Lapel’s Rosemary Likens hustles during the semistate championship game against Central Noble. Likens was named academic all-state honorable mention by the IBCA.
File Photo
Lapel’s AnnaLee Stow dribbles through the Greenfield-Central defense. Stow was named academic all-state honorable mention by the IBCA.
File Photo
Seventy-six Indiana high school seniors — 38 boys and 38 girls — have been chosen as first-team Academic All-State for 2024 by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association, it was announced Tuesday, Mar. 5.
In addition, 218 more boys and 204 more girls were recognized as honorable mention Academic All-State for 2024, IBCA executive director Marty Johnson said. In total, 498 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, academic class rank and SAT or ACT scores 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,” Johnson said. “Rather, in many cases, a player’s success in the classroom directly contributes to his or her success on the floor.”
Lapel’s Rosemary Likens and AnnaLee Stow each were named honorable mention.
On the court, both appeared in all 28 games during the Bulldogs season and were each integral in helping win back-to-back county, sectional and regional titles.
Stow averaged 6.5 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game, while Likens averaged 1.9 points and 1.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists.
IBCA-member head coaches from schools across the state may nominate their senior student-athletes who meet criteria that include a 3.50 grade-point average or higher on a 4.0 scale, a class rank in the upper 25% of one’s class and either an SAT score of 1100 (on the reading and math sections) or an ACT composite score of 24. 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 2023-24 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.