I’m at 30,000 feet when I get the update, relayed via text message and Wi-Fi, technological wonders that Bob Hammel could not have imagined when he filed stories from Munich, Maui, or Madison Square Garden: I am not surprised.

IndyStar IU insider Zach Osterman first reached out to Bob Hammel for a class assignment. That encounter was much like memories shared of Hammel's decorated career.

Bob Hammel, who covered 23 NCAA Final Fours and 29 Indiana high school basketball tournament championships during a 52-year sports writing career that included a close friendship with late Hall of Fame coach Bob Knight,