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Friday, July 4, 2025B Sectionindianapolisrecorder.comClark, Collier selected as captains for WNBA AllStar in IndianapolisPacers can compete without Halliburton next seasonBy DANNY BRIDGES%u00a0Let%u2019s get something important out of the way here really quickly.Tyrese Halliburton is clearly a phenomenal player and will be sorely missed next season.%u00a0He played with great skill and no hesitation throughout the entire NBA playoffs and left it all on the court despite incurring a rather severe injury on a global stage in game seven of the NBA Finals.There just can%u2019t be enough said about his bravado and innate ability to close out games with clutch performances and now there%u2019s definitely a void to be filled, as without his charismatic demeanor and totally fearless approach to the game, the Indiana Pacers are not full strength as they look to an off-season of clear uncertainty.%u00a0As depressing as it may be for the diehard blue and gold fans all over central Indiana to think about their favorite point guard being sidelined with a tough rehabilitative assignment ahead of him, take solace in the fact that this team even without Halliburton is indeed capable of surviving what will be a twelve to fifteen month stint less their star.The only question that remains is what will the Pacer roster look like when they break training camp for the upcoming season.That of course depends on how draft picks, free agents, and the returning bench players can jell with the starters to form a team that can compete in the wide open NBA Eastern Conference.%u00a0Clearly, there are a host of decisions to be made quicker than the Pacer brass had anticipated, but when it%u2019s all said and done, it boils down to how they handle the point guard position and determine who will line up in the pivot each game.While Andrew Nembhard and T.J. McConnell are both capable they will need help running the show at the point. Signing Myles Turner seems logical but at what price and for how many years? With the recent signing of Tony Bradley and the extension of a contract offer to Isaiah Jackson, they have built a bit of a safety net of sorts, but it remains to be seen if Jackson can go full speed soon and contribute in the way he will clearly be needed.%u00a0Then there%u2019s the question of a contract extension for Bennedict Mathurin. He%u2019s a gifted yet rather inconsistent player and will have no problem drawing interest on the open market next year if the Pacers allow him to test such.He, along with Obi Toppin, represents the real meat of the Pacer bench, and it%u2019s no secret they both would prefer more money and minutes as well.While this team is capable of holding things together until their talented floor general returns, it remains to be seen what Pacers President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard can piecemeal together quickly in terms of formatting a squad that can remain both relevant and competitive this fall.With Pascal Siakam leading his aforementioned teammates, the Pacers definitely have enough firepower to remain a playoff team without Halliburton, but they%u2019ll need bigger contributions from just about everyone they put on the court when the bell tolls in October. Maybe they aren%u2019t a candidate to run it back to the NBA Finals, but they aren%u2019t on the outside looking in either, and it would be both premature and foolish to write them off as a result of not being full strength.Danny Bridges, who thinks Head Coach Rick Carlisle will again be the key for this team, can be reached at 317-370-8447 or at bridgeshd@aol.com.By NORAL PARHAMnoralp@indyrecorder.comWith the WNBA All-Star weekend less than three weeks away, the captains for the high-octane basketball showcase are in.Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever and Napheesa Collier of the Minnesota Lynx will serve as the vanguards of their conference in the highly anticipated game.Clark received over 1.29 million fan votes, the highest in the league%u2019s history.Collier, not too far behind, earned 1.176 million of fan votes.%u201cIt is cool that fans get to be a part of it,%u201d Clark said during practice on June 29. %u201cIt is going to really special to do it here in this city.%u201dAdditionally, Clark praised the many people and community members that are making WNBA All-Star weekend in Indianapolis possible, including the host committee.According to ESPN, Clark averages 18.2 points, five rebounds and nine assists.Conversely, Collier averages a league-leading 24.4 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists.The two captains are from the teams featured in this year%u2019s WNBA Commissioner%u2019s Cup, the league%u2019s in-season tournament. The selection is Clark%u2019s second all-star nod while Collier secures her fifth. Both players will assume the role of all-star captain for the first time in their careers.The captains will draft their all-star teams during %u2018WNBA Countdown%u2019 at 7 p.m. Eastern Time on July 8. League coaches will select the all-star reserves on a prior date.WNBA All-Star weekend takes place July 18-20, with the pinnacle game tipping off on July 19 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. For information on activations and tickets, visit wnbaallstar2025.com.%u201cWe are trying to make it the best all-star that WNBA has ever had, and I know we will certainly will do that,%u201d Clark said.Contact Multi-Media & Senior Sports Reporter Noral Parham at 317-762-7846. Follow him on Facebook @HorsemenSportsMedia.NBA forward and Indy native Trey Lyles hosts free basketball campYoung participants attending the youth basketball camp, hosted by Sacramento Kings forward and Indianapolis native Trey Lyles, on June 29, 2025, at Arsenal Tech High School, located on the east side of Inaianapolis, IN. (Photos/David Dixon)A young fan posing with an autrographed Sacramento Kings Trey Lyles jersey during the free basketball camp hosted on June 29, 2025 at Arsenal Tech High School in Indianapolis, IN.Indiana%u2019s own Trey Lyles welcomed all the participants to the free basketball camp on June 29, 2025, at Arsenal Tech High School in Indianapolis, IN.Caitlin Clark, All-Star Captain for the Eastern Conference of the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game, taking place July 19 in Indianapolis.Napheesa Collier, All-Star Captain of the Western Conference. (Photos/WNBA)Samaya Smith, IHSAA Tennis Single%u2019s 2025 State Champion. Smith%u2019s win is the fi rst-ever state title in tennis in Warren Central High School%u2019s history.(Photos/Walt Thomas)Warren Central High School%u2019s Samaya Smith is 2025 IHSAA Single%u2019s Tennis State Champion