Floyd County Sports
Hale pledges to Purdue
NA star gives verbal committment to Boilers
Donnie Hale made his college decision Tuesday, his family announced. The New Albany star will stay in-state after his senior year of high school to play for Matt Painter’s Purdue program.
Hale, a 6-foot-8 forward, is relieved the recruiting process is behind him.
“I’m really glad it’s over,” Hale said. “I put a lot of thought into it for a long while; and at the end of the day, it just seemed like (Purdue) was the best option for me. I’m really glad to be a part of their program now.”
The Boilermakers were one of the first major Division I schools to show interest in Hale.
“They offered me (a scholarship) a long time ago but other players committed and it was taken away,” he said. “But they never backed off of me, and they were always there – at open gyms during school and at AAU tournaments in the summer. They seemed really interested and did everything they could to get me there.”
Hale also fielded serious interest from Butler, Indiana State, Oklahoma State, Virginia and Xavier.
“I really appreciate the interest (from other schools),” he added. “They’re all good colleges with great coaches. But I felt Purdue was the place for me and I’m honored to get the chance to play there.”
The entire New Albany team will travel to the West Lafayette campus later this month for a team camp and again on Jan. 2, 2010, for the Super Hoops New Year Classic, a one-day showcase of games where the Bulldogs will face Zionsville.
“Going to Mackey (Arena) is going to be really cool, especially now that I’m committed there,” he said. “Mackey is a great place to watch a game or play. It’s going to be really nice to play there with my high school teammates.”
With his college decision finalized, Hale now will focus on the upcoming whirlwind of July AAU tournaments. During the month-long tour, his Spiece Indy Heat team will play in Indianapolis, Louisville, Kansas City and Fort Wayne.
“A lot of people don’t have the opportunity to have colleges come to them. Now that the process is over, it feels really good.”
- Floyd County Sports
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HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL: Brownstown tops Bulldogs in battle of third-ranked team
New Albany head volleyball coach John Breeding and Brownstown Central coach Jennifer Shade both said that Thursday’s matchup was an indication of how each would stack up against Southern Indiana’s best teams.
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HIGH SCHOOL ROUNDUP: Garr leads Dragon volleyball past Charlestown in three
Haley Garr returned to the Silver Creek volleyball team’s lineup on Thursday night and led the Dragons to a 25-8, 25-13, 25-18 home victory over Charlestown.
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COLLEGE NOTEBOOK: Sept. 3, 2010
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Melanie Stutsman, Floyd Central graduate (Western Kentucky volleyball, Fr.) — weekly stats: 111 assists, 29 digs, 19 kills, four blocks (four assist), two aces; top performance: match-high 34 assists, 12 digs, four kills and three blocks in the Hilltoppers’ four-set win over Central Michigan last Saturday in Purdue’s Mortar Board Premier tournament in West Lafayette; notes: Stutsman made the Mortar Board Premier’s all-tournament team; team record: 2-2.
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HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Pigskin Picks
Pioneers finally get some relief
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HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Friday's games
Capsules for Friday night's football action
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HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL ROUNDUP: Highlanders edged by Seymour in five sets
The Floyd Central volleyball team won the second and third sets against Seymour on Tuesday. But the Owls won the final two sets to upset the 10th-ranked Highlanders in a matchup of Hoosier Hills Conference squads, 25-16, 25-27, 21-25, 26-24, 15-13.
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HIGH SCHOOL BOYS' TENNIS ROUNDUP: Noe wins but Generals fall to Brownstown, 4-1
Clarksville’s No. 1 singles player Jeremy Noe was the Generals’ boys’ tennis team’s lone winner on Tuesday at Clarksville.
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HIGH SCHOOL ROUNDUP: Patty's goal gives Floyd girls' soccer 1-0 win
Taylor Patty scored the game’s lone goal with 19 minutes remaining to give Floyd Central a 1-0 win over Jasper at home on Thursday.
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GRIDIRON AFTERMATH: Bulldogs prove they can run
The New Albany football team proved last Friday that it has more playmakers on its team than just Chris Whitehead.
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KICK IT: Adams amongst global Tigers
No, it’s not an English Premier League team, but Campbellsville University in central Kentucky.
It’s a true united nations at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) school, where Floyd Central graduate Alex Adams and his teammates are aiming to provide the program with its best season ever. - More Floyd County Sports Headlines
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