Aug. 11, 2006
NORMAL, Ill. -
At 6-foot-11 and possessing the ability the drain 3-point field goals, Illinois State's Levi Dyer is sort of a trailblazer at his position, much like the late Milt Weisbecker, a pioneer for the Redbirds as director of athletics in the 1960s and 1970s. In addition to forcing mismatches on the floor, Dyer is also successful in the classroom, making him a logical choice as the recipient of the 2006 Milt Weisbecker Endowed Scholarship at Illinois State.
Established in 1990, the Weisbecker Endowed Scholarship is named for the man who led Illinois State's program into Division I status more than 35 years ago and stayed close to the ISU athletics program even as his career moved on to other positions at Illinois State. The Weisbecker Scholarship is awarded to a junior or senior men's basketball player with a commitment to academics and competition.
Head coach Porter Moser is pleased with the maturity of Dyer.
"Levi is coming into his own and he really started to blossom during the second half of last season," said Moser. "He's growing into his body and physically adding the strength and conditioning that he needs. He such a mismatch for teams, because he can shoot the ball so well. He's been really focused academically and has been committed to excel in the classroom as well."
Dyer played in 27 games last season and started eight, including the last seven. He caught fire late in the season, averaging 10 points per game over the final six games. During that stretch, he scored a career-high 17 points at Wichita State, thanks to a 5-for-11 effort from beyond the arc. He finished the campaign with the second most treys on the team with 28.
"This is really an honor to receive this scholarship, because people around Illinois State are still talking about Mr. Weisbecker and what he meant to this university," said Dyer. "I played with a lot of confidence at the end of the season last year. Now being more mature and one of the older guys on the team, I'm expected to step up and do the things that I can do to help the team. I plan on doing that."
The Milt Weisbecker Endowed Scholarship is one of 14 endowed scholarships available to Illinois State student-athletes funded by private donors. It is also one of eight fully endowed scholarships in athletics.
For more information about supporting this, or any other Illinois State University endowment scholarships, call The Redbird Club office at (309) 438-3803.
