Passionate, dedicated and intense. Three words that describe most collegiate head coaches. Those three words are the Indiana State head coach. Jim Wiedie enters his seventh season at the helm of the Sycamore program and has taken it to heights never before seen.

If Sycamore basketball fans thought they had reached the pennacle in 2005, when ISU set a school record with 23 wins and reached the WNIT for only the third time in the school’s history, Wiedie had more in store for them as he surpassed several of those marks one year ago.

2006 was unquestionably the greatest season in ISU women's basketball history. Under Wiedie's direction, the Sycamores recorded a school-record 27 victories and dominated the Missouri Valley Conference with a 16-2 record and the program's first-ever outright MVC championship. For his efforts, Wiedie was named the Rawlings' MVC Coach of the Year for the second time during his career.

The on-the-floor general of the team, point guard Melanie Boeglin, became the first-ever winner of the Jackie Stiles MVC Most Valuable Player Award as was a first team all-conference selection. Junior Stephanie Lisch was named to the second team. Boeglin earned three separate All-American mentions, including a Third Team selection by the Full Court Press and a pair of honorable mention selections by the Associated Press and The Women's Basketball Coaches' Association.

With the root of the program grounded in the belief that his players are students first and athletes second, not only did the team enjoy unprecedented success on the court, but in the classroom as well. Highlighted by Boeglin becoming the first-ever Sycamore to earn ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America honors as presented by the College Sports Information Directors of America, fellow senior Kristen Weddle was a second team all-district selection. Boeglin, Weddle, Lisch and Lisa Verhoff also earned academic all-conference plaudits.

As a team Indiana State has won the WBCA Academic Excellence Award twice in the past three seasons, including a first place finish in both 2005 & 2003. Last season, ISU’s team GPA of 3.602 led the nation.

In the last four seasons, the ISU women’s basketball team has finished in the Top Three national rankings for grade point average. The Sycamores were third in 2002-03, first in 2003-04, second in 2004-05 and first again in 2005-06.

On the court, the Sycamores reached the finals of the State Farm MVC Tournament for the third time in the last four seasons. Although, ISU dropped that final contest, the Sycamores received its fourth berth into the Women's NIT, defeating Eastern Michigan before falling to Indiana in the Sweet 16.

The Sycamores proved to be the hottest ticket in Terre Haute as the community clamored to watch this exciting group of athletes. The previous season attendance average was blasted as 3,815 fans per game filed into Hulman Center to support the 2006 league champions. 6,836 fans filled the stands to watch the most successful senior class in the history of the program receive their Senior Day Awards.

Indiana State welcomed no less than 2,000 fans to a home game in 2005-06, and topped the 3,000 fan mark on six separate occasions. Under Wiedie, the Hulman Center has become a true homecourt advantage for the Sycamores, and a place where opposing teams just do not want to play. In the last six seasons, ISU is 60-19 when playing on their home court. The Sycamores were 12-2 one year ago inside the friendly confines of Hulman Center.

Hulman Center also was the site of Wiedie's 100th career victory. On February 10, 2006, the Sycamores soundly defeated Bradley by a count of 78-52 to send the Sycamore faithful into a fury as they celebrated with their coach on his special day. In what Wiedie described to the crowd as "his perfect moment," players, coaches, administrators and fans watched as Director of Athletics Ron Prettyman presented Wiedie with a plaque commemorating the moment of his 100th victory. Wiedie is just the second-ever head coach in the history of the program to win at least 100 games, and is one of just two active MVC coaches with at least 100 career coaching victories.

Other highlights of the memorable 2006 season included the team's invitation to host a first round contest on the Preseason WNIT, and following a convincing victory over 2006 NCAA Tournament participant UT-Chattanooga, a road game at perennial power UCONN. Also high on the list of highlights were Boeglin's 19 assist performance at Eastern Kentucky, which were a school and league record as well as the best single-game performance by any player in the nation during the season. Boeglin topped that with a 46-point scoring performance in a double-overtime victory at Drake. Those 46 points were tied for the most in a game this season, and that victory was the first in a roadtrip sweep of Drake and Creighton.

The Sycamores have compiled a 88-36 overall record the past four seasons, including a pair of MVC Regular Season Championships and three WNIT berths. During the MVC Championship season of 2003, the Sycamores led the nation in scoring with 80.0 points per game and led all Division I programs in team grade point average with a mark of 3.63.

The 2005 season culminated with a berth into the WNIT where ISU defeated Big Ten foe Illinois in the first round to secure its 23rd win of the season. The highlight of the year came in the final game of the season, as 4,720 rabid Sycamore fans crammed into Hulman Center to set a then school record for ISU’s second round contest versus Xavier.

As the calendar turned to 2005, those lofty accomplishments seemed miles away as ISU started the Missouri Valley Conference season with a 1-4 record, including three of those games on the road. But ISU made the most of the stretch run, winning 12 of its last 13 contests to earn the league’s number two seed at the conference tournament. Only a narrow loss at Missouri State, kept ISU from getting a share of the league crown for the second time in three seasons.

ISU reached the MVC Tournament Championship contest for the second time by defeating Bradley and Drake in the first two games. After dropping the finale, ISU accepted its second bid to WNIT under Wiedie, defeating Illinois before falling to Xavier.

ISU point guard Melanie Boeglin was the floor general for his team throughout the year. She became the first player in the history of the program to receive All-MVC as well as MVC All- Defensive team honors in each of her freshman, sophomore and junior seasons. Boeglin became just the second-ever Sycamore to take home the league’s Defensive Player of the Year honors as well.

Wiedie had three athletes place on the MVC Academic All-Conference team, including Boeglin and Lisa Verhoff, who each earned repeat honors as well as Stephanie Lisch, who was an honorable mention selection in her first year of eligibility for the award.

Along the way, ISU defeated Eastern Kentucky, who advanced to the NCAA Tournament, as well as Big Ten foe Indiana. Overall, the Sycamores were 2-0 against the Big Ten in 2004-05.

Despite losing two starting guards before the opening of conference play, the Sycamores still managed to finish the 2003-04 season with a respectable 16-12 record. Three team members received all-conference recognition. Stephanie Lisch became the first player in the history of the program to be named Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year. Melanie Boeglin was a two-time First Team All-Missouri Valley Conference selection and was named to the MVC’s All-Defensive Team for the second consecutive year. Senior Erin Rhodes finished her career by being named to the Honorable Mention All-MVC squad.

2002-03 was a breakthrough season for the coach as the Sycamores won the school’s first-ever Missouri Valley Conference championship in women’s basketball while also breaking eight team records, including tying the school’s previous mark for wins in a season with 22.

The Sycamores advanced to the 2003 Missouri Valley Conference Championship game before hosting the first round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament against Ball State. Under Wiedie’s guidance and direction, the Sycamores had two team members garner all-conference selections in Melanie Boeglin and Kourtney Mennen. Boeglin was also named to the MVC All-Defensive team, as well as the MVC All-Freshman team along with Lisa Verhoff. Mennen went on to capture her second consecutive MVC scoring championship, averaging 18.6 points per game.

Wiedie himself was honored after the season by the conference by being named 2002-03 Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year for leading the predicted seventh-place Sycamores to a first place finish at season’s end.

In 2002-03, Wiedie coached a team that broke the school record for three-point field goals made, the third straight season that a Wiedie led team had broken that school record. He also was the leader of a team that won 12 of their 14 home contests in 2002-03, including an eight-game home MVC winning streak — the longest in school history.

In 2001-02, Coach Wiedie led the Sycamores to the ISU school record for three-point field goals in a season with 184, a record which was broken in 2002-03.

That same season, ISU’s Kourtney Mennen became just the third player in school history to score her 1,000th career point in her third season of play. Mennen also was named MVC Player of the Week a school record three times, and was the Valley’s scoring champion with 19.8 points per game. Wiedie had three players, Mennen, April Kirby and Kristin Stewart who each had career-highs for single-season points scored.

As a team, the Sycamores finished third at the prestigious Vanderbilt Holiday Inn Invitational and swept Southern Illinois in conference play. The Sycamores also recorded their first home win over Northern Iowa in four seasons.

In the 2000-01 season, Wiedie rallied his players and coaches around the common goal of gaining respect. Under Wiedie’s direction the Sycamores, were able to get an MVC win against Wichita State while sweeping two games each from Bradley, Illinois State and Southern Illinois. The team lost by one point to conference power Drake and faced 2001 NCAA Final Four participant SMS on three separate occasions.

Wiedie was able to lead the team to a seventh place finish inside the Missouri Valley which landed the Sycamores in the 2001 State Farm MVC Women’s Basketball Tournament. The Sycamores fell short against eventual tournament champion, SMS, in the first round. Under Wiedie’s leadership, the Sycamores were able to win one more regular season game and two more conference games than the previous year, as well as break three team records. ISU set new marks for three-point field goals made in a game (11), three-point field goals made in a season (165) and three-point field goals attempted in a season (483).

The Sycamores also had two players honored by the MVC with postseason awards. Senior Kiwana Battle, who was the leading scorer, rebounder and shot blocker on the 2000-01 team, was named to the MVC’s all-defensive team while Celeste Hlebovy was named to the MVC all-freshman team.

Wiedie has played a key role in the success of the Sycamore program since his arrival before the 1997 season. His first season at ISU, the Sycamores finished 17-11 and advanced to the semifinals of the MVC Tournament. Also that season, the ISU recruiting class was ranked nationally by Blue Star Report. In Wiedie’s second season (1998-99), ISU finished 18-11 and once again advanced to the semifinals of the MVC tournament and continued in postseason play in the WNIT where they lost in the first round to Wisconsin. During Wiedie’s third season as an assistant in 1999-00, the Sycamores finished the season 9-18, but still advanced to the MVC Tournament for the fourth straight season.

During Wiedie’s fourth season in 2000-01 he served as assistant coach for six games before becoming interim head coach. As an assistant in 2000-01, the Sycamores beat UNC-Wilmington at the Coors Rocky Mountain Invitational.

Prior to coming to Indiana State, Wiedie was on the staff at Northern Kentucky University for five seasons. During his time with NKU, Wiedie served as an assistant coach for the women’s basketball program and athletic facilities coordinator. Wiedie was responsible for all areas of coaching, recruiting and scouting for the women’s basketball program. Before his stint at NKU, Wiedie spent one year at Walsh College in Ohio as an assistant women’s basketball coach. Wiedie also was an assistant girl’s basketball coach at Akron Springfield High School for six years.

The Akron, Ohio native is a 1988 graduate of Kent State University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in broadcast communications. He also earned his master’s degree in sports administration from Kent State University in 1991.