IBCA E-Newsletter

IBCA Academic Awards for 2026

The IBCA has established a new award for 2025-26 – the Team Academic Award. The IBCA is proud to honor teams that excel in the classroom and show the true meaning of student-athlete.

This Team Academic Award will be in addition to the IBCA Academic All-State program for individuals that was started in 1973 for boys and expanded in 1980 to include girls. The deadline to complete the online Nomination for both of these awards is Feb. 17, 2026.

As for the IBCA’s new Team Academic Award, Indiana is home to remarkable talent both on and off the basketball court, and the IBCA proudly recognizes that excellence through its Team Academic Award. The IBCA firmly believes that academics are a vital component in developing well-rounded basketball players and that outstanding academic achievement deserves to be celebrated.

To qualify for the Team Academic Award, teams must have a cumulative average weighted grade point average (WGPA) of 3.50 or higher after the first semester of a given school year. All players listed on the official sectional roster must be included in the GPA calculation, ensuring the award accurately reflects the complete academic performance of the competing team.

Criteria for the IBCA Team Academic Award

1. Total team GPA must be 3.50 or higher based on cumulative GPAs.
2. GPAs must be converted to a 4.00 scale.
3. GPAs must be rounded to two decimal places for each player (e.g., 3.95).
4. List the GPAs of all players on the team's Sectional roster. Use Cumulative GPAs for the Indiana Team Academic Awards.

• For seniors, include a seven-semester cumulative; juniors, a five-semester cumulative; sophomores, a three-semester cumulative; and freshmen, only the first-semester GPA for schools using dual semesters.
• For schools using trimesters: for seniors, include a ten-trimester cumulative; juniors, a seven-trimester cumulative; sophomores, a four-trimester cumulative; and freshmen, only the first-trimester GPA.

The deadline to complete the online 2026 Team Academic Award nomination is Feb. 17, 2026.

Criteria for IBCA individual Academic All-State

1. Must be a senior player who contributes to the varsity team and graduates in 2026.
2. Must have a GPA of 3.50 or better on a 4.0 scale.
3. Must have an SAT score of 1100 or better (on reading and math sections) or an ACT composite score of 24 or better.
4. Must rank in the top 25 percent of the school’s graduating class (if school does class rank).
5. Must be a good citizen.

In 2025, 521 senior players – 257 boys and 264 girls – received either IBCA first-team Academic All-State or IBCA honorable mention Academic All-State.

The deadline to complete the online 2026 individual Academic All-State nomination is Feb. 17, 2026.