NOBLESVILLE – Before the opening tip-off on Saturday night, Kyle Guy walked onto the court inside The Arena at Innovation Mile in Noblesville with a microphone in hand.
Born and raised in Indianapolis where his basketball career took flight at Lawrence Central High School, Guy needed little introduction.
Instead, Guy acquainted the fans with a new era of Hoosier State hoops during the inaugural home opener for the Noblesville Boom, the NBA G League affiliate team of the Indiana Pacers.
“We’re going to give you everything we got. We need your support all season,” Guy addressed to the crowd. “Go Boom! Thank you all.”
Across from the Boom bench, a sea of 54 family and friends in attendance cheered on, as the starting shooting guard high-fived Boom mascot Bobby the Bobcat while heading back to the sideline.
Opening night was a homecoming for Guy, 28, who retired from professional basketball in August 2024 after six years spent in the NBA G League, NBA and overseas.
An NBA Exhibit 10 contract with the Pacers paved his return, following stints as an assistant coach at Virginia in 2024 where Guy won a national championship in 2019 as a player, and later Nevada, until he decided to lace them up again.
“That’s quintessential Hoosier, right? And I love that,” Noblesville Mayor Chris Jensen said. “We are a basketball state. You’re going to see, I imagine, many Hoosiers run their way through here over the next couple decades, and that will just continue to paint the sports fabric of Indiana.”
The Noblesville Boom’s home opener treated the sellout crowd of 3,000-plus to more than commemorative T-shirts for “Cyan Out” night, keepsake team posters, a postgame fireworks show and a local hero to invest in.
The franchise, formerly known as the Fort Wayne and Indiana Mad Ants, launched a new chapter with an interwoven celebration of multiple storylines converging in an unforgettable display of pageantry and spectacle in Hamilton County.
“I wanted to celebrate Noblesville Boom on inauguration night to see the buzz that’s going on with this team,” said Nick Parks, 39, of Noblesville, who attended the game with his girlfriend, Mandy Davidson. “This place is gorgeous.”
With dancing spotlights piercing the night sky near the arena’s brilliant, glass-front entryway to fan-friendly sightlines from any seat, the Boom’s focus on offering basketball enthusiasts with a conveniently located and competitive product was prominently exemplified.
“It’s a culmination of a two-and-a-half-year project, right? When the Mad Ants moved out of Fort Wayne to Indianapolis and played in front of nobody, really, for two full years. Now, to have a building like this and a sellout on the first night, it’s awesome,” said Ryan Grant, Noblesville Boom president of business operations.
“You look at what’s happened with the Pacers and with the Fever, and it’s an all-time high for basketball in this state. What’s the quote? In 49 other states, it’s just basketball, right? We’re in Indiana. It’s been awesome, and the greater Hamilton County area has had nothing but enthusiasm for what we’re doing.”
When the Boom charged back from an early 8-point deficit to tie the visiting Grand Rapids Gold by halftime, 57-57, the crowd erupted.
In the first quarter, a pair of free throws by the Boom’s Jalen Slawson, marking the team’s first points in their new home, sparked thunderstick bams.
A driving floater by Guy that deadlocked the game with 1 minute, 11 seconds left in the first half whipped the fans into a frenzy typically reserved for games held at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
“Indiana, this is where everyone loves basketball, and the fact that it’s in an area where it’s accessible and it’s easy to get to is exciting,” Boom assistant coach Kelly Faris said. “Then, you have a great crowd like this, it just shows the passion behind the game and the community as well. I’m happy that I get to be a part of it.”
Faris, a former four-time state champion at Heritage Christian School in Indianapolis, won two national titles at UConn before spending seven years competing in the WNBA and internationally.
Back home, again, at the professional level, Faris, like Guy, is chasing her dreams.
The past two years, Faris served as an assistant coach at Brebeuf Jesuit and Marian University. Currently, she is part of the NBA’s Mentee/Coaching Development Program, which opened the door to a coaching apprenticeship with the Boom.
Both Guy and Faris trained with Derick Grant in Indianapolis during their playing days, and now, they’re working together to build a team Noblesville, and the central Indiana area, will embrace.
“I never in a million years thought that I’d have an opportunity like this, and the fact that I do is a huge blessing. I’m learning a lot,” Faris said. “That is one of the biggest things that this organization prides itself on is better basketball opportunities, and that’s for everyone. The G League is to get everyone more prepared for the next level and to reach whatever goal you may have.”
The Boom exceeded its objective on opening night despite the team’s 120-109 loss.
Guy finished with a game-high 28 points and captured the fans’ attention with a trio of clutch 3-pointers and a dazzling, left-handed, spinning layup down the baseline.
More significantly, two young onlookers had an opportunity to watch dad own the spotlight even after more than a year away.
“I wasn’t looking to come back, but I missed the games. How could you not? But I didn’t know if I missed the day-to-day grind and stuff, but ever since I said yes, I really got that fire back,” Guy said. “I’m playing in front of the hometown, my family. One of the things about retiring I did regret or take for granted was I didn’t realize how much I would love to play in front of my kids (Chance, 4; Hudson, 1) and them remember it. Now, I get to do that, so I’m very grateful.”