Fieldhouse Files: Scott Agness on the Indiana Pacers

Ahead of the Indiana Pacers’ first-round playoff series, Michael Grange of Rogers SportsNet joins Scott Agness on the Vigilant Sports Pacers Podcast to offer insight from the Toronto perspective. The Pacers are in the playoffs for the fifth time in six seasons, this year as the No. 7 seed. The Raptors, winners of 56 games, are having the best season in its franchise’s 21-year history. But they hav...

This week on the Vigilant Sports Pacers Podcast, Matt Dollinger of SI.com joins to discuss the push to the playoffs, the Pacers’ season, and big storylines around the NBA. Dollinger, who has worked at SI since 2010, is an Indiana native and a graduate of Indiana University. Also, hear from NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. He was at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Monday for the NCAA Women’s National Title...

On this week’s episode of the Vigilant Sports Pacers Podcast, I go one-on-one with the best interview in the Pacers locker room, C.J. Miles … and I talk to the Bad Boy himself, Rick Mahorn. With the Pacers’ season wrapping up, it’s a good time to have two individuals on to offer their perspective as a current and former player. Subscribe to the Pacers Podcast on iTunes. (And, please — pretty, pret...

This week on the Vigilant Sports Pacers Podcast, I’m joined by two special guests: Pacers Sports & Entertainment President Rick Fuson and Fever star Tamika Catchings. The Pacers and the city of Indianapolis would like to host NBA All-Star Weekend, and so Fuson, along with several other city officials, traveled to the 2016 NBA All-Star game across the border in Toronto last month to take notes and...

Scot Pollard played in the NBA for 11 seasons, including three for the Pacers, and he won an NBA Championship in his final season, 2008, while with the Boston Celtics. He’s on the latest season of Survivor, which currently airs at 8:00 p.m. ET on CBS. The group of 18 is gone for seven weeks and isolated on Kaoh Rong, the second largest island of Cambodia. The lone survivor wins a grand prize of $1...

NBA executives were busy this week in the final days leading up the Trade Deadline at 3:00 p.m. ET on Thursday. Most teams remained out of it, including the Pacers (28-25). They decided their best option was to not pull the trigger on any trade. In this episode of the Vigilant Sports Pacers Podcast, I give you my take on what did — and didn’t — go down before the deadline. Plus, I talk with one me...

ESPN will air a 30 for 30 short on the “Save the Pacers” telethon held in 1977. They were out millions of dollars and needed money from folks in Indianapolis to keep the franchise afloat, and in town. In turn, it was incredibly important to the development of downtown Indianapolis and the sports landscape in the city. Indianapolis filmmaker Michael Husain was compelled to tell the story and so he...

Bill York is a staple around Indianapolis sports teams. When there’s a home game, Bill York is sure to be there working. He began working the stats room at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1957 and has been with the Pacers since the beginning (1967). He says that he even helped unload the Mayflower trucks with the Colts moved to town in 1984. Sports reporters in Indianapolis media know York, who...

Nate Taylor is a fresh voice now covering the Indiana Pacers. His first day with the Indianapolis Star was in September at Pacers training camp. Taylor, a graduate of the University of Central Missouri, previously was a do-it-all journalist for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He is married and has an infant son, Hayden. This week on the Vigilant Sports Pacers Podcast, I talk with Taylor, who offer...

This week on the Vigilant Sports Pacers Podcast, I’m joined by Mark Montieth, who has covered the Pacers for decades — first for the Indianapolis Star and for Pacers.com since 2012. [The podcast is now on iTunes, so subscribe today so that the latest episode will download automatically.] Topics Discussed: * Early season success * Ian Mahinmi’s growth … an Hack-a-Ian * Luis Scola * Paul George elev...

Jeremiah Johnson is in his third season covering the Pacers for FOX Sports Indiana, and his second as the sideline reporter and host. Johnson, a Ball State graduate, joined the podcast from his hotel room in Los Angeles. [The podcast is now on iTunes, so subscribe today so that the latest episode will download automatically.] Topics Discussed: * On the work that goes into each broadcast, meetings,...

Quinn Buckner was a spectacular athlete. He was a two-sport athlete at Indiana University, part of the 1976 undefeated team, and is one of three individuals to have a championship at every level. This weekend, with family and friends sharing in the celebration, Buckner will be inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in Kansas City, Missouri. The ceremony will be emceed by Cla...

A new podcast is up! It’s a busy time of year so this time, Scott Agness goes solo. After the Pacers started the season 0-3, they have since gone 5-1 (with their only loss being to the Cleveland Cavaliers by four points). [The podcast is now on iTunes so subscribe today so that the latest episode will download automatically.] Topics Discussed: * How the team bounced back from a bad first week * Pa...

The Indiana Pacers unveiled their NBA “Pride” uniform this fall, one that uniquely connects with the community. (Best of all, it’s not a sleeved jersey like most of the “Pride” uniforms around the league.) Several team execs gathered in a room nearly two years ago to brainstorm, and they came to an agreement on Hickory uniforms from the movie “Hoosiers.” When doing their research, they found out t...

A new episode of the Vigilant Sports Pacers Podcast is here just in time for the season opener — Wednesday night in Toronto. You’ll be watching on FOX Sports Indiana, who plans to televise all 82 regular season games for the first time ever. You know Chris Denari (10th), Quinn Buckner (17th), and Jeremiah Johnson (2nd), but you don’t know Max Leinwand. Why would you — he’s new to town! You appreci...

Brian Levy is just 31 years old but he’s now tasked with running the basketball division of the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA’s Developmental League. Exactly one month ago, the Indiana Pacers finalized a deal to purchase the Mad Ants and thus have a one-to-one affiliation. For the past five years, Levy was with the Bakersfield Jam, the Phoenix Suns’ affiliate. There, he held a number of titles: v...

MINNEAPOLIS — As you may know, I recently started a Pacers Podcast. Well, covering the WNBA Finals I thought it was appropriate to put together a Fever episode. [VIDEO: Stephanie White talks with the media ahead of Game 2] The Fever were victorious in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals, 75-69. At Monday’s media availability, I spoke with Briann January, Tamika Catchings, coaches Stephanie White and Gary Kl...

The Pacers opened training camp for the 2015-16 season on Tuesday and will have had three two-a-days by week’s end. I spoke with three players — rookie Joe Young, second-year big man Shayne Whittington, and  Jordan Hill — with different perspectives about camp. Topics Discussed: * Joe Young’s heart and passion for the game * Young’s motivation, plus his goal to be Rookie of the Year * Shayne Whitt...

The first episode of the Vigilant Sports Pacers Podcast is here… Topics Discussed: * The Pacers busy “off”season * Asset building * Paul George at power forward * Tracking 10 storylines as camp opens. I appreciate you taking the time to listen. I welcome all feedback: @ScottAgness on Twitter or Scott@VigilantSports.com. Enjoy!