ROUNDUP: North's Blank to be honored by fellow basketball coaches

Mar. 26—Terre Haute North assistant boys high school basketball coach Nate Blank will be the recipient of a Point Guard College/Indiana Transformational Coach Award from the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association.

Blank and Lafayette Jeff assistant girls coach S.J. Houston each will be recognized during the IBCA Clinic on April 25-26 at Mt. Vernon High School in Fortville.

This is the eighth year for the PGC/Indiana Transformational Coach Awards, which are presented to coaches who have impacted the lives of their players and fellow coaches at their school and within their community. The recipients are coaches who are respected by their players and fellow coaches for their dedication, positive approach and integrity on and off the court. Point Guard College is a corporate partner of the IBCA.

Karl Turk of Cloverdale won the award in 2022.

Energy, toughness, passion and selflessness all are terms that have been used to describe Nate Blank throughout his career in basketball as a player and coach, according to a release from the IBCA.

The 2007 Indiana All-Star from Terre Haute North needed all of those traits to conquer medical challenges he has faced over the past two seasons.

"Nate's toughness was tested in November of 2022, right as the basketball season was beginning," Terre Haute North coach Todd Woelfle said in nominating Blank. "He had a medical emergency while at work one day that required an immediate surgery. The surgery was surrounded with uncertainty, anxiety and a long recovery was in store."

Blank ended up spending 10 days in the hospital, couldn't eat solid food for a month and experienced another month of home therapy before he could return to relatively normal activities.

"This was a very difficult time for coach Blank, his family and our basketball program," Woelfle recalled. "Still, even though he wasn't physically with us on a daily basis, he continued to watch video, send messages of encouragement and support our guys and basketball program from a distance. He was even made to turn off a game that he was streaming from the hospital because it wasn't good for his health and recovery."

Blank's condition required a second surgery in October of 2023 due to complications from the first surgery. He again missed significant time away from the team but was able to return to the bench and practice full time in January.

"Coach Blank is a role model for all our players and helped guide the team to the first conference title for our school in 50 years," Woelfle said of a 22-4 season that included a 4-1 mark in Conference Indiana. "It undoubtedly was one of the most successful seasons in recent memory.

"He has a passion for the Terre Haute North basketball program that can be matched by few who have played or coached here. He takes pride in everything we do, is reliable when it comes to any practice, team event, scouting trip, off-season summer game or individual workout with players. He clearly has developed trust and rapport with each of them. He checks his ego at the door and wants the best for all our student-athletes both as basketball players and young adults."

Beyond his role on the court, Blank serves as a behavior interventionist coach for the Covered Bridge Special Education District as well as the supervisor for the alternative education program at Terre Haute Boys & Girls Club.

"I've seen countless times how coach Blank has changed the attitude, focus and effort of so many young people in our community by giving them a sense of hope and purpose," Woelfle said. "He has a unique way of connecting with all students regardless of age, gender or background."

A 2007 graduate of Terre Haute North, Blank averaged 19.0 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists as a senior en route to a total of 1,216 points in his high school career.

He matriculated to Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, N.C., averaging 10.1 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists over two seasons and earning 2008 Atlantic Sun Conference Freshman of the Year accolades. He then transferred to the University of Indianapolis, averaging 10.8 points and 4.8 rebounds and the team's mental attitude award as a junior before his senior season ended after nine games because of a knee injury. Nevertheless, he earned Great Lakes Valley Conference all-academic honors that season and completed his bachelor's degree in 2011.

College baseball

—Two Sycamores honored — Indiana State's Luis Hernandez (Player) and Cam Edmonson (Pitcher) swept the Missouri Valley Conference Baseball weekly honors as announced by the conference office.

Hernandez claims the weekly honor for the first time in the 2024 season, while Edmonson joins Jacob Pruitt (Feb. 19) and Brennyn Cutts (March 11) as the third Sycamore pitcher to claim the conference's weekly honor this year.

Hernandez kept the longest hitting streak in the Mitch Hannahs coaching era alive by hitting safely in all four games and drove in RBI in all four contests as the Sycamores topped Indiana and Missouri State during the week.

Hernandez hit .533 from the plate with eight hits, seven RBI and six runs scored, while homering twice as the Sycamores secured their 11th consecutive conference series win. He added a .632 on-base percentage and 1.067 slugging percentage at the plate to highlight an ISU offense that hit .290 as a team over the week.

Hernandez opened the week starting Indiana State's comeback win over Indiana with a two-run home run in the bottom of the third inning on his way to reaching base in four of his five plate appearances against the Hoosiers. He scored three runs and was hit by two pitches to consistently find his way on base in the key midweek win.

He followed up with an RBI single in Indiana State's five-run rally against Missouri State in the opener, before single-handedly beating the Bears at the plate on Saturday. Hernandez connected on RBI doubles in both the fourth and fifth innings and drove in all three runs in Indiana State's 3-0 win to even the series on Saturday. Sunday, Hernandez answered an early Missouri State rally with a solo home run in the first inning and scored a game-high three runs as the Sycamores topped Missouri State 8-5.

For the season, Hernandez is hitting a team-high .396 with a 21-game hitting streak.

Edmonson posted two wins in the same week as the redshirt senior left-hander shut down both Indiana and Missouri State. Entering the game on Tuesday in the third inning with ISU trailing the Hoosiers 6-0 early, Edmonson got a key double play and a fly ball to end the Hoosiers rally. He went 4.0 innings against the Hoosiers retiring six of seven batters at one point and shut down Indiana with a 1-2-3 frame in the sixth as ISU built a 13-7 lead in the eventual 15-7 win.

On Sunday afternoon in the series finale against Missouri State, he entered during an MSU rally and proceeded to strike out five of the next seven hitters as Indiana State secured the MVC series with the win.

Women's basketball

—Four Pomeroys honored — Four St. Mary-of-the-Woods women's basketball players have been named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Teams and will be on the national ballot for CSC Academic All-America.

Those honored from The Woods are Brooklynn Jones, Destiny Thomas, Madison Fueger and Irye Gomez.

Prep softball

—Sullivan 4, Vincennes Lincoln 0 — At Vincennes, Kate Ridgway pitched a two-hitter with 10 strikeouts as the Golden Arrows won a nonconference road game Monday.

Jaylynn Hobbs and Aphtyn Earley were both 2 for 3 with a double and two RBI for Sullivan, Earley driving in Sullivan's two first-inning runs and Hobbs delivering her two RBI in the top of the second.