Indiana Hoosiers: And The Academy Award Goes To…

The 89th Academy Awards was held on Sunday to honor the best in the film industry for 2016. What if the Indiana Hoosiers held a similar award ceremony?

Millions of people gathered to watch the Oscars on Sunday, waiting to see who might win awards for their outstanding performance in movies this year. Our friends at Go Joe Bruin came up with a brilliant idea. If the Oscars were nominating the Indiana Hoosiers in 2016, what awards would they win?

Now Go Joe Bruin on focused on the men’s basketball team, here we are offering the awards to all student-athletes in 2016. There were plenty of wonderful and inspiring moments for the Hoosiers over the course of a year. The awards most fittingly tie in with the excellence of the Hoosiers student-athletes. Their accomplishments over the course of the last year are showcased here.

Best Actor in a Leading Role

The Academy Award Goes To…

Yogi Ferrell – Becomes All-Time Assists Leader
January 19th, 2016

The word around the Oscars is that films that debut early in the season often don’t get the recognition they deserve. There were plenty of shining moments for male athletes at Indiana in 2016, but one that ranks highest is Yogi Ferrell’s impact on Indiana basketball.

On January 19th, 2016 Ferrell broke the record for all-time assists by a single player in Indiana history. He passed Michael Lewis (545) and finished with 633 assists for his career. Yogi’s hard work at Indiana translated to an opportunity in the NBA and an essential part of the Dallas Mavericks future.

Best Actress in a Leading Role

The Academy Award goes to…

Lilly King – 2x Olympic Gold Medalist in Rio
August 5th-24th, 2016

This one was pretty easy for the committee. Lilly King is the athlete that we all needed during the 2016 Rio Olympics. She is one of the best swimmers in the world and she stole the show for the United States. Lilly King left Rio with two gold medals, one in the 100-meter breaststroke and the other in 4×100 meter medley. Her win in the 100-meter breaststroke came with some controversy. Russian swimmer Yuliya Yefimova was the reigning world champion but served a 16-month doping ban in 2013. She also tested positive for a drug that was banned in 2016 but was not suspended from participation. Yefimova came off her semi-final heat holding up one finger and Lilly King waved her finger right back. King came away with the gold and proceeded to tell NBC Sports:

"“You wave your finger No. 1 and you’ve been caught drug cheating? I’m not a fan.” – Lilly King on rivalry with Russian swimmer Yuliya Yefimova"

The Sporting News gave the best interpretation of the King’s victory:

"“The thrill of watching King and Yefimova race was heightened by the back story, the international rivalry, and the high stakes of a final event. It was the Olympics at its very, very best.”"

Best Actor In A Supporting Role

The Academy Award goes to…

Zander Diamont – Foster Farms Bowl Touchdown Pass
December 28th, 2016

When looking for the best supporting character in a film, it’s an actor that drives the main goal of the film. He helps support the overall plot, direction, and substance to the film. In football terms, Zander Diamont did just that for Indiana football in his last game. Coach Kevin Wilson sent Diamont on to the field with 1:45 left before halftime, and well this happened.

"Great half from @HoosierFootball!They’re taking a 17-17 tie with No. 19 Utah into half, partly thanks to this: https://t.co/pYu2bCo7gS— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) December 29, 2016"

Diamont’s 36-yard touchdown to Nick Westbrook tied the game up for the Hoosiers. While this was the only toss Diamont made in the game, it was one well worth noting. Not only did he help tie the game for the Hoosiers, he celebrated in the only way I expected him to. We hand him the Oscar for the best supporting role for simply delivering a spark to Indiana football, this moment only furthers that thought.

Best Animated Film

The Academy Award goes to…

Tom Crean and Indiana Basketball – Post game interview on SportsCenter
November 11th, 2016

For this award, we put a spin on the backing behind the best animation. We handed the award to the best moment animated by a certain emotion. One of the only really savoring memories of the 2016-17 Indiana basketball season came in their first regular season game. Then-No. 3 ranked Kansas was defeated by then-No. 11 Indiana. What made this win even more satisfying was the post game press conference Tom Crean and the players had with ESPN.

While there was a flurry of other moments that were animated for Indiana, none quite like this one for the Hoosiers. It was a moment of pure enjoyment, believing that this season was the one to remember. It did not turn out the way they expected but nonetheless, this moment was one of the best.

Best Picture

The Academy Award goes to…

The Return of Kyle Schwarber – 2016 World Series
October/November 2016

One of the truly great moments in all of sports in 2016 was the 108-year championship drought the Chicago Cubs snapped. A season in which Kyle Schwarber was told he was going to miss out on after suffering an injury in the first week of the regular season.

The Cubs owned the regular season with 103 wins and were put through plenty of tests throughout the playoffs. A Schwarber-less Cubs team reached the World Series for the first time since 1945. As if the story had not already been written, the guy who suffered a knee injury in April was cleared to play in the World Series. Schwarber went on to have .412 batting average and a game-changing hit in Game 7 of the World Series. His post-series celebration interview help wins him the award for Best Picture.

The storyline of Kyle Schwarber’s roller coaster of a season is the takeaway. It seems as though his story in one year could have been written for a movie. Highly rated prospect. Starts the season in a new position. Knee injury. 108-year World Series drought. The situation was all too perfect to not give it to Kyle Schwarber.

Next: Mavericks commitment to the future includes Yogi Ferrell

Can you think of some other suitors for some of these awards? Who would you have chosen to represent your Indiana Hoosiers Oscar Awards? Let us know in the comments or by sharing your thoughts on Twitter.