INDIANAPOLIS— Youngstown State junior Heidi Schlegel, Oakland senior Travis Bader, Detroit senior Evan Bruinsma, Cleveland State senior Ludovic Ndaye and Youngstown State senior Mike Podolsky are among 202 student-athletes from NCAA Division I, II, III and NAIA to be nominated to the second annual Allstate WBCA and NABC Good Works Teams as announced today by Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and Allstate Insurance Company.
The Good Works Teams honor players at all levels of college basketball who represent the sport’s finest in the areas of leadership and charitable achievements amongst their peers.
Schlegel is off to a stellar start to the season for Youngstown State. The junior forward is averaging 22.2 points, 6.4 rebounds per game. Off the court, Schlegel is active in the community and was awarded the 2013-14 Jack and Mary Kay McFadden Scholarship. This offseason the Wapakoneta, Ohio, native traveled to India for three weeks to mentor young children.
Bader has picked up right where he left off, pouring in 37 three-pointers in the Golden Grizzlies first eight games. The senior guard has connected on 394 threes, just 63 short of J.J. Redick's all-time mark. On the season, Bader is averaging 22.2 points per game. Off the court, the Okemos, Mich. native has shown a commitment to volunteerism. He serves as a reading and mathematics tutor and has also spent time teaching basketball drills at numerous local elementary schools. Bader graduated in three years with his undergraduates degree in communications and is currently earning his master’s degree in communications.
Bruinsma has been a key contributor for Detroit this season. After coming off the bench the last three seasons, the senior forward is averaging 10.1 points per game for the Titans and has started all eight contests. The New Era, Mich. native has also been a member of the Detroit Athletic Director’s Honor Roll and both the Horizon League’s Fall & Spring Academic Honor Roll’s the last two years. Each of the last three years, Bruinsma has earned the William Ebben Academic and Athletic Excellence accolade at the Titan's end of the year banquet as well as the Dave DeBusschere Most Improved Award in 2013 and the Frank R. Gerbig, Sr. Sportsmanship Award in 2012.
Ndaye, who hails from Montreal, Quebec, has been an active participant in the community. The senior forward volunteers his time at numerous events including the Special Olympics, Race for the Cure, Kids Kicking Cancer, and also serves as a volunteer physical therapist at a local clinic. On the hardwood, Ndaye averaged 3.0 points, 2.0 rebounds per game last season for the Vikings.
Podolsky has participated in the Panerathon, a community-based 10K/2-Mile Walk Run in support of breast cancer research. This year, the senior guard is a team advocate for TEAM IMPACT. As part of TEAM IMPACT, Youngstown State will have six-year-old Jayden Barber, who was diagnosed with Ewings Sarcoma, "join” the men’s basketball team. The Canfield, Ohio, native has appeared in all nine games, registering seven points in 48 minutes of work.
From the nominees, two 10-member teams will be announced in February on both the men's and women's side comprised of five student-athletes from the NCAA Division I level and five student-athletes from NCAA Divisions II, III and the NAIA.
