Boom build toward what they hope during year one in Noblesville
The Boom had a choppy yet successful year.
NOBLESVILLE, Ind. – Year one is officially in the books for the Pacers G League affiliate in their new home. The Noblesville Boom played their final game on Thursday in front of a crowd of just over 2,800 fans as they concluded a regular season that can be split up roughly into four sections.
They were incredibly injured to open the season, signing Ben Coupet Jr. to a hardship contract in order to play their first game. With two-way contract players allocated to the also-injured Pacers, the Boom started the year 0-7.
But they got healthy, then had a few outings with the likes of RayJ Dennis and Taelon Peter on assignment. They won five of their next six games and were a force to end the Showcase Cup portion of their season. And this became a frequent theme for the Boom all year. When they were healthy or at least mostly intact, they won games. But those moments weren't frequent in their first season playing in Noblesville.
Tony East
The regular season was similar. Noblesville started 11-6 and were firmly in a playoff spot early in February. They fell to 11-8 on February 8, a crucial date – that was the final time a two-way contract player suited up for the Boom all season. Taelon Peter (February 8), Quenton Jackson (January 30 and contract converted), and Ethan Thompson (February 4) have been with the Pacers ever since. Kam Jones hasn't had an assignment with the G League since February 1. And Jalen Slawson got promoted into Jackson's two-way slot, taking him away from the Boom after March 1. He technically played in one G League game after signing his two-way deal, but that was more about logistics as he was already with the team on the road.
Without any of them, Nobelsville's talent took a big hit. Kyle Guy and Steven Ashworth got other opportunities mid-season. Caleb Martin suffered a season-ending injury. The team kept losing talent after an excellent start.
The Boom lost 11 of their last 13 games and missed the playoffs. That concluded their final mini-season within the 2025-26 campaign:
- Showcase Cup begins banged up, Pacers also injured (0-7 start)
- Boom get healthier and get some two-way assignments for rest of Showcase Cup (5-2)
- Regular season begins with healthy team and frequent appearances from Pacers players and two-way signees (11-8)
- Regular season ends with less talent and more injuries to Pacers and Boom (5-12)
Altogether, the Boom went 21-29. They looked great in their best moments and weak in their worst. That can be life in the G League, but the Boom operated on the extremes more than the typical squad this year.
"We really just look at the growth of the individuals," Boom head coach Tim Hankins said when reflecting after the final game of the season. "The core five or six that have been here the entire time, how much they've improved."
Winning is better than losing, but Noblesville has objectives beyond the standings. They want to maintain a strong culture, play a certain style, and develop talent, too.
How did those objectives go for the Noblesville Boom this season?
General manager Chris Taylor cares about the culture of his program, and it isn't lip service. Better Basketball Opportunities is one motto. Embrace The Grind is another. It struck me when former Mad Ant Terry Taylor returned to Indianapolis for an NBA game and actually stopped by a mid-day G League matchup to see his former team again. That's extremely rare and speaks to the program's impact.
Players return to the organization often. Just this year, Dakota Mathias and Jordan Bell came back mid-season. Stephan Hicks stayed for years. In the G League, the only constant is change. That is less true for the Boom, though, and their culture held up this year.
"The culture here is definitely exactly what they say, just embrace the grind. And that's all what I'm about," Bell said. "Things aren't always going to be easy in life. You've got to just embrace it, just keep moving on."
On the development front, many players improved. Guy, the team's best player to open the season, got a call to play for Team USA in November, then an offer to play in China.
Ashworth got an opportunity to play in Germany. Samson Johnson had an agreement in place to play in Europe that ultimately fell through, but he earned it with strong play for the Boom. Noblesville helped all of those guys.
And that's just the non-Pacers category. Gabe McGlothan got that call-up in December, the first of a few this season. While his time on a 10-day was cut short by goofy contractual circumstances, he reached the pros.
Jackson only played in two games with the Boom this season, but he's spent quite a bit of time with the program in the last three seasons. His two-way deal was converted to a standard agreement in February. Slawson, who was the Boom's best player after Guy's departure, earned the call-up to a two-way contract after that. So three Noblesville players had impact with the Pacers this year, and that's not even counting Peter, Thompson, and Dennis.
"We've stolen all the two-ways from them for most of the year just so we could practice," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said. "These guys have been essential. They've played well for us and they've gotten better. And a lot of that is the experience that they got working with Tom and his staff."
And that leads to play style. Hankins and the Boom try to emulate the Pacers as much as possible. It makes for better synergy, and that's helpful when two-way players go up/down or there are G League assignments.
It also helps when players get a contract call up and don't have to learn a whole new system. Carlisle was happy with that part of the process just after the Pacers signed Slawson.
"They're supposed to be playing our style," Carlisle said. "They do a great job, Tom Hankins does a great job with that."
So while the Boom's win-loss record isn't exactly what they hoped it would be, many of their other goals were accomplished during their first season in Noblesville.
The final game of year one with a new arena name
The aforementioned final Boom game last week was played with little stakes. The team had already been eliminated from postseason contention. In the G League, that can lead to a circumstance in which players stray away from game plans or strategy and instead try to impress as an individual.
That didn't happen for the Boom. They played a complete game and dominated on offense, destroying the Cleveland Charge 134-112. The fourth quarter defense played by Noblesville sealed the win.
"In these circumstances, a lot of times the teams, they're done. They don't play together, they'll play selfish. They try and get their own and they're not worried about playing hard. And that was the complete opposite," Hankins said of the final game. "Just kind of shows the kind of character that these guys have and kind of what we've been dealing with all year, just guys that are good dudes, that play hard, try and play the right way."
Keion Brooks Jr., a Fort Wayne native, led the way with 29 points and 12 rebounds. Bell was excellent protecting the rim. Eight players scored in double figures. Cameron Hildreth and M.J. Iraldi, who have both been with the team all season, impressed again.
"I think we put on our best performance," Bell said. "We were probably the most unselfish we've ever been."
It was regular season win number 16 for the Boom, but it was win number one with their home base having a new name. A new partnership with Riverview Health means the arena will now be called Riverview Health Arena at Innovation Mile. That partnership was announced just before the final game, then celebrated between quarters. Noblesville Mayor Chris Jensen said the partnership "Embodies our commitment to building a dynamic district where innovation, wellness, and community engagement thrive together."
And speaking of the arena, that's the final note from season one. The Boom had a new stadium, and it's very nice. It's the right size for a G League squad. The locker room is a massive upgrade over prior setups. It's in a great location for both the Boom, fans, and visiting teams. Many players praised the facilities this year.
"It's really dope. I think as far as the G League teams, this is definitely one of the best arenas we have," Bell said. "Hopefully it just encourages the other G League teams to keep improving their stuff."
Hankins agreed. "Our guys love it. Our locker room is as nice as the Pacers locker room. All the visiting teams that come in here just rave about it," he said. "And then the location. Visiting team stays right here. The hotels, restaurants and things that are around here, no one said a bad word about it. They did a great job with building it."
Being close in proximity to the NBA team is a draw, too. The Boom should be able to attract players with their facilities, culture, and chance for a call-up in future seasons. With close to normal health, that will make year two and beyond in Noblesville even more successful.
Thank you for reading. The Boom are done playing, but the Pacers have seven more games. Sign up to have stories about them, and then the Fever, sent straight to your email inbox.
Comments ()