Boys basketball league rewards good grades with playing time

MUNCIE, Ind. (AP) – Organizers of a Muncie-based basketball league that factors in classroom performance say its first season was a success.

The Inner City Educational league ran for six weeks and had teams for boys in seventh and eighth grades. Players were required to have a 2.0 GPA, and playing time went up with their grades.

Seventh-grader Onnie Adams says his classmates wanted to play more, so they focused more on getting good grades. Parent Aaron Phillips says his son, Nick, took his studies “to the next level” for the league.

The (Muncie) Star Press reports the idea could be expanded to a girls basketball league and other academic teams. League commissioner Tom Lyon says he’ll work with area organizations such as the Boys & Girls Club and the YMCA.