Connor Turnbull joins UE men’s basketball program Turnbull transfers to UE from Butler
Turnbull transfers to UE from Butler
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Following two years at Butler, Connor Turnbull has officially joined the University of Evansville men’s basketball program. The 6-foot-10 forward was rated a 4-star recruit out of high school by ESPN.
Turnbull is a native of St. Paul, Missouri where he played at Fort Zumwalt North High School. Following his junior and senior seasons, he earned Class 6 All-State honors. A member of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch All-Metro Team, Turnbull averaged 23.5 points and 12.7 rebounds in his final high school campaign. He completed his high school career with the career school records for career rebounds, single-season rebounds, career blocks and single-season blocks.
His junior campaign saw him finish with 14.9 points and 7.3 caroms while helping his team advance to the Class 6 state semifinals.
“We are extremely happy to have Connor and his family join our UE family. I have known Connor and his family for 3+ years. During that time, I have learned how humble and hard-working Connor and his family are,” Ragland said. “Our staff felt the need to continue to add size, skill and shooting to our roster. Connor fits all these characteristics perfectly.”
“Another key area of focus for our staff was to get players athletic and mobile enough to defend multiple positions. Connor has always had the ability to block and alter shots on the defensive end. Coach Rose has built a strong relationship with individuals in Connor’s inner circle. Having the trust and respect for those close with Connor will help in the development process both on and off the court. We look forward to getting Connor to campus and Aces fans will love watching him play.”
As a sophomore with the Bulldogs last season, Turnbull made his presence known despite being limited to nine games. In 105 minutes of play, he posted 16 blocks including six against East Tennessee State, which was one shy of the Butler program record. In the season opener against Eastern Michigan, he recorded a season-high 13 points while converting five of his six shot attempts.
Playing in 22 games as a freshman, Turnbull ranked third on the team with 15 blocks. He was a 44% shooter from the field while finishing at 47% from long range. Against Big East opponents, he shot 70% from outside.
“I chose Evansville because I believe in what coach Ragland is building and really enjoy the staff he’s put together,” Turnbull exclaimed. “The family environment he’s created just makes it feel like home!”
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Residence VIII: A showcase of artists from New Harmony Clay Project featured at USI New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art
The University of Southern Indiana New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art (NHGCA) will host a group exhibition Residence VIII, in partnership with New Harmony Clay Project, Saturday, April 27 through Saturday, June 1. The exhibition features ceramic works by recent residents of New Harmony Clay Project: Tom Belden, Katie Botterman, Audra Lynn Clayton, Christie Cooper, Gary Greenberg, Alex Lewis, Autumn McKay and Greg Van Dusseldorp. An opening reception will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday, April 27 at the Gallery and is open to the public at no charge.
Works on display indicate the rich span of contemporary artistic approaches to working in ceramics today. The exhibit features life size sculptures alongside works embracing contrasting elements of abstraction and figuration. Residence VIII offers cutting-edge insight into the styles and techniques of contemporary artists and explores new concepts and frameworks for expanding the medium.
Belden is currently retired from teaching, but he continues to produce his own art works and does workshops around the country in ceramic art and kiln construction. Belden acquired his Bachelor of Science in Art Education at the University of Wisconsin/Stout and Master of Fine Arts in Ceramics at Arizona State University. He taught drawing, painting, ceramics, art history, design and sculpture for 41 years at the university level. He taught at Arizona State University, Kentucky State University, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, Mesa Community College and Central Arizona College. Additionally, he was the Department Head at two of those institutions and Director of the Art Galleries at two others.
Katie Botterman is a ceramic artist and instructor working in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Ohio University. Notable exhibitions include Rendered Fusion: Clay, Connection, Attention NCECA Annual 2024 at the Harnett Museum of Art in Richmond, Virginia, and ORIGIN, juried by Kensuke Yamada at Baltimore Clayworks, Baltimore, Maryland. Botterman currently works as a ceramics instructor in her hometown at the North Hills Art Center where she shares her love of clay with others while pursuing her own new works.
Audra Lynn Clayton has been a practicing potter for over 20 years. She lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she is excited about functional work, sculpture and atmospheric firings. Her sculptural work explores people and their places. She is the Studio Arts Manager at the Pittsburgh Center for Arts and Media, where she finds great joy in facilitating opportunities for the artists there to thrive.
Christie Cooper received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2011 at the Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture and Design at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. Cooper majored in ceramics and minored in art history. While at Indiana University she studied with Malcolm Mobutu Smith, Tim Mather and Christyl Boger. In addition to making and exhibiting work she has worked as a ceramics instructor since 2011.
Gary “Greeny” Greenberg has been involved with ceramics for more than 52 years. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Northern Illinois University and a Master of Fine Arts from Arizona State, which has resulted in his current position as Assistant Professor Art/Ceramics and former department chair at Clarion University of Pennsylvania, for the last 30 years.
Alex Lewis is currently based out of Columbus, Ohio. In 2021, Lewis received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ceramics with a minor in art history from Otterbein University, Westerville, Ohio. He received his Master of Fine Arts in ceramics from Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, in 2023. He has exhibited in the United States and in Canada.
Autumn McKay is a ceramic artist from Louisville, Kentucky. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Louisville and was selected to be a part of the first cohort of the Hadley Creatives grant program in Louisville, Kentucky. She received a grant from the Great Meadows Foundation that assisted her travels to Vallauris, France, where she was a resident artist at A.I.R Vallauris for three months. After returning to the United States, McKay accepted a short residency at HOBA house in the Portland neighborhood of Louisville. In 2021, she was accepted into the post-baccalaureate program at Indiana University Southeast.
Greg Van Dusseldorp is a studio artist that works in 2D & 3D formats, with clay and paint being the primary materials. He received his Bachelor of Arts in art from Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa. Greg received his Master of Arts and Master of Fine Arts in Ceramics/Drawing at the University of Iowa’s School of Art and Art History. He studied ceramics under the guidance of Chuck Hindes, Clary Illian and Bunny McBride. Greg has been a resident artist at the Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts, Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts and Red Lodge Clay Center. He has taught ceramics as a Visiting Professor at Kent State University for Kirk Mangus and as an adjunct at The University of Iowa’s School of Art & Art History. He was also an Assistant Professor of Art at Iowa Wesleyan College. Greg exhibits nationally and lives in Iowa City, Iowa.
The NHCP is an artist residency and educational center located at the Sarah Campbell Blaffer Ceramic Studio in historic New Harmony. NHCP fosters an environment that supports the investigation of new ideas and work in the ceramic arts. It is an organization under the New Harmony Artist Guild, a non-profit 501(c)3, that serves as an incubator for nurturing the arts. NHCP is a rural residency program, supported by the Efroymson Family Fund, Lenny and Anne Dowhie Trusts and Robert Lee Blaffer Foundation. Its goal is to encourage emerging and professional visual artists/educators in ceramics by giving them quiet space and the time to develop a new body of work.
The NHGCA promotes discourse about and access to contemporary art in the southern Indiana region and is an outreach partner of USI. The gallery is located at 506 Main Street in New Harmony, Indiana. Regular hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. For more information, visit the NHGCA website or call 812-682-3156.
This exhibition is made possible in part by the Arts Council of Southwestern Indiana and the Indiana Arts Commission, which receives support from the State of Indiana and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Missouri Valley Conference Announces Future Sites for its Women’s Basketball Championship; Evansville named 2025 host site
The Purple Aces will have the Hoops in the Heartland tournament in their backyard next year as the MVC has unveiled a three-year rotation for the tournament that includes the Ford Center (2025); Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa (2026); and a return to Vibrant Arena at The MARK in Moline, Ill. (2027). MVC Commissioner Jeff Jackson says, “We’re excited about developing new relationships and growing the sport of women’s basketball in the region. The championship rotation model includes three great venues and three great communities who share the Conference’s goal of prioritizing women’s basketball.”
All 12 MVC women’s basketball teams will compete in the four-day tournament, with four opening-round games on Thursday, four quarterfinal games on Friday, two semifinal games on Saturday, culminating in a Sunday championship game in each of the next three seasons. The league tournament champion earns an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.
The 2025 MVC Women’s Championship at Ford Center will be the 18th-straight year the Conference will conduct a neutral-site championship for women’s basketball. The MVC has played its premier event for women’s basketball at Family Arena in St. Charles, Mo. (2008-2015) and Vibrant Arena at The MARK in Moline, Ill. (2016-2024). The previous 22 MVC post-season championships were held at campus sites. In 2024, the Missouri Valley Conference was one of only six conferences in which the women’s basketball championship was played at a neutral site, separate from the men’s championship and on a different weekend (ACC, A-10, Big East, Pac-12, and SEC were the others).
Three-Year Rotation Schedule
2025: Thursday-Sunday, March 13-16
2026: Thursday-Sunday, March 12-15
2027: Thursday-Sunday, March 11-14
Harrison signs with USI
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball announced the signing of junior guard/forward Damoni Harrison (Atlanta, Georgia) for the 2024-25 season. Harrison is the second player to sign with USI and Head Coach Stan Gouard this spring.
“Damoni has the ability to spread teams out with his shooting and a mid-range jump shot,” said Gouard. “His work ethic will fit in great with our team culture here at USI.
“(Damoni) figures out ways to impact the game however his team needs him,” continued Gouard. “We are ecstatic he’s a Screaming Eagle.”
Harrison comes to USI after a two-year stint at Tallahassee Community College where he was named second-team All-Panhandle Conference in 2023-24. The second-team Florida College System Activities Association All-State performer posted 10.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.0 assists during his second season with Tallahassee. He also recorded a season-high 22 points versus South Georgia Technical College and 11 assists versus Gordon State College.
During his freshman season with Tallahassee, Harrison posted 8.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 37 games. He recorded a season-high 17 points in a win at South Georgia State College and grabbed a season-best six rebounds three times.
Prior to playing at Tallahassee, Harrison lettered in basketball at Archer High School (Lawrenceville, Georgia). He was named first-team All-State, All-Conference, and All-County as a senior, averaging 18.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists.
The Screaming Eagles reached the Ohio Valley Conference Championship post-season in 2023-24 marking the second-straight season since USI made the transition to NCAA Division I.
EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT
FOOTNOTE: EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT information was provided by the EPD and posted by the City-County-County Observer without opinion, bias, or editing.
