Sometimes in a competition, when a prize is thrown into a situation, typically all the things an athlete has learned about teamwork and camaraderie seem to be forgotten, and suddenly it becomes every person for his or herself.
However, the IUS men’s and women’s basketball teams are now being looked at as an example of how a team should behave.
Both teams at IU Southeast have won the Championship of Character award twice during the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
“It’s an honor to be given this award,” Joe Glover, athletic director, said. “It’s great to know that our student-athletes are representing the school as well as the community immensely well.”
Annually, schools that are members of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletes participate in a series of conference games, leading up to a national championship that takes place with schools throughout the U. S.
During those conference games, the student-athletes, as well as the institution itself, are being critiqued by the NAIA to see if the school and the athletes are doing whatever can be done to implement the five-star program.
“The five-star programs focuses on five values,” Glover said. “They are integrity, respect, sportsmanship, and responsibility and student leadership.”
The NAIA also created a point system for this five star program.
Each school is sent a list of requirements out to each team that is participating, which explains what they would like to see happening within the team.
Some of the criteria on the list includes attendance to practice and regular season games by the team, and the team’s grade point average.
The team can be immediately disqualified from consideration of the award if it has two ejections.
An ejection is when someone has to be removed from the game, such as for fighting, cursing or anything negative toward the team.
There are 80 points available, and, currently, IU Southeast has 69 points.
“IU Southeast has won this award the past two years and the award has only been around for three,” Bill Melton, KIAC commissioner, said.
Currently, the team displays a Champion of Character banner it has received from the KIAC tournament within the Activities Building.
“Winning this award not once but twice really helps boost the team’s confidence, knowing they’re out there and setting a good example for everyone else,” Glover said.
By GAIL FAUSTYN
Staff
gfaustyn@ius.edu