The Wheeling JesuitUniversity men's basketball team embodies the true meaning of a Jesuit education, enjoying success in the classroom and on the court while engaging with the community.
"Part of our mission at Wheeling Jesuit is to serve our community and emerge as leaders, and this is one example. It is a great way for our guys to be role models for the young people of the Ohio Valley,"said head coach Danny Sancomb.
The Cardinals participate in a community outreach program called "Partners in Education," which began three years ago by the Ohio CountySheriff's Office. The program initially started as summer reading program atMadison Elementary and has evolved to include all Ohio County elementary schools throughout the school year.
Over the past two weeks, members of the men's basketball team visited two schools, Madison Elementary and St. Michael Parish schools,and will continue to read and educate elementary students and teach the importance of a strong educational background to pave the way for future endeavors.
With the tag line, "Today's Readers are Tomorrow's Leaders,"Obi Ukwuoma, a senior from Columbia, Md., Colin Barth, a freshman from Mentor,Ohio and Josh Valentic, a freshman from Washington, Pa., made the Cardinals initial appearance at Madison Elementary on Friday, Feb. 3, while Steve Catich,a senior from Tyrone, Pa. and Jibri Banner, a sophomore from UpperMarlboro, Md., visited St. Michael Parish School last Friday.
Additional service projects include assistance with theCongregation of St. Joseph, volunteers for the Cancer Research Classic,projects for Catholic Charities and Special Olympics.
In the classroom, the Cardinals boast a 3.0 team grade point average, while maintaining position in the Top 5 of the West VirginiaIntercollegiate Athletic Conference. In addition, the Cardinals received a Top10 ranking in the first NCAA Division II Atlantic Region Poll. WJU entered the initial poll in the eighth position.
"It's been a fun year to this point. We work extremely hard and have been rewarded with an opportunity to make the NCAA Division IITournament," said Sancomb. "We still have a lot of work to do, and we have one week left in the season which gives us chance to finish the year with a strong regional ranking."
As a team, the Cardinals rank among the nation's best in five statistical categories. As of Feb. 12, Jesuit held the third spot in the country in scoring with 87.2 points per game and 20.3 assists per game, while claiming the fourth position in field goal percentage, 52.8 percent. From behind the 3-point arc, WJU is eleventh with 3-point field goals made per game,9.3, and fourteenth in 3-point field goal percentage, 40.6 percent.
"Our style of play is difficult to defend, and our guys have done a great job of moving without the ball, setting screens and sharing the basketball," said Sancomb.
Ukwuoma leads the team in field goal percentage, 65.8percent, ranking third in the NCAA, while Ben Siefert, a junior from Reynoldsburg, Ohio,holds the NCAA's sixth spot with 7.3 assists per game. Rounding out the individual leaderboard are Catich, and Recardo Gaddy, a junior from Beltsville,Md. Catich is thirteenth in scoring, averaging 20.9 points per game, and Gaddyranks eighteenth in 3-point field goals made per game, averaging three per game.
"We shoot a high percentage because we work for open shot sand our offensive execution has been solid," Sancomb remarked. "Our guys understand what they do well and have accepted their roles. It's been a total team effort."
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