Horizon League Teams with Debbie Antonelli’s 24 Hours Nothing But Net in Support of Special Olympics

Horizon League Teams with Debbie Antonelli’s 24 Hours Nothing But Net in Support of Special Olympics

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INDIANAPOLIS (November 13, 2025) – Major impact is a key pillar in the Horizon League and in that spirit, the League has announced a new partnership with 24 Hours Nothing But Net, Debbie Antonelli’s nonprofit which support Special Olympics. Antonelli is a Naismith Hall of Fame broadcaster and staunch advocate for Special Olympics.
 
The Horizon League’s 24 Hours Nothing But Net Week will be celebrated Sunday, January 11 through Saturday, January 17, supported by each institution’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and regional Special Olympics offices throughout the League’s six-state footprint. The goal is to raise awareness for Special Olympics athletes and to generate funding that supports Special Olympics programming.
 
Major Voices
Horizon League Commissioner Julie Roe Lach
“Debbie truly makes a major impact through her work with Special Olympics and 24 Hours Nothing But Net. We are honored for our League to partner with her and support this great cause. Every dollar raised will stay in our cities and states supporting local Special Olympians. We look forward to spotlighting Special Olympics and Nothing But Net across Our Horizon in January.”
 
Debbie Antonelli
"The student-athlete experience in the Horizon League is about education, life-long learning thru sport, community activation and competing. Important skills for life after college. The Horizon League membership is teaching their athletes that giving is also a skill. Special Olympics, under the brand of 24 Hours Nothing But Net, is proud to partner with the Horizon League. This partnership will raise awareness, advocacy and opportunities for Special Olympic Athletes to train, compete and be on a team in the respective communities across the footprint of the League. I would like to thank Commissioner Julie Roe Lach and her team for embarking on this partnership to teach athletes in the Horizon League that giving and community service thru their engagement with Special Olympics are important skills for life after college."
 
Dig Deeper:
  • Debbie Antonelli, a college basketball analyst and passionate advocate for the Special Olympics, founded 24 Hours Nothing But Net, a 24-hour free-throw shooting marathon where she shoots 100 free throws every hour for 24 consecutive hours, 2400 total shots. She has raised over $1.4 million dollars for Special Olympics.  Antonelli’s motivation for launching the event is deeply personal. Her son, Frankie, is a Special Olympics athlete.
  • Visit the Horizon League’s Nothing But Net Landing Page.
  • At the 2025 Barbasol Horizon League Basketball Championships and this fall’s Horizon League Celebration, the League partnered with Antonelli and local Special Olympics chapters to champion inclusion and advocate for individuals with disabilities, reinforcing the message that sports are for everyone.
  • Each Campus SAAC will be hosting an event with Special Olympics throughout the academic year.
  • Individuals are encouraged to get involved with their local Special Olympics chapters by visiting their local Special Olympics web page.
  • Gregg Doyel IndyStar article featuring Debbie Antonelli and John Wheeler who met at the 2025 Horizon League Basketball Championships
  • Indiana Sports Corp announced recently that Debbie Antonelli will be recognized with the Inspiring Sports Storyteller Award at its annual State of Sports presented by Indiana University on November 13 at the JW Marriott in downtown Indianapolis.
    • The Inspiring Sports Storyteller Award is given to journalists who share stories that showcase how the power of sports can inspire people to take action and invest in their community. Previous recipients include Gregg Doyel, Malcom Moran, Sage Steele, Rowdy Gaines, and Anne Marie Tiernon.
  • Special Olympics is a global sports movement that unleashes the human spirit every day around the world through the transformative power and joy of sport. Through programming in sports, health, education and community building, Special Olympics is tackling the inactivity, stigma, isolation, and injustice that people with intellectual disabilities (ID) face.
  • The Horizon League is an NCAA Division I athletics conference comprised of 11 member institutions headquartered in Indianapolis. The League and our member schools develop nearly 4,000 student-athletes for life. Through unique opportunities in major metropolitan cities, their athletic, academic and personal aspirations can be achieved. Because what they learn today will inspire who they become tomorrow. For more information, visit HorizonLeague.com.