Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Valparaiso senior guard Jake Diebler (Upper Sandusky, Ohio/Upper Sandusky) was one of five players league-wide named to the Academic All-Horizon League men’s basketball team, as announced by the league Wednesday.

Diebler, who carries a 3.516 cumulative grade point average as a marketing major, was twice honored by the Horizon League as its male U.S. Army Scholar-Athlete of the Week.  A member of the NABC Honors Court following his junior season, Diebler was named to the Horizon League Academic Honor Roll each of Valpo’s first three semesters as a league member and earned Presidential academic honors at Valpo.

On the court this past season, Diebler finished among the league’s top-ten players in steals (1.3 spg, 8th), 3-pointers made (1.8/game, 6th) and minutes played (33.8 mpg, 4th).  The senior was fourth on the Crusaders in scoring at 7.5 ppg in a season in which he set the program Division I record for most consecutive games started with 98 straight starts.  Diebler was joined on the Academic All-League squad by Butler’s Zach Hahn and Matt Howard, as well as Green Bay’s Mike Schachtner and Ryan Tillema.