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April 7, 2009

When it comes to GPAs, ISU women’s basketball is a national powerhouse

Academic awards continue to add up for Sycamores

By Craig Pearson The Tribune Star Tue Apr 07, 2009, 11:38 PM EDT

TERRE HAUTE — Indiana State coach Jim Wiedie believes quality habits are contagious — meaning diligence in the classroom will carry over onto the basketball court.

His women’s basketball program has become a national powerhouse as far as team grade-point-average rankings go.

“He pushes us. It’s his job to push us. On the court he pushes us to get better. Off the court, he pushes us to get better,” said Indiana State junior Kelsey Luna, owner of a cumulative 4.0 GPA at ISU and the reigning Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

The Women’s Basketball Coaches Association releases its GPA rankings each summer, and the Sycamores’ lowest rank under Wiedie’s guidance was 13th following the 2006-07 school year.

ISU has twice finished atop the nation in those rankings to go with two second-place finishes and two third-place finishes. ISU’s 3.52 GPA in the fall of 2008 has the Sycamores in line for another outstanding finish this year.

Recruiting strong student-athletes and a disciplined program of classroom attendance have led to the success.

The coaching staff monitors attendance and performance constantly, and the competitiveness of the student-athletes is also a factor that helps the Sycamores’ succeed in team GPA rankings.

“With the system we have, it is hard to fail,” Wiedie said. “The kids do a good job monitoring each other. They want to be No. 1 in the nation every year.”

ISU has ruled the MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Year award since its inception eight years ago. Kourtney Mennen (2002-03), Melanie Boeglin (2005-06), Laura Rudolphi (2006-07) and Kelsey Luna (2008-09) have won the award. In the past four years, Boeglin (1st team), Rudolphi (2nd team, 1st team) and Luna have been Academic All-Americans. Eleven players have made MVC Scholar-Athlete first teams since Wiedie took over the program.

“I’ve had kids that are off the charts,” Wiedie said. “Steph Lisch when she was here, Mennen, Rudolphi: Those kids were just unbelievable students. Blow me away when I was in college.”

Luna, who’s currently recovering from surgery to reconstruct a torn ACL in her knee, is a 4.0 student, and so is sophomore Kelsie Cooley.

Wiedie doesn’t expect that kind of excellence from everyone, but the culture he has administered in the program makes the average student step up her “game” in the classroom.

“I don’t have a lot of rules, but my academic rules are the strictest,” said Wiedie, who receives weekly detailed reports on each of his players on each of their classes.

Among the rules are:

• Freshmen must attend six hours of study tables per week, and each freshman is assigned a mentor, whom they meet with at least once a week to discuss academics.

• If a freshman gets a 3.40 GPA or higher their first semester, they are released from study tables for the spring semester. If a player drops below a 3.20 GPA after any semester — regardless of year or overall GPA — study tables become mandatory again.

• Players must sit in the first three rows of class.

• Players are not allowed to eat in class once the professor arrives; all IPods and cell phones must be turned off; and baseball caps must be removed during class. “If I receive a negative report in any area or if we do a classroom check and the rules aren't being followed, we bring the player in at 6 a.m. and we run them,” Wiedie said.

• If a player misses a class, it must be an excused absence. If a player misses a class and it’s not excused, that player is automatically suspended for three days. While on suspension the player runs at 6 a.m. every morning.

During a suspension, players don’t practice or workout with the team. If ISU has a scheduled home game during the suspension the player wears street clothes and sits on the bench. If the Sycamores are scheduled to go on the road that player travels with us, but doesn't dress for the game. If a player misses more than one class it’s a week suspension. If a player misses more than two classes they are suspended indefinitely.

“We’re trying to prepare them for life after basketball,” Wiedie said. “The things we do, the reason we make it as hard as we do is so when they get in the real world, they can handle any situation they face.

“If this scares you, getting suspended if you miss class, then Indiana State’s not the place for you. Most kids are up to that challenge. The parents seem to like that concept.”

Wiedie credits the Academic Enrichment Center at Indiana State, headed by Steve Duzan, for helping make all Indiana State athletic teams successful in the classroom.

“If you look at all sports, Indiana State has an incredible reputation. Our GPAs are unbelievable,” Wiedie said.

The Sycamores’ coach also makes it a point to recruit student-athletes who have shown a prior commitment to their studies.

“We recruit kids that are for the most part, committed academically. If you have work ethic in classroom, work hardest in class, they’ll also work hard on the basketball court,” Wiedie said.

The women’s basketball program’s success in academics can be a boost in the competitive world of recruiting.

Jesse Mattox, father of ISU freshman Deja Mattox, said this week that the rules set forth by the coaching staff were “definitely” appealing during the recruiting process.

“They obviously pay close attention to their classes,” he said.

While also finding players that fit in to the team’s system and team concept on the court, Wiedie hopes his players take full advantage of the education they are receiving.

“There are things we guarantee to potential players: When you leave here you will be a better student, better basketball player and better person,” Wiedie said.

Case in point: Rudolphi was a two-time Academic All-American for ISU due to her 4.0 in ISU’s business program.

“Even before stepping foot on campus, I recall Coach Wiedie establishing the fact that academics were the top priority,” Rudolphi wrote in an e-mail. “Also, all players are put in a position to succeed academically right from the start; the coaches stress academics and the academic support staff is excellent.”

Rudolphi is currently working on her Masters in Business Administration at the University of Missouri.

“This structured approach towards academics has definitely helped me in my graduate studies,” Rudolphi said. “My focus lies on succeeding in the classroom, and I know that this will ultimately benefit me in the long run.”

Luna, who majors in psychology and minors in creative writing and language studies, said the culture of strong students on the team “increases team chemistry and helps us in life.”

Luna said some players can be more focused on athletics than their class work.

“If they don’t take quite as much value in education, they lose confidence in the classroom,” Luna said. “The rules provide that extra boost they need to gain an interest in education and learning. The rules he puts in place challenge us as students and athletes and help us get better in both areas.”

Cooley, working toward a business degree, said the challenges student-athletes face with busy schedules means having “understanding” professors is crucial.

Cooley said working on multiple group projects during basketball season can be challenging.

“We make sure we contribute with groups and via e-mail. We understand the importance of everyone contributing,” Cooley said. “Being a part of basketball has helped me understand how to function in team.”



WBCA Top 25 Division I Academic Honor Roll

Year Rank GPA

2008-09 (Fall only) 3.52

2007-08 No. 3 nationally 3.59

2006-07 No. 13 nationally 3.40

2005-06 No. 2 nationally 3.61

2004-05 No. 1 nationally 3.60

2003-04 No. 2 nationally 3.57

2002-03 No. 1 nationally 3.63

2001-02 No. 3 nationally 3.46

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