Fieldhouse Files: Scott Agness on the Indiana Pacers

Katie Douglas is a homegrown talent, playing basketball at all levels right here in her home state of Indiana. First at Perry Meridian High School. Then she won a National Championship at Purdue (1999), and a WNBA Championship (2012) with the Indiana Fever.

She retired from the WNBA in 2014, playing for three teams over 14 seasons. Her body had had enough.

She has since found a new passion as a business owner. And that’s not surprising. Both of her parents were entrepreneurs and business owners, and her business is also a business owner.

Douglas is a franchisee of Orangetheory Fitness, a fresh take on fitness that focuses on heart rate training in each one-hour session. And for her, it’s 16 months in the making.

“Orangetheory Fitness is a one-hour total body workout,” Douglas explains. “We are heart rate interval-based training. We’re for all fitness levels so you can come in whether you are a professional athlete down to someone that’s never worked out.”

The goal is to be in the orange zone for 12 to 20 minutes, and there’s a scoreboard showing real-time results — much like basketball — for you to compete against yourself. Each workout involves three stations: treadmill, rowers, and a weight floor.

“You’re constantly moving and every day it’s a different workout,” she said.

As Douglas explains, she first tried it in Atlanta and really enjoyed her experience. She will soon be opening up shop on the south side of Indy, by no surprise, with her location at 1675 West Smith Valley Road in Greenwood. And their presale will go live on Friday, the 13th.

Subscribe to the Pacers Podcast on iTunes.

I welcome your questions and comments @ScottAgness on Twitter or via email.

Topics Discussed:

* Life after basketball and finding another passion

* Keeping her own schedule, but also learning to take a break

* The concept, cost, and routine of Orangetheory Fitness

* Pros and cons of playing for your hometown team

* The Pacers’ season

Brody Stephens, diagnosed in 2010 with acute myeloid leukemia, is a fighter. The New Palestine native is just eight years old but he’s had to battle like no kid should ever have.

While at Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health, Brody was visited by Andrew Luck and Jack Doyle of the Colts, Steph Curry and coach Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors – which made his wish come true. And, Glenn Robinson III of the Pacers took an interest in Brody after reading about his fight.

[Click here to contribute to Brody’s gofundme page for expenses and savings]

Brody has become fond of GRIII, who visited him several times in the hospital. He brought shoes and hats. He has a jersey on the way. They talked NBA and discussed Brody’s extensive card collection. Yes, he even has one of Robinson III, from Gary, Indiana.

Recently, I talked with Glenn about Brody, their relationship, and why Brody inspires him. Listen below.

What's your excuse for not working on ur game?? My man Brody working on defensive slide!#brodystrong pic.twitter.com/FTVvYIjU2V— Dan Dakich (@dandakich) December 8, 2016

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I welcome your questions and comments @ScottAgness on Twitter or via email.

Topics Discussed:

* How he heard about Brody

* What he enjoys doing with him

* His reaction to Steph Curry visiting

* Glenn’s special shoes that Brody signed

Aaron Eamer was in his Las Vegas hotel tuned to a random NBA game in 2004. Eamer, a native of Bristol, England, was just visiting but he loved the game and decided he would become a fan of whichever team won.

Indiana Pacers 90, New Jersey Nets 80

The Pacers won, and gained a fan for life in the process.

Though he lives 4,000 miles away, Eamer calls the Pacers his favorite team — of any sport — will get looks from friends when he chooses the NBA over other sports and activities.

Eamer recently spent 17 days in Indianapolis to see his favorite team during a favorable homestand, catch a few Colts games, and to see the town showcased on FOX Sports Indiana television broadcasts. Unfortunately for him, many of the Pacers games were when Paul George sat out due to injury — and a Colts game where quarterback Andrew Luck was out.

He already has tickets and plans to attend the Pacers’ game in London against the Denver Nuggets in January.

Before he returned to England, we sat down in the Pacers gift shop to discuss the Pacers, his fandom, and following the team abroad.

Subscribe to the Pacers Podcast on iTunes.

I welcome your questions and comments @ScottAgness on Twitter or via email.

Topics Discussed:

* Becoming a Pacers fan

* Joy and challenges of following the Pacers across the pong

* How a two-hour trip is thought of as a “journey” over there

* How playing video games adds to his fandom

* On the poor ticket-buying process for the Global Games

Brooke Olzendam previously was the sideline reporter and host for Pacers games airing on FOX Sports Indiana.

Her final season in Indianapolis was with the 2013-14 bunch that reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the second consecutive year.

She’s doing well, out west and closer to home. And, after two years as a reporter and host on Comcast SportsNet, the Portland Trail Blazers hired her last summer to team up with Kevin Calabro and Lamar Hurd for every Trail Blazers television broadcast on CSN NW.

It was good to catch up with Brooke ahead of the Pacers and Trail Blazers playing twice over the next ten days.

Subscribe to the Pacers Podcast on iTunes.

I welcome your questions and comments @ScottAgness on Twitter or via email.

Topics Discussed:

* How’s life out west, and working for the Trail Blazers

* Emotion seeing her former team in town

* Working with Indy native Kevin Calabro

* Early story lines for the Trail Blazers

Jason Smeathers is a basketball trainer with Rob Blackwell over at St. Vincent Sports Performance. They train professionals (both NBA and overseas guys), they train some still in college, and they work with youngsters to prepare them for the years ahead.

Smeathers is a local product, a graduate from Center Grove High School. He then went on to play one year IUPUI — with George Hill providing the assist on obtaining a scholarship — and he finished his career at IPFW. He then played two years overseas, one year in Australia and the other in Canada.

Now, he’s a keen observer of the NBA product — watching games nearly every night.

Full disclosure: Smeathers and Blackwell train the likes of Hill, Gordon Hayward, Shayne Whittington, Brandon Rush, Carl Landry, Jeremy Evans, and Josh McRoberts.

This was my longest podcast to date, and it felt like it flew by. I hope you enjoy our conversation on the 4-4 Pacers, defense, and the talent trained over at SVSP.

Subscribe to the Pacers Podcast on iTunes.

I welcome your questions and comments @ScottAgness on Twitter or via email.

Topics Discussed:

* Pacers’ 4-4 start

* Issues on defense, where they’re last in field goal percentage defense

* The importance of judging teams 10 games at a time

* Developing pro players like Gordon Hayward and George Hill

* Daily conversation with pros and goals for each individual

Clark Kellogg, though a Cleveland native, spent much of his adulthood working in Indianapolis. He was drafted by the Indiana Pacers out of Ohio State University with the eighth overall selection in the 1982 draft. After he averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds in his rookie season, he was named to the All-Rookie First Team.

He played five seasons in the NBA, but he knee injuries during the final two and it ultimately cut his professional career short.

In 1993, he joined CBS as a college basketball analyst, a job he still holds today, and he worked on Pacers broadcasts. After 32 seasons with the franchise, Kellogg moved on in 2014.

A co-recipient with Tamika Catchings of the Indiana Sports Corporation’s annual Pathfinder Award, Kellogg was back in Indianapolis on Friday. Prior to the luncheon, held at the Indiana Roof Ballroom, Kellogg joined me to record a podcast.

I hope that you enjoy it.

Subscribe to the Pacers Podcast on iTunes.

I welcome your questions and comments @ScottAgness on Twitter or via email.

Topics Discussed:

* Being honored with the Pathfinder Award

* Tamika Catchings’ impact and what word he would use to describe her

* An abrupt ending to his playing career and how he adjusted to life after basketball

* Welcoming his first two grandkids within in 25 hours

* The Pacers’ early struggles

* Seeing average players now getting big-time money

With the Indiana Pacers’ 2016-17 season tipping off this week — at home, Oct. 26 against Dallas — it’s a good time to catch up with Todd Taylor, the Pacers’ Senior Vice President/Chief Sales & Marketing Officer. This is his sixth season with the franchise.

Last year, he explained Hickory Nights, the process it took to make it happen, and what fans could expect. (Click here to listen to that podcast.)

For Pacers Sports & Entertainment, it is a big season. It’s their 50th season, so it’s as much about enjoying the current team as it is looking back to celebrate the team’s history and the individuals who contributed to where they are today.

Subscribe to the Pacers Podcast on iTunes.

I welcome your questions and comments @ScottAgness on Twitter or via email.

Topics Discussed:

* Success of Hickory Nights

* Decade games, and how they settled on each individual chosen for the bobbleheads

* Fans’ ticket buying habits and secondary markets

* New Lightbound Courtside Club, Sells Group Loft, and WaitTime app

* Impact of Paul George being the cover man of NBA2K17

On the latest Vigilant Sports Pacers Podcast, I cover everything that has gone on at training camp. Head coach Nate McMillan is running his first training camp since 2011 — and the differences from last year to today have been evident from the beginning.

Myles Turner and Paul George have missed time but there’s no reason to worry.

There are, however, plenty of reasons to be excited about this team. (And it’s not just because the Colts are having a down year.) Faster play, less structure, more points, and more athleticism — just to name a few.

Subscribe to the Pacers Podcast on iTunes.

I welcome your questions and comments @ScottAgness on Twitter or via email.

Topics Discussed:

* Updates on FOX Sports Indiana broadcasts

* Explanation of the Six Decade Games

* Training Camp Injuries

* What coach McMillan is asking of his team

* A breakdown of all 16 players with guaranteed contracts

The job title changed for Nate McMillan on May 16th when Pacers President Larry Bird officially announced that McMillan would be the 15th head coach in franchise history.

McMillan has a wealth of experience leading a team, a head coach for 930 (478-452) games over nearly 12 seasons for two different teams, and the 52-year-old brings an old-school approach.

[VIDEO: McMillan on coaching additions, Niang, and goals for current Pacers]

He joined the Pacers’ bench as Frank Vogel’s top assistant in 2013. He said at his opening press conference that he’s learned a lot since then.

“I think my approach will be a little different than it was back in 2005. It seems like when I started with the Blazers was so long ago but things have changed. The players have changed. How you coached these plays has changed and I think the biggest thing is being able to adapt.

“There is a lot of old-school in me and I won’t lose all of that. But I do understand that you do have to adapt to this generation of players. They call them the ‘millenniums’ as far as you communicate with them, prepare them, and that’s something that we started talking about when I was with USA Basketball, Coach K and his staff.”

[Bill Bayno ‘couldn’t have written a better story’ to be reunited with McMillan, Pritchard in Indy]

Prior to his first training camp as the Pacers head coach, I had a chance to talk with coach McMillan at the Pacers annual golf outing. Listen to that conversation — on the majority of the players working out in town since August, the team’s health, and his coaching staff — below:

Larry Bird, the Indiana Pacers President of Basketball Operations, is like most of us and is looking forward to another NBA season.

The Pacers finished with a 45-37 record last season, good for the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference. After losing in seven games in Round 1 to the Toronto Raptors, Bird began making significant changes to the team beginning with the promotion of Nate McMillan to head coach.

At the Pacers Foundation’s annual golf outing, held at Brickyard Crossing Golf Club, Bird spoke with a few members of the media to discuss the upcoming 2016-17 season.

Watch the full interview below: