Myah Epps returns, scores opening basket in Hoosier Gym All-Star Classic

Myah Epps stepped back onto a court in Knightstown wearing a neck brace, and the first basket of the Hoosier Gym All-Star Classic told the whole story. The Homestead senior, still in recovery from spinal surgery after a serious car crash last month, scored the game’s opening bucket after the tip and then stopped there, but the moment landed far beyond a routine exhibition start.

Epps’ return carried the weight of what she had already been through. The crash happened March 13 near West Jefferson Boulevard and Getz Road in Fort Wayne, and she was airlifted to an Indianapolis hospital after suffering two spinal fractures and broken ribs. She had back surgery March 16, was back home by March 22 and is expected to make a full recovery. Erin Hopkins, a long-time family friend, called that outcome “a blessing and a godsend,” a line that fit the mood around a player who had become bigger than her box score.

The numbers explain why Epps mattered so much to Indiana’s senior all-star picture even before the accident. She averaged 14 points, 4.1 assists and 4 blocks per game as a senior at Homestead, and she finished her prep career with 1,560 points. She had already committed to Louisville in January 2025, a decision made before the crash and one that gave the ceremonial basket a second layer of meaning, a bridge from high school stardom to the next level for Jeff Walz’s program.

The setting made the scene resonate even more. Hoosier Gym opened on Nov. 25, 1921, and the building has become one of the state’s most recognizable basketball landmarks since Hoosiers was filmed there in 1985. The archive at the gym says it draws more than 60,000 visitors a year and hosts more than 100 games each season, and the 21st annual Hoosier Gym All-Star Classic on Saturday, April 25, fit neatly into that history. The girls’ game tipped at 11 a.m. before the boys took the floor, but Epps’ return was the play that defined the day.

For Homestead and for Indiana basketball, it was a reminder that some moments outlast a season. The small donations from classmates and teammates, the nearly $54,000 raised for healthcare, travel and basic expenses, and the sight of Epps back in uniform all pointed to the same truth: in a state that reveres basketball history, presence can matter as much as production.