prepared to face No.6 Purdue. It was a team they had met earlier in the season, one they …

By Emily Kennedy | @Emily_AKennedy Sports Capital Journalism Program INDIANAPOLIS – The game was slipping away. The Rutgers Scarlet Knights knew this feeling too well in an often-frustrating season. Nebraska was in position to take control of the second-round game in the Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament. But Rutgers had time to prevent that from …

By Emily Kennedy | @Emily_AKennedy Sports Capital Journalism Program INDIANAPOLIS – “March is made for people who love basketball,” Northwestern coach Joe McKeown said. “And, you know, if you’re a basketball player, this is when you want to keep playing, and we get to play tomorrow.” For a month and a day, the Wildcats had …

By Alaa Abdeldaiem | @Abdeldaiem_Alaa Sports Capital Journalism Program INDIANAPOLIS — “Unreal.” Jason Fanaika sat at the center of the table in Lucas Oil Stadium, fielding each question reporters threw his way. The former Utah defensive tackle had much on his mind: his National Football League Scouting Combine weigh in earlier in the morning, his …

By Kim Dunlap | @kimjdunlap Sports Capital Journalism Program INDIANAPOLIS—National Football League players have been known to use their platforms to spread awareness about social issues. This week, at the NFL Scouting Combine, it has happened at least twice. Ezekiel Elliott of Ohio State and Vernon Hargreaves of Florida have used their high-profile college careers …

By Kim Dunlap | @kimjdunlap Sports Capital Journalism Program INDIANAPOLIS–When David Morgan II was recruited to join the University of Texas at San Antonio football team in 2011, the team had never played a game. The possibility of football at UTSA didn’t even become a reality until 2009, and the following two years were spent …

By Alaa Abdeldaiem | @Abdeldaiem_Alaa Sports Capital Journalism Program INDIANAPOLIS — He describes himself as an on-field monster. At 6-feet, 4-inches and 312 pounds, former Stanford Cardinal guard Joshua Garnett has the size of one, too. A powerful frame and upper body strength help Garnett bury his opponents. His strong base and impressive hip torque …

By Frank Gogola | @FrankGogola Sports Capital Journalism Program INDIANAPOLIS – Jim Thomas has been coming to Indianapolis to cover the National Football League Scouting Combine since 1991. Like his first few years at the Combine, he does not have a specific team to cover this week. That’s because Thomas was the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s …

By Alaa Abdeldaiem | @Abdeldaiem_Alaa Sports Capital Journalism Program INDIANAPOLIS — If someone had said Christian Hackenberg’s draft stock would be in question three years ago, many would have scoffed. The quarterback from Penn State had just completed his freshman season, finishing with a 58.9 completion percentage, 2,955 yards and 20 touchdown passes. He was …