Team Indiana Basketball Brings Hoosier Hysteria to USA Games with Thrilling Win

At 6’7”, John Wheeler is a big presence on the basketball court.

On Wednesday, he came up big for Team Indiana at the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games in Minnesota.

He scored 32 points, including 22 in the second half, to lift his team to a thrilling 41-39 win over Maryland.

“I let my team down yesterday when I missed that shot,” Wheeler of Shelby County said of a last-second 3-point attempt in a 34-32 loss to Texas on Tuesday.

“That was not going to happen again today,” he said. “I told my team, ‘We’re going to win this game no matter what,’ and it was a group effort.”

From his teammates to the strong Indiana fan base cheering them on, Wheeler spread the credit around.

“My teammates, our fan base, they were supporting us, and I’m pretty sure I can speak on behalf of my teammates, we weren’t going to let them down,” he said. “Not today. Not against this team. Maryland is a good team. They’re a team that I have a lot of respect for, and for us to knock them off, it was a good win.”

It certainly wasn’t an easy win. Maryland scored the first five points of the game, and Indiana didn’t lead until a 3-pointer by Shane Hitch kicked off a 9-0 run for a 14-10 score.

From there, the score was tied twice, and Maryland converted a late three-point play for a 19-16 edge at halftime.

Maryland led by as many as seven points early in the second half, but Wheeler came on strong to pull his team closer. A jumper late in the half gave Indiana a 38-36 lead.

A free throw by Chris Thompson was preceded by a Maryland 3-pointer to even the score.

A series featuring an offensive foul on Indiana and missed shots by both teams swung the other way when Wheeler connected on two free throws with 21 seconds to go.

On its next possession, Maryland missed two free throws, and Shaun Hitch grabbed the rebound, held onto the ball and then passed it to Thompson, who dribbled it out for the hard-fought win.

While Wheeler had a size advantage inside, he made an impact all over the court.

“I knew I would have a better advantage today against Maryland than I did against Texas yesterday,” he said, as Texas’ roster include a 6’9” player.

“Today was just one of those games I got off to a slow start, but as the game went on, I calmed down, I told myself to relax and the next thing I know, I’m hitting everything,” Wheeler said. “My teammates were setting me up perfectly. Alex (Jackson) and Chris Thompson, they got on me and told me to get down low more.”

Other scoring for Indiana came on three points each for Thompson, Shane Hitch and Alec Hurtubise.

Thompson said Indiana’s rowdy fan base on the sidelines, including other members of Team Indiana, played a big role in the win.

“When we would get on a run down the stretch, Maryland, their fan base tried,” he said. “We couldn’t hear anything. All we could hear was ‘Indiana, Indiana.’ Maryland was at the free throw line, and Indiana, the fan base down the stretch in the fourth, the final minutes, that fan base rallied us.”

Indiana, Texas and Maryland are all 2-1 in the division, while Florida is 0-3. In Thursday’s semifinals, Indiana will rematch with Texas, and Maryland will play Florida. On Friday, the winners will play for gold, and the losers will play for bronze.