Southwestern Senior Zach Cole Named To IBCA first-team Academic All-State

Cole along with others from around the area

82 players selected IBCA first-team Academic All-State

40 boys receive top honor for 2022; 420 additional players cited as Honorable Mention

    Eighty-two Indiana high school seniors -- 40 boys have been chosen as first-team Academic All-State for 2022 by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association, it was announced Tuesday (March 8).

        In addition, 378 more boys and 452 more girls were recognized as honorable mention Academic All-State for 2022, IBCA executive director Steve Witty said. In total, a record 912 players received some level of recognition in this year's IBCA Academic All-State program.

        The IBCA Academic All-State program is one where academic prowess and athletic prowess both are considered in the selections. Items such as grade-point average and academic class rank are considered along with athletic performance in areas such as points per game, rebounds per game and assists per game. In most years, college board scores also are considered. For the second consecutive year, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, some students not taking the SAT or ACT and some colleges not requiring those results, the IBCA waived its previous college board requirements.

        "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 senior student-athletes who meet criteria that include a 3.5 GPA or higher on a 4.0 scale and a class rank in the upper 25 percent of one's class. Traditionally, the IBCA has required an SAT score of 1,100 (on the reading and math sections) or an ACT composite score of 24 on the college boards, but, as mentioned earlier, those requirements were waived this year.

        Once nominations were received, an IBCA committee reviewed the information and determined awards for first team and honorable mention.

        Those selected will receive certificates from the IBCA for their honor. Plans are for certificates to be distributed in PDF form to coaches via e-mail during April for the coach to print. The coach then may present the certificate to each honored player sometime before the conclusion of the 2021-22 academic year.

        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