The PIAA Distrct 11 Hall of Fame class of 2026 was announced on Tuesday, and among the newest selections into the hall of fame is Tamaqua Area High School multi-sport athlete Erika (Barron) Davis.

Davis, who now serves as the coach of the Tamaqua girls’ basketball team, participated in cross country, basketball, track and field, and volleyball during her time at Tamaqua. She finished her career with a school record 2,317 points and was a two-time All-State selection in the process.

She’d go on to have a standout collegiate career at Susquehanna University, where she totaled nearly 900 points in 102 career games played while also recording 364 assists and 159 steals.

Davis, this past school year, completed her 11th season as Tamaqua’s girls’ basketball coach.

Also being inducted into this year’s hall of fame is former Northern Lehigh’s Bob Chandler (cross country), Catasauqua’s Amanda Gerhard (soccer), Keith Groller (media – The Morning Call), Stroudsburg’s Jake Jakobsen (wrestling), Stroudsburg’s Ken Lacey (men’s basketball), East Stroudsburg’s Stacy Perryman (basketball), and Parkland’s Andre Williams (football).

Coaches being inducted are long-time former Southern Lehigh softball coach Brian Neefe, former Emmaus swimming coach Mike Seip, former Easton football coach Steve Shiffert, and former Salisbury baseball coach Frank Yelinko.

There are also two media selections for this year’s Hall of Fame. With the Morning Call’s Keith Groller and Severice Electric Network’s Mike Zambelli both earning the honor.

It was supposed to be an all-in showdown on the Ninth Island.

No, not the McGregor-Holloway fight, although that one at least had a moment of action before being decided to the satisfaction of no one.

But the battle of public relations between the Mountain West and the Pac-12 never materialized.

No mas? No show. The Pac-12 did not even put in an ante.

Here’s the back story:

Two years ago, 10 of the 12 Pac-12 schools departed for other conferences. Oregon State and Washington State were left behind with each other, whatever TV revenues were abandoned, and the conference’s name. OSU and WSU had two options: 1) beg to follow Oregon and Washington into the Big Ten, or 2) merge with the Mountain West. They chose “none of the above.”

Instead, OSU and WSU negotiated to play football games against Mountain West teams during the 2024 season. Then in September of that year, whether it was through poaching or persuasive marketing, five Mountain West schools — Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State — agreed to join the Pac-12 beginning with the 2026-27 academic year. It took cross-my-heart loyalty pledges and retention payouts to keep UNLV and Air Force from joining the secession. Along the way, basketball powerhouse Gonzaga joined the Pac-12. The Mountain West countered with additions such as UTEP and Grand Canyon, and Hawaii becoming an all-sports member.

Both conferences went to court to argue over poaching penalties and exit fees worth millions of dollars.

This summer, both were supposed to boast about their members, television partners, sponsors and overall well-being.

This week, the Mountain West is hosting media days in Las Vegas. Each of the 10 football programs was asked to bring four players, the head coach, a top administrator, a media relations director, two digital creators and a mascot. (UH does not have an official mascot.) Television and broadcast partners will attend. Commissioner Gloria Nevarez will promote the league’s strengths and five-time-zone footprint in her annual state-of-the-MW address. The two-day event will be held at the Palms, once a celebrity hot spot in the early 2000s. In recent years, the Mountain West’s media days were held at the 21-and-older Circa Resort &Casino in downtown Las Vegas.

The Pac-12 also was expected to launch its football season with media days in Las Vegas. After all, the Pac-12 has embraced Las Vegas as a favorite venue. For the next two years, the Pac-12’s basketball tournaments will be held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

But Pac-12 officials have been secretive in recent weeks. They have declined to reveal financial details of their new television contracts. And deputy commissioner Rick Hart recently told reporters the Pac-12 decided against holding a media day. The Pac-12 is the only FBS conference without a traditional media day or official preseason kickoff event this summer.

“We could have,” Hart told Front Office Sports. “We talked about it. Those are expensive. … Traditionally, you spend a lot of money, you bring everybody together for two or three days, you disrupt camp or whatever’s going on. Maybe you get the media there, maybe you don’t. Maybe you get 72 hours of publicity alongside all the other leagues that are doing media days. It’s pretty noisy. There’s a lot of static. And then everybody moves on.”

But media event would not conflict with training camp, which can’t open more than a month from the opener. UH, for example, plays Stanford on Aug. 29, college football’s Week Zero. The Warriors’ first practice of training camp is July 29.

The preseason hype probably offsets the cost of a media event. The Mountain West pays for meals and lodging for each team’s representatives. The schools pays for their travel expenses.

To the cynics, there are these conspiracy theories of the Pac-12’s non-plans.

1. If the Pac-12 announces lucrative sponsorships, TV deals and payouts to members, it could enhance the Mountain West’s claim the poaching/secession caused damage.

2. The Mountain West would receive better coverage if the Pac-12 held a media event at the same time in Las Vegas. UNLV and Nevada are Mountain West members; the Pac-12 does not have a member in the Silver State.

Maybe the Pac-12 has an entertaining and superior product. But the proof won’t be in the promotions.

As the college football world turns, University of Hawaii head coach Timmy Chang remains grounded in his goals.

“I think college football has changed,” said Chang, who enters his fifth season as the Rainbow Warriors’ leader. “You have to be flexible to build a roster and compete. We’re doing that. We’re a different type of program. We’re in a different location. And that poses different factors and opportunities and challenges that we have to be able to adapt.”

Fifty-four months after inheriting a disheartened program that was in emotional turmoil, Chang is navigating an evolving landscape. The transfer portal has eased the way for players to change schools without interruption. Student-athletes may now profit from use of their name, image and likeness. The House vs. NCAA settlement requires profit sharing up to $20.5 million annually per school. (UH has budgeted $5 million for NILs and profit sharing this coming academic year, with $2.5 million earmarked for football.)

The Rainbow Warriors have been impacted living in a material whirl.

“Jackson Harris is an example,” Chang said of the wideout who received a lucrative NIL deal after transferring to LSU following the 2025 regular season. “I think he loved our program, but he left for the money.”

But the portal is accessible in both directions, and the Warriors were able to find tall and fast transfers to reload the receiver positions.

“We just focus on our program, focus on our staff, focus on getting better,” Chang said. “Those are the things we can control. We focus on building and developing young student-athletes.”

In accepting the UH job in January 2022, Chang emphasized assembling a staff that shared his vision, connecting the program with academic and administrative leaders, and taking great care of his players.

“If we want someone to come into our program, it means something,” Chang said. “You’re taking in somebody’s son. You’re taking in someone who wants to trust you. That’s the biggest thing.”

For Chang, that meant providing educational and nutritional opportunities.

“Five years ago, we fought for feeding our kids and taking care of them,” said Chang, noting such programs as the Braddahhood Grindz and Sodexo provide training tables. “We’re fed year ’round besides the days we’re truly off, like spring break or winter break. We kept them fed.”

With expanded guidelines, every team member, including walk-ons, partakes in the training table.

“Once you’re on our team, you’re part of it,” Chang said.

He also has provided some leeway for youthful mistakes.

“I made it vocal, my biggest problem is we’re very quick to move to the next thing and move off people,” Chang said. “We want to build a program where we can give people second chances to try to do things right. We want to grow and develop and build that trust with them.”

During Chang’s tenure, the pied piper has been quarterback Micah Alejado, who was born and reared on Oahu and became a standout quarterback for national powerhouse Bishop Gorman High of Las Vegas.

“Micah brings a lot to the table for our program, for our state,” Chang said of the third-year Warrior. “He’s able to attract other players, as well. When you talk about receivers wanting to come and play, they want to play with Micah. A guy who left, like Jackson, still wanted to play with Micah. It’s the style of how we recruit. We recruit people. Your talent is your talent. We recruit based on who you are as a person.”

Chang also said that standard holds for his coaches and staff. Chang has reached agreement on a contract extension, although the paper work has not been signed. As part of conversations, Chang strongly proposed rewarding his staff. Last month, the assistant coaches received new contracts — some received two-year deals.

“The most important thing is continuing to build,” Chang said. “When you look at the building part of it, it’s taking care of your coaches. The coaches are an extension of me. I want to make sure we’re taking care of them. And always taking care of the players, whether it’s revenue sharing or NILs or feeding them. That’s the biggest thing.”

The Warriors became a football-only member of the Mountain West in 2012. This month, 15 UH sports joined, making the school essentially a full member. (UH’s men’s volleyball, beach volleyball and water polo teams remain in the Big West because the Mountain West does not sponsor those sports.)

With UH as full member, school president Wendy Hensel has been appointed to the Mountain West’s Board of Directors and the league’s executive committee. Athletic director Matt Elliott will have a greater voice in decisions involving UH. And UH will receive a full share of the league’s national television revenue.

On the football field, the Warriors have a chance to fill the leadership void created by Boise State’s and Fresno State’s departure to the Pac-12.

Chang will continue to call plays for the ever-evolving run-and-shoot offense.

“I think the run-and-shoot is a wrinkle in itself,” Chang said. “It’s an offense about quarterbacks and receivers being on the same page. You start with an offense like that, it becomes challenging (for defenses) to stop.”

Chang also said defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman will continue to reload a scheme in attack mode.

“Dennis has a great understanding of how he wants to attack and what he wants to do,” Chang said. “Complicated or simple, he wants to make his defense attack. This year more than others. You lose (play-making safety) Peter Manuma and you have guys to replace him. There have been guys waiting in the wings ready to step up.”

—

The news Tuesday that David Steele is retiring after 37 seasons as the voice of the Orlando Magic landed like the end of a long, engaging conversation.

Because that’s what it always felt like.

Not like a broadcaster talking at you.

But like an old friend sitting on the couch talking to you.

For nearly 40 years — first on the radio and then on television — Steele was there through every chapter of Orlando Magic basketball. He described the miracle moments and the miserable ones. He called playoff triumphs, lottery seasons, buzzer-beaters and blown leads with the same steady voice that fans welcomed into their living rooms night after night, year after year, decade after decade.

National broadcasters become famous.

Local broadcasters become family.

Mike Breen has “Bang!” Kevin Harlan has his unmistakable excitement. Mike Tirico can make any event sound important. They are among the finest play-by-play broadcasters in the business for good reason.

But they parachute into your city a handful of times every few seasons.

The local play-by-play announcer is there for every chapter. He’s there on the random Tuesday night in Charlotte when the team loses by 18. He’s there during tanking seasons when victories are scarce. He’s there when lottery picks become All-Stars, when coaches come and go, when championships remain elusive but hope somehow returns every October.

He doesn’t just witness a franchise’s history.

He becomes part of it.

No one embodied that better than David Steele.

“When I interviewed with Pat Williams back in 1988, I never dreamed it would play out this way,” Steele said upon announcing his retirement. “Now it is time for me to put the microphone down and spend time with my family. It’s been an honor to represent the Orlando Magic, and I am forever grateful.”

It’s fitting that the Magic inducted Steele into their Hall of Fame seven years ago. He wasn’t simply honored because he called more than 2,200 games.

He earned that distinction because his voice became part of the franchise’s identity.

You simply can’t separate Orlando Magic history from David Steele.

He was there from the franchise’s birth in 1989.

He narrated the arrival of Shaquille O’Neal.

He narrated the departure of Shaquille O’Neal.

He chronicled Penny Hardaway’s brilliance.

He described Tracy McGrady’s scoring explosions, Dwight Howard’s dominance and today’s young, ascending Magic team.

He was there for the rebuilds and the rebuilds of the rebuilds.

He was there through the exhilarating march to the 1995 and 2009 NBA Finals, the devastating playoff exits and the countless seasons when hope was all Magic fans really had.

The remarkable thing wasn’t simply that he stayed. It was how he did his job.

Steele understood something many broadcasters never learn. He understood the game isn’t about the broadcaster.

“I really think television is more of a color announcer’s medium than it is the play-by-play announcer’s,” Steele once explained. “The fans really don’t rely on the announcer to tell them what’s going on because they can see what’s happening… I set the tempo and I try to bring out the best in the color announcer.”

That philosophy defined every broadcast.

He never forced excitement. He never shouted simply because shouting had become fashionable.

He respected the audience enough to know they could tell the difference between routine and remarkable.

Which is precisely why his biggest calls still resonate decades later. Nothing illustrates that better than Game 1 of the 1995 Eastern Conference semifinals.

Michael Jordan had returned from his NBA hiatus.

The Bulls appeared ready to steal the opener.

Then came six unforgettable seconds.

“Anderson tries to steal it from Jordan and Jordan dribbles around him,” Steele told his radio listeners. “The clock is down to 12 and Anderson stole the ball. Hardaway picks it up, two-on-one, Penny bounce pass to Grant and he dunks it! Six-point-two seconds to go! Nick Anderson stole the ball! Nick Anderson stole the ball from Michael Jordan!”

Steele wasn’t performing.

He was reacting.

The excitement was authentic because the moment demanded it.

If David Steele raised his voice, you instinctively knew history was unfolding.

Fellow Magic broadcaster Dante Marchitelli, who now succeeds Steele on television, perhaps explained his mentor’s greatness better than anyone.

“Nobody, and I mean this, nobody in the league prepares as much and as well as David Steele,” Marchitelli once said. “It’s not about him. David Steele is about the game and the players, and if it’s a big moment he lets it breathe. He has a knack and great timing and his preparation and the way it all comes together is what makes it, really, a perfect telecast.

“He doesn’t make it about himself, and I think people truly enjoy that.”

That may be Steele’s greatest legacy.

In an era when too many broadcasters chase viral moments, catchphrases and social-media clips, Steele quietly pursued something far more difficult.

Credibility.

Respect.

Class.

He was prepared.

He was accurate.

He was humble.

And because he never tried to manufacture emotion, fans trusted him when genuine emotion  arrived.

Of course, Steele wasn’t above having fun.

One of the most beloved features of Magic broadcasts became his wonderfully quirky “Is This Anything?” segment, where he’d present some wonderfully obscure statistical oddity before asking broadcast partner Jeff Turner whether it actually mattered. A cheerful “ding” meant yes. A buzzer meant no.

It became one of those inside jokes shared between two friends; between broadcaster and audience; the kind of thing that only develops after decades together.

Orlando Magic Chairman Dan DeVos couldn’t resist using it one last time.

“You can’t have a memory of Orlando Magic basketball without David Steele’s voice being a part of it,” DeVos said. “David handled everything with professionalism and class, and he will forever be entrenched in this franchise’s history. ‘Is This Anything?’ We’d say David was EVERYTHING to the Orlando Magic.”

It was the perfect tribute because it spoke Steele’s language.

As a kid in East Tennessee, Steele would hide a transistor radio beneath his pillow at night, listening to baseball broadcasts after he was supposed to be asleep. Those unseen announcers sparked a lifelong dream and unknowingly shaped the broadcaster he would become.

For nearly four decades, somewhere in Central Florida, children were either falling asleep or on the couch with Dad as another familiar voice drifted through the house.

David Steele’s voice.

One day they’ll realize those weren’t merely basketball games they were hearing and watching.

They were memories being made.

And long after someone else occupies the television chair, generations of Magic fans will still hear Steele’s voice whenever they replay the most compelling moments in franchise history.

Because some broadcasters simply call the games.

The truly special ones like David Steele become part of the family.

Email me at mbianchi@orlandosentinel.com. Hit me up on social media @BianchiWrites and listen to my radio show “Game On” every weekday from 3 to 6 p.m. on FM 96.9, AM 740 and 969TheGame.com/listen.

Following 37 seasons as the play-by-play voice of the Magic, both on television and radio, David Steele announced his retirement Tuesday morning.

“I can’t thank the DeVos family and the Orlando Magic organization enough for what they have provided to me and my family,” Steele said in a statement. “When I interviewed with Pat Williams back in 1988, I never dreamed it would play out this way. Now it is time for me to put the microphone down and spend time with my family.

“It’s been an honor to represent the Orlando Magic, and I am forever grateful,” he added.

After handling radio play-by-play duties for the team’s first nine seasons (1989-98), Steele was then named the television play-by-play voice for the Magic in March 1998 and spent the next 28 seasons in that role.

“You can’t have a memory of Orlando Magic basketball without David Steele’s voice being a part of it,” Magic chairman Dan DeVos said in a statement. “David handled everything with professionalism and class, and he will forever be entrenched in this franchise’s history. … We wish him and his family nothing but the best.”

Replacing Steele, 72, as Orlando’s new play-by-play television announcer will be Dante Marchitelli, the team said.

Marchitelli, 50, enters his 28th season with the organization and has served as studio host/sideline reporter since 2008. He’s also performed play-by-play duties for select games for the last three seasons (2023-26).

Marchitelli began his career with the Magic in 1998 as a radio intern. He was hired full time in January 2000 as radio producer, working behind the scenes on every broadcast for the Magic Radio Network. Marchitelli was promoted in 2005 to radio manager and also served as radio sideline reporter. He was named assistant director of broadcasting in July 2017, then promoted to director of broadcasting and alumni relations in July 2023.

“I am beyond grateful to the DeVos family and the Orlando Magic organization for this wonderful opportunity,” Marchitelli said in a statement. “Working with David Steele for the past 20 years has been the highlight of my career. He is an absolute legend, and I can’t thank him enough for everything he has taught me along the way.

“This is a dream come true and I’m looking forward to continuing my connection with Orlando Magic fans everywhere,” he added.

The former voice of the University of Florida, Steele arrived in Orlando in 1989 after serving as network coordinator and football/basketball play-by-play announcer for the Gators for seven seasons.

He was named Florida Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sports Media Association twice, winning the honor in both 2009 and 2021. In 1980, Steele earned the Ray Reeve Award as TV Sportscaster of the Year in North Carolina. He also won the Best Play-By-Play in Florida award from the Florida Sportscasters Association in 1984. In February 2019, Steele became the eighth person inducted into the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame.

A native of Jacksonville, Steele’s professional broadcasting career began in 1975, as sports director at WJHG-TV in Panama City. He also served as sports director at WLOS-TV in Asheville, NC, and was the football/basketball play-by-play announcer at Western Carolina University.

He and his wife, Sally, live in Orlando. They have three children, Luke, Emily and Betsy, and eight grandchildren.

Marchitelli earned a bachelor’s degree in public relations/advertising from Liberty University in 1998. A native of Woburn, Mass., he and his wife, Lana, live in Windermere and have two daughters, Olivia and Allison.

Following the closure of FanDuel Sports Network Florida, the Magic will announce their broadcast plans for the 2026-27 season in the near future, the team said.

Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com

OTTUMWA — Jace Mitchell knew he would be inheriting the role as the ace of the pitching staff for the Ottumwa High School baseball team when the season began.

In his final game on the mound for the Bulldogs, Mitchell pitched like an ace allowing two runs on four hits while striking out 10 batters. It was a performance worthy of a postseason win.

Against many other pitchers, it would have been good enough to earn Mitchell a postseason win. Adam Bowman, however, ended up on top in a classic substate duel on Saturday at John Hart Stadium.

Bowman, one of the top 10 pitching prospects in the state, showcased his skills for 6 2/3 innings allowing just two infield singles to the Bulldogs and three total baserunners while striking out 13 batters. The Little Hawk senior came within one pitch of a complete-game effort, ultimately handing the ball over to Kane Willey, who struck out Quinn Larsen swinging with the final pitch clinching Iowa City High's 2-0 win over Ottumwa in the Class 4A, Substate 8 quarterfinals.

"When you play in the playoffs, it's always a grind game, especially in this type of match-up," Ottumwa High School head baseball coach Joey Mitchell said. "They had a pitcher on the mound that's been really good all season. He was really good again.

"When it comes to games like this, it comes down to a couple of timely hits. They got them. We didn't."

Jace Mitchell took over as Ottumwa's top pitcher midway through the season from one of the other state's top pitching prospects. Tucker Long wrapped up his final season of high school baseball pitching 20 innings in four starts, striking out 42 batters reaching 250 career strikeouts before moving on the begin his college baseball career at the University of Mississippi.

Mitchell finished an incredible senior season for the Bulldogs both on the mound and at the plate, recording a 1.47 ERA in 43 innings over eight starts while striking out 59 batters. Mitchell also finished leading Ottumwa at the plate with eight home runs, 39 RBIs and a .758 slugging percentage giving the Bulldog senior plenty of confidence heading to Central College to begin his own collegiate baseball career.

"It definitely gives me a lot of confidence that I can go in there and show everyone what I can do," Jace Mitchell said. "Definitely, when it comes to hitting, I kind of struggled early on and found it midway through the season. I just rode with it. I've pitched against a lot of good teams this year and done pretty well against most of them."

Mitchell met an early challenge on Saturday as Iowa City High (22-18) loaded the bases with one out in the opening inning, striking out the last two hitters to keep the Little Hawks off the board. Bowman responded by striking out the side in the opening inning on the way to retiring seven of Ottumwa's first nine hitters on strikeouts.

"I just had the ball moving really well," Bowman said. "I was able to throw all three of my off-speed pitches for strikes. When I can do that, it makes it pretty easy."

Iowa City High brought in the only two runs of the game thanks in large part the biggest swing of the game. Blaine Heick followed a lead-off single by Caden Pauli by driving a ball to center for an RBI double before stealing third base and scoring on a sacrifice fly by Crosby Newton, giving Bowman all the run-support necessary allowing only one ball to leave the infield in the contest retiring the potential tying run at the plate five times including four strikeouts of the potential tying run during the contest.

"When I take too much time in between pitches, that's usually when I get into trouble," Bowman said. "I try to keep my mojo working by going pitch to pitch. I just try to throw the ball and, hopefully, it goes where you want it."

Larsen reached twice in three trips to the plate against Bowman. Mitchell Jordan collected his team-leading 45th hit, beating out an infield single in the third inning for the Bulldogs.

"We were starting to see some things better once we started down the order for the third time," Joey Mitchell said. "We started putting some more balls in play, but it just started for us a little too late."

Iowa City High faced eighth-ranked Waukee Northwest (24-12) in the substate semifinals with the winner heading to third-ranked Indianola (31-4) on Wednesday for a state baseball tournament berth. Ottumwa ends the season with a record of 20-14 in Joey Mitchell's first year as the helm of the Bulldogs.

"Ottumwa baseball has always been a program that team's around the state recognize. We've always been able to put some really good teams together," Joey Mitchell said. "I just look forward to doing that each and every year."

Local tennis

Rochelle tennis tournament still taking registrations: The seventh annual tournament at Rochelle High School is taking registrations through July 15. The tournament takes place from Friday, July 24, to Sunday, July 26.

Last year, there were 164 players from ages 11-84 who came from 58 cities.

The cost is $40 per adult and $20 for students, which includes unlimited divisions. Players also need to bring one can of new balls per division they are playing in. All proceeds go to the Rochelle HS tennis programs.

You can register and find more information at https://sites.google.com/view/rochelle-tennis-tourney. Registration fees can be paid at the tournament with cash, check or Venmo.

Questions? Contact Kristy Eckardt at (815) 677-1473 or kristyeckardt@hotmail.com, along with Lizzie Cartwright at (217) 979-9879 or lcartwright@rthsd212.org.

INDIANAPOLIS—The Indiana Football Coaches Association presented a total of 14 scholarships prior to kickoff of Friday’s 60th Annual All-Star Classic, including a Hall of Fame prize to Alexandria quarterback Brady Gast.

Gast was a four-year varsity student-athlete in both football and basketball, while also competing for two years in golf and two years in baseball for Alexandria. His football achievements include being named a two-time All-Conference selection, an Academic All-State honoree, and a Region 5 All-Star Offense At-Large selection. Additionally, Gast earned honorable mention All-Conference honors in golf.

“It means a lot with all the work I’ve put in,” Gast said. “I’m thankful for everything that’s happened to me.”

Gast will continue his football and academic career at Franklin College

“I’m excited for that,” he said. “I’ll be studying sports administration and hopefully become an athletic director.”

Last year, Gast was 130-196 passing for 2,095 yards and 25 touchdowns while throwing just four interceptions. He rushed for 321 yards and six touchdowns and graduated 32nd in his class with a grade point average of 3.53.

During his four seasons, Gast completed 65.9% of his passes for a total of 6,840 yards with 78 touchdowns against just 25 interceptions while the Tigers posted a 28-14 record. He added over 600 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns over the course of his career while playing for his father, Pete, at Alexandria.

“He’s done a lot for me, the town of Alexandria was great to me and it’s been a great four years,” Gast said.

He added three career interceptions on the defensive side of the ball, including a pair during his junior season.

Prior to kickoff, Gast and the other scholarship winners rode around the field in Corvettes, supplied by the Murat Shriner’s Club.

“That car was cool,” he said. “My takeaway is to be thankful for everything and I’m thankful to God.”

Other scholarship winners include Cade Kitchel from West Lafayette, Owen Dorrel from Culver Academy, Emmianna Dowell of Madison, Angola’s Alex Thomas, Madi Lance from Leo, Sawyer Tippmann of Snider, Mackenzie Kania from Chesterton, Jordan Palmer from Whiteland, Sam Pavey of Rushville, Seeger’s Paul Ragan and Henry Tokar from Yorktown.

Both Dorrel and Kania were presented multiple scholarship awards.

UCF senior forward Jamichael Stillwell is among 16 college athletes suing the NCAA, seeking an injunction granting them another year of eligibility.

The lawsuit, filed in the Superior Court of Cobb County, Georgia, is the latest in a series of lawsuits in response to the NCAA’s new age-based eligibility regulation or “5 for 5” rule.

The measure allows athletes to use up to five seasons of eligibility within a five-year window. The clock would begin either immediately after an athlete enrolls at an institution or at the beginning of the academic year following their 19th birthday. Athletes who completed their fourth season during the 2025-26 academic year would not receive an additional year of eligibility.

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Florida attorney Darren Heitner, who is representing the athletes in the case, has been involved in several lawsuits against the NCAA seeking immediate eligibility for athletes. He served as an attorney for Clemson receiver Tristan Smith, who received a temporary injunction against the NCAA from a South Carolina judge in June.

He’s also the attorney for former Kansas defensive end Dean Miller, who is currently seeking an extra year of eligibility, which he hopes to use to play at UCF.

According to the lawsuit, Stillwell’s time at Miami-Dade College and Butler County Community College shouldn’t count against his competition limit and he should be eligible to play during the 2026-27 season.

The lawsuit also states that if he’s granted an additional year of eligibility, Stillwell would return to UCF, which it claims has a roster spot available for him.

If Stillwell receives an injunction and returns to the Knights, it would be a massive boost for a team coming off its first NCAA Tournament appearance since the 2018-19 season.

The 6-foot-8, 245-pound Georgia native averaged 11.6 points and 8.2 rebounds per game in his only season at UCF. He recorded nine double-doubles last season, including a 10-point, 13-rebound performance against UCLA in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Stillwell previously played two seasons at the junior college level before signing with Milwaukee as a junior in 2024-25. He averaged a double-double with 13 points and 10.7 rebounds per game for the Panthers.

He transferred to UCF prior to the 2025-26 season, along with former Milwaukee teammate Themus Fulks.

The Knights’ roster underwent another massive rebuild this offseason. Seniors Riley Kugel, George Beale Jr., Devan Cambridge and Fulks all exhausted their eligibility. Center Jeremy Foumena, guards Kris Parker, Chris Johnson and Poopha Warakulnukroh, and forward Jordan Burks all left via the transfer portal.

Stillwell also entered the portal, but with the caveat that if he could get an additional year of eligibility, he would return to the Knights.

His return would solidify a roster that features returnees John Bol, Carmelo Pacheco and Elijah Hulsewe, along with transfers Cayden Vasko, Arturo Dean, Mister Dean, Dior Johnson, Lewis Walker, Jason Asemota, Dylan Mann, Isaiah Malone, Ladarius Givan, Churchill Abass, Jahda Swann and Tanner Jones.

Matt Murschel can be reached at mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com

This offseason, University of Hawaii quarterback Micah Alejado is routinely clocked at 4:45.

With a lights-outs bedtime of 8:30 p.m., Alejado awakens at 4 in the morning, showers, and then arrives at UH at 4:45. Maybe earlier, never later.

“I try to be the first one there,” Alehado, 21, said of the 6 a.m. start to conditioning drills. “Start warming up my body and get ready for the workout. I’m getting older. The body takes a little bit longer to get warmed up now.”

Entering his third year — and second as QB1 — with the Rainbow Warriors, Alejado has embraced his leadership role.

“I want to set the example,” said Alejado, whose summer schedule is built around the Warriors’ training.

He attended Saturday’s UFC 329 fight at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, where his parents own a home. He is scheduled to travel to Honolulu today, participate in Monday’s morning workout at UH, and then return to Las Vegas that afternoon ahead of this week’s Mountain West Media Days. Alejado, running back Cam Barfield, linebacker Jamih Otis, and nickelback Elijah Palmer will represent the Warriors during Wednesday’s session. All are alumni of Bishop Gorman High School, a national football powerhouse in Las Vegas.

While many high school graduates don’t see each other until their class’ 10th reunion, UH appears to have established a Bishop Gorman alumni association. There are 16 former Gaels on the Warriors’ 2026 active roster. Associate head coach Chris Brown and quarterbacks coach Chad Kapanui also coached at Bishop Gorman.

“Gorman played a huge part in all our lives,” Alejado said. “It’s a scared place. It definitely set us on the right path of life. Looking back on it — our lifestyles, our practice schedules, everything that happened with school and football and off the field — it was preparation for life after high school and going to college. It made the transition so much easier.”

Alejado, in actuality, has been training since his hanabata days in Ewa Beach. His father was a quarterback at Pearl City High. Paul Alejado made his left-handed son also practice throwing with his right hand, just in case. Micah Alejado can accurately throw right-handed passes up to 30 yards.

Galu Tagovailoa, father of Atlanta Falcons’ QB Tua Tagovailoa, was Alejado’s youth-league head coach.

Alejado moved to Las Vegas ahead of his freshman year at Saint Louis School. Jon Amano, a former Hawaii resident who coaches in Las Vegas, taught Alejado the intricacies of the run-and-shoot offense that UH uses. Bishop Gorman’s West Coast offense has run-and-shoot elements.

“At Gorman, we were training already in January and getting ready for the season in August,” Alejado recalled. “Early-morning workouts in the summer. … One-hundred degrees is 100 degrees. It’s not comfortable at all. But it makes you in shape and mentally tough.”

Alejado also has learned to adapt as he ascended the football ladder. At 5 feet 10, Alejado relies on a quick release to escape a defense of 11 angry men. His ability to throw to receivers as they break on their routes comes from post-practice sessions and tireless video studies.

“If you really want to be a mastermind and understand the game to the fullest, you have to take the proper steps to prepare and take a deep dive into the book of football,” Alejado said. “That’s the way I’ve been since I was young. I was in love with the game and the P’s and Q’s and insides and outsides of it.”

Alejado often will watch a play from an NFL telecast, then fire off a text to head coach Timmy Chang, who calls the offensive plays.

“Can we get a variation of what they’re doing into our offense?” Alejado would text.

Last season, Alejado showed grit after being injured in the season-opening victory over Stanford. He was believed to have suffered a high-ankle sprain. He declined to undergo advanced testing.

“I didn’t want to know what was wrong,” he said. “I wasn’t going to look at anything until the end of the season or if I couldn’t walk anymore.”

He played the following week, aggravating the injury in the second half. He missed the next two games and, after a bye week, returned against Fresno State and started the remainder of the season.

He did not participate in movement drills ahead of the Hawaii Bowl.

“I was just trying to get the ankle ready for one last game,” he said. “It was pretty surreal how I made it through the season.”

After the victory over California in the Hawaii Bowl, during which he completed 69.6% of his throws for 274 yards and three touchdowns, it was revealed he had endured fractures to his tibia and fibula in his right ankle. The injury did not require surgery.

“I don’t think if it were my left (ankle), I would have played, definitely not,”said Alejado, referencing his push-off foot.

Alejado did not participate in contact drills the past spring training. He was cleared for sprinting in June.

“I think those five, six months helped me a lot,” Alejado said. “It’s been a long road to recovery, one that really tested me. Looking at it now, I’m 100%.”

In this era of easy transfers and lucrative name-image-likeness deals, Alejado opted to stay put.

“Coach Chang has been my No. 1 supporter ever since he gave me a scholarship,” Alejado said. “That means a lot to have a coach who believes in you and trusts you. You’ll find a lot of guys today in college football struggling to find that. People underestimate how grateful I am for having this head coach and culture around me, having my brothers around me. We care about football. I love the culture here. I love the people. I want to win some football games here.”

Alejado regularly treats the offense to lunch. Ahead of training camp, he plans to pick up the tab for a team dinner. This coming Sunday, he is the name sponsor to a youth camp (ages 6-16) at Saint Louis School.

He said he grew up attending football camps and clinics. It was where he met and played catch with Tua Tagovailoa and Marcus Mariota.

“It was fun to meet them and talk football,” Alejado said. “It was big to see how they were as people. I want to do the same.”

—

Jul. 12—Thirty-two years ago, coach Larry Ham let senior Chris Wallace, the star quarterback for the South High School football team, call the plays on defense for the basketball team.

"I'm offense on the football field," Wallace said, "but when it comes to basketball, I think it starts and stops with who's playing defense and who's getting after 50-50 balls and who's winning the rebound war."

That was Wallace's thinking in the 1993-94 season, and it remains his philosophy as he prepares for his first season as the head coach of the Springfield boys basketball team.

"(Defense) dictates a lot of what we do offensively," Wallace said, "and that's getting out and trying to score off the break. If we can't, we'll get into what we do, but that's the precedent we're trying to set right now with our student-athletes."

Springfield announced the hiring of Wallace on June 1. Wallace replaces Matt Yinger, who stepped down in April. Yinger was 28-48 over three seasons.

Wallace will remain the offensive coordinator of Springfield's football team. He said the basketball team will practice in the evening after the football team when the seasons overlap.

The basketball team, which includes many football players, will play its first game in mid-December. That has often been the schedule for Springfield, whose football team has made a habit of deep playoff runs.

"If I have to do double duty, that means we're doing what we're supposed to do on the football field," Wallace said.

Springfield has suffered seven straight losing seasons in basketball. Springfield football was in a similar place when Maurice Douglass took over the program in 2014, having won a combined total of four games in the three previous seasons. Douglass turned the program into a winner in his third season and a state power in his sixth. Springfield then reached the state championship game three seasons in a row.

Wallace has similar goals.

"Those are the same set of kids that did what they did on the football field," Wallace said, "so the expectation doesn't change. Once you set a standard, that's what the goal is, and I think our kids will say that without a doubt. That's where we see ourselves."

For Wallace, the path to that level of success begins with building a culture with the basketball program.

"The one thing that I talked to my assistant coaches about is we all agree right now there's no culture for basketball, and that's where it has to start," he said. "We created a culture with football. We created a sense of belonging. That's something that people value. We hold each other accountable, from the trainers all the way to the kids. That's what we're going to try to do with basketball as well. I think it can happen, but it takes the kids saying, 'Hey, this is what we're going to do. This is how we're going to do things. This is what our standard is going to be as players. As student-athletes, we're going to hold each other to this standard.' If you get that player-led atmosphere, we can start to build. Right now, our talk is we want to play late into March."

Wallace has plenty of experience with the program. He has worked as a varsity assistant basketball coach, a freshman head coach and a junior varsity coach.

Wallace takes over the program as his son, Christopher, enters his senior year. Christopher played quarterback for the football team but was limited to three games in basketball as a junior because of an injury.

Wallace has known many of the basketball players since they were in elementary school. He got to know them through his work as a community mentor supervisor for the school district.

"It's been exciting to see them grow in multiple sports," he said.

Wallace has already started working with them on the court. The Wildcats played at the Midwest Live event in Sandusky, Ohio, in June. They're also holding open gyms at the high school. He has seen good numbers and is excited about the young players.

"We've got a good young class of incoming freshmen and sophomores that are committed to the game," Wallace said, "and are showing up and working hard. We're young on the varsity level as well. We've got three or four sophomores that are going to be contributing, and we've got a couple juniors, and then we've got some seniors at the guard spots as well."

If Wallace achieves his goals, he'll add another chapter to Springfield's rich basketball history. Springfield won state championships in 1925 and 1950. North reached the state semifinals in 1995 and 1997. Ham guided South to seven conference championships and five district titles in 14 seasons.

Wallace knows about the past success of Springfield and North and South high schools, before they combined, as well as anyone.

Wallace is the rare athlete who not only played for South's Larry Ham but also for North's Eddie Ford. Wallace started his high school career at North and finished at South. His Springfield basketball experience goes back even further than that.

"I used to lay the jerseys out when I was a kid for Doug Ratstatter and Don Henderson and company," Wallace said. "I used to be in those locker rooms because my brother went to North. My older cousin, Steve Victoria, went to North. I went to North my first couple years, but even when I was a kid, my sisters cheered for South. I knew the Pepper Begos, the Scott Thomases, the Karlton Claybornes, the Jason Gees."

Some of those former Springfield basketball standouts called to congratulate Wallace on getting the job. They told him, "I know you're going to bring back that attitude and that toughness that we brought on the court in both gyms out on the north side and the south side."

"There's a buzz in the community," Wallace said, "and I'm excited about that."