Small forward is a small-town Hoosier

Many people relate Indiana to one of the most famous sports movies of all time, “Hoosiers.”

In the film, a small-town high school basketball team from fictional Hickory, Ind., competes and wins against some of the top high school teams in the Hoosier state.

Junior forward Aulani Sinclair can relate to that small-town basketball feeling.

The women’s basketball team jokes with Sinclair about the connection she has with the movie.

“When we watched the movie ‘Hoosiers,’ they asked, ‘Aulani, is this the way you grew up?’” Sinclair said.

Growing up in the small town of Eminence, Ind., allowed Sinclair to grow into not only a successful basketball player, but also one of the captains for this year’s Hoosiers.

Small-town living

Eminence is a small township less than an hour northwest of Bloomington with a sense of small-town livelihood that helped Sinclair grow as a person.

“It’s a real small, tight-knit community where everyone is really supportive of each other, which created one giant family,” Sinclair said.

The admiration for basketball began at an early age, but Sinclair needed resources to develop her ability.

“When I was in first grade, I really wanted to play basketball, but our community didn’t have a recreation youth organization,” Sinclair said. “My mom and dad everyday drove me to Martinsville, and I played the little leagues there until I was old enough to join middle school ball with Eminence.”

Sinclair’s parents supported her basketball endeavors by driving her wherever she needed to play AAU basketball.

High school basketball also helped Sinclair develop into an all-around athlete.

“On my high school team, I had to play everything from the point guard to the center,” Sinclair said.

Sinclair said she wanted to represent Eminence as best as possible.

“Growing up, I knew I wanted to stay here and do everything through Eminence,” Sinclair said.

Through her four years at Eminence, she averaged 26.1 points, 14.4 rebounds, 4.4 blocks and 4.5 steals per game.

She also set Eminence’s record for most career points for girls or boys with 1,776 points. She was Eminence’s first girl’s basketball player to make the Indiana All-Star team.

“My community was so proud of me,” Sinclair said. “To have someone actually stay in Eminence and do so well meant a lot to them because they just love their basketball.”

Then came Bloomington.

Sinclair was the No. 9 recruit in the state of Indiana in the class of 2009.

Since a young age, Sinclair said she wanted to play basketball for the Hoosiers.

“I always grew up being an Indiana fan,” Sinclair said. “It’s always been my first choice since I was little, and when Coach Jack offered me the opportunity to come here, I jumped on it.”

IU Coach Felisha Legette-Jack said she recruited Sinclair because of her 100-percent effort on the court, not where she was from.

“We didn’t look at small-town or big town, city or suburbs,” Jack said. “She practiced with such an intensity and purpose that she would be a great player for me”.

Junior Forward for the Hoosiers

From growing up as an Indiana fan and watching basketball games from the stands of Assembly Hall to playing on Branch McCracken Court, being a Hoosier basketball player has been a breathtaking experience for the Eminence native.

Sinclair and Jack share a connection with both growing up and eventually playing at the college “in their backyard.” Sinclair now plays at Indiana, and Jack played at Syracuse.

“She loves Indiana and the thought process of being a Hoosier was intriguing because it reminded me of myself,” Jack said.

Last year, Sinclair appeared in all 29 games, averaging 6.9 points and 2.6 rebounds per game. 

With the losses of the top-three leading scorers from last year due to graduation, Sinclair was chosen as one of the team’s captains.

Sinclair’s small-town roots have helped develop her in a leadership position with the team.

Jack elaborated on Sinclair’s contagious energy that the other players thrive on.

“She is going to give us these intangibles that we pray that she’s going to continue to bring,” Jack said. “We want that hard work, leave-it-on-the-line mentality for the Hoosiers, and hopefully one day (she will) leave her legacy.”