IDS Thursday, August 29, 2024
INSIDE, P. 3
Fighting ghost news with old-school paper
Indiana Daily Student | idsnews.com
How Curt Cignetti formed ‘the winning mindset’ By Daniel Flick
danflick@iu.edu | @ByDanielFlick
When 28-year-old Bryant Haines interviewed to be head coach Curt Cignetti’s defensive line coach at Indiana University-Pennsylvania in 2014, he heard only one typical question. The interview marked the first meeting between Haines and Cignetti, though Haines’ brother, Tyler, was the offensive coordinator at IUP, offering a natural talking point. But after asking the young Haines to tell a little about himself, Cignetti went from small talk to his true passion: football. “He opened the door, pulled me into the foyer and we talked ball for an hour and 25 minutes,” Haines said Aug. 16. “That was a good interview for me, that was a fun interview for me. So, it was Day One I recognized, ‘Oh, this guy, this is a ball coach. This is a ball guy.’ And that’s what we are.” Haines also realized he and Cignetti are like-minded philosophically, from their desire to field tough, physical teams to the manner they approach X’s and O’s. Neither leave football in the office — it’s an aroundthe-clock commitment to finding a competitive edge. The result of their similarities is a decade-long working relationship, which includes stops at Elon University, James Madison University and now, Indiana, where Cignetti is the head coach and Haines the defensive coordinator at a program yearning for a turnaround. Haines feels loyal to Cignetti, who has promoted him from defensive line coach to linebackers coach to defensive coordinator whenever the opportunity has presented itself. But Haines’ commitment to his boss runs deeper than schematics and job offers. “I think he believes in me; I think he trusts me,” Haines said. “I feel the same way about him.” And he’s far from alone. ***
JACOB SPUDICH | IDS
Indiana head football coach Curt Cignetti looks at his playbook during the spring scrimmage April 18, 2024, at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington. Cignetti was hired Nov. 30, 2023.
Cignetti stood next to Indiana offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan, sharing a brief chat while the Hoosiers stretched before their 13th fall practice. Once the stretching period ended, redshirt junior defensive end Mikail Kamara hopped, skipped and energetically shouted to begin the next drill, urging heightened effort. It was just past 9:35 a.m. Aug. 19, but it just as easily could have been any year from 2020 onward. Shanahan followed Cignetti from James Madison to Bloomington. So did Kamara — along with 12 other players and a bevy of assistant coaches. Shanahan has been with Cignetti since 2016 with IUP. Like Haines, Shanahan believes he and Cignetti are aligned in scheme, principles and values. But apart from their shared philosophies, Shanahan said he thoroughly enjoys working with Cignetti — and called it a “no-brainer” to stay on his staff across three different transitions. “I feel like I get pushed
every single day to be the best I can be,” Shanahan said. “He does a good job of making sure every person in the building is someone that has high character and is fun to be around. It makes coming to work every day more enjoyable, whether it is coaches or players, anybody on his staff.” This sentiment resonates with the Hoosiers’ 13 transfers from James Madison. Among them is seventhyear senior running back Ty Son Lawton, who transferred from Stony Brook University to James Madison in the spring of 2023. In 2022, Lawton’s final season at Stony Brook, the Seawolves slumped to a 2-9 record. Lawton, who won back-to-back state championships at Curtis High School in Staten Island, New York, wanted to get back to winning. Upon entering the transfer portal after the 2022 season, Lawton chose the Dukes, who were 41-8 in the four years since Cignetti arrived. After the first day of spring practice in 2023, he understood the means be-
hind James Madison’s success. “Not to pat myself on the back, but at Stony Brook, I was kind of the guy there,” Lawton said. “To get to JMU, I kind of got humbled. I never really took practice as serious until I got under Cig. That made me a better player.” Those same practice habits have now been implemented at John Mellencamp Pavillion, where the Hoosiers hold their offseason workouts. Sixth-year senior defensive lineman James Carpenter said Indiana’s practice style and structure are the same as at James Madison. So is Cignetti’s message and how he expresses it. But it’s not bland. Instead, it’s rooted in results — and Cignetti’s career record of 119-35 says more than any emphatic locker room speech ever could. “I believe in it 100%,” Carpenter said. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t. I have full belief in Coach Cignetti.” ***
When Cignetti first addressed his new-look roster — which has only 38 returners from last year, third fewest in Division I — he didn’t isolate the past Hoosiers, the non-James Madison transfers or any other groups. Instead, he created unity. “As soon as he got here, he said, ‘We’re all Indiana,’” receiver Donaven McCulley said. Building chemistry proved difficult early due to the number of new faces, McCulley said, but bonds formed over summer workouts. Cignetti approached relationship-building differently, having little conversations and trying to put smiles on his players’ faces, be it in the locker room or when he sees them walking around. Every whistle blown and quip made is done with one intent: building what’s quickly become known as “the winning mindset.” In its simplest form, the mentality is about swagger, confidence and never backing down. In modern terms,
it’s about aura. No matter the parameter, Cignetti carries the mindset in spades, and it’s spread throughout the team, sixth-year offensive lineman Mike Katic said. “I think Coach Cig brings that when he walks into every room he comes in,” Katic said. “He has that swagger, that winning mentality, and all the coaches follow suit. All the transfers from JMU bring that as well. So, it’s just everyone coming together, a big melting pot of players and coaches — it’s a big winning mentality and I’m excited to see how it goes.” Carpenter noted the James Madison transfers hold the responsibility to preach Cignetti’s mindset to the returning Hoosiers. Senior linebacker Jailin Walker, who played at James Madison for the past three years, said he’s trying to engrave it in the rest of the locker room. For Walker, the mentality has been bred into him by Cignetti. For Indiana, which is 9-27 over the past three seasons, winning has been foreign. That’s why Cignetti overhauled the roster, culture and mindset of the program. The result, Carpenter said, is clear growth in the “aura” within the Hoosiers’ locker room. “When we got here in the spring, it maybe wasn’t there as much,” Carpenter said. “But I think now, over the winter, spring workouts and especially fall camp, these guys are picking up on it. I think we’re in a good place.” Lawton initially planned on entering the NFL Draft after the 2022 season. His journey lasted two more years collegiately, and he’s spent both with Cignetti. This spring, he became one of four transfer running backs. Even with goals of extending his playing career beyond college, Lawton embraced the deep room and lofty competition. Why? The fun of winning — something he plans on experiencing again this fall. SEE CIGNETTI, PAGE 4
Bloomington wastewater shows spike in COVID-19
By Andrew Miller
ami3@iu.edu | @andrew_mmiller
COVID-19 levels in Bloomington wastewater data jumped significantly over last week, amid a national wave in infections and the return of IU students to campus. The spike appears to be the largest in two years. While infections are rising, deaths and hospitalizations from the disease have remained low in Indiana., according to the Indiana Department of Health’s dashboard. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, wastewater data can show traces of diseases circulating, even when symptoms aren’t largely present. National wastewater data shows a similar jump in infections. Updated vaccines that better target the most
recent strains of COVID-19 are beginning to reach Bloomington. Right now, the dominant variant is KP.3.1.1, which scientists say could be more infectious than recent strains. The IU Student Health Center will receive a shipment of updated vaccines within a week, Executive Director Pete Grogg said in an email. He also encouraged students to stay up-todate with their vaccines, and take advantage of the Student Health Center’s services, “where you can be examined, tested, and treated in typically one visit.” The average cost of COVID-19 tests, as of last year, was $11. The federal government is also reviving a program to send out testing kits. U.S. households will be able to order four free kits starting late next month.
CVS locations in Bloomington, a company spokesperson said, should be receiving updated vaccines “within the next day or two.” However, the CVS locations, on the west side and South Walnut Street, according to the company’s automated voice system over the phone, have the updated vaccines already. Walk-ins are available, but the company encourages people to schedule online or through the CVS app. The Kroger Pharmacy on the south side of town said it will receive updated Pfizer vaccines on Tuesday and updated Moderna vaccines later this week. The Kroger Pharmacy in downtown Bloomington expects deliveries of both updated vaccines next week. Pharmacy technicians said that information on
FILE PHOTO | IDS
Then-junior Bryce Asher receives a COVID-19 vaccination April 12, 2021, at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. A late summer wave has led to an uptick in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations nationwide.
updated vaccines will be available through the company’s online scheduler. They encouraged walk-ins. The Kroger by College
Mall doesn’t know when it will receive the vaccines, and the Kroger locations on the west and north sides of town did not respond to questions
Bloomington's 7 Day Forecast
by the time of publication. The Indiana Daily Student will update this article when information becomes available.
SOURCE: ETHAN CHOO | EHCHOO@IU.EDU GRAPHICS BY: LEXI LINDENMAYER
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