Area players named all-state for academics

Seventy-seven Indiana high school seniors, 39 boys and 37 girls, have been chosen as first-team Academic All-State by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association, it was announced Tuesday.

In addition, 203 more boys and 179 more girls were recognized as honorable mention Academic All-State for 2019, IBCA executive director Steve Witty said.

Shelbyville senior Zach Kuhn made First Team All-State for his work in the classroom. His teammate, senior DJ Kramer, was named a honorable mention. On the girls' side for the Golden Bears, senior Olivia Knarr was named First Team Academic All-State. SHS senior Ryan Massey was named a honorable mention.

From Southwestern, seniors Blake McClure and Madison Van Gorden, who are at the top of their class, were named to the Academic All-State First Team. McClure is just the second boy to win the award in school history. Bryce Rowe did so in 2016. Van Gorden is just the second female to receive the honor at Southwestern, as well, as Kristen Parmer did so in 2000.

Morristown senior Kameron Crim represents the Yellow Jackets as a honorable mention, while Triton Central seniors Wyatt Felling and Luke Sanders was also named to the honorable mention list.

From Waldron, seniors Hannah Sullivan and Victoria Shaw were named honorable mentions.

The IBCA Academic All-State team is a program where academic prowess and athletic prowess both are considered in the selections. Items such as grade-point average, college board scores and academic class rank are considered along with athletic performance in areas such as points per game, rebounds per game and assists per game.

"The quality of these student-athletes shows that success in academics and success in athletics are not separate entities," Witty said. "Rather, in many cases, a player's success in the classroom directly contributes to his or her success on the floor."

IBCA-member head coaches from schools across the state may nominate their seniors who meet criteria that include a 3.5 GPA or higher on a 4.0 scale, a class rank in the upper 25 percent of one's class, an SAT score of 1,100 (on the reading and math sections) or an ACT score of 24.

Once nominations are received, an IBCA committee reviews the information and determines awards for first team and honorable mention.

Those selected will receive certificates from the IBCA for their honor. Those certificates will be distributed to coaches at the annual IBCA Clinic on April 26-27 at Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis. The coaches then present the certificates to the honored players after they return from the clinic.

The IBCA has selected an Academic All-State team for boys since 1973. The program was expanded to include a girls' Academic All-State team in 1980.