One member of the Knoxville Panthers is going to the state tournament this week; Elliot Schmidt has been named to this year’s Iowa Basketball Coaches Association Boys Academic All-State Team.

Schmidt is one of 21 players from across Iowa named to the squad, out of 85 applicants; the IBCA panel selected the recipients based on an average of 30 on the ACT, a grade point average of 4.0 and a scoring average of 12.3 points per game.

Elliot tells KNIA/KRLS News he had hoped to be picked for the team, and was glad to be among those chosen; and he says like a lot of his friends, he’s found a way to be successful while balancing a lot of activities at once.

“There’s usually a lot going on, but you’ve just got to find time for everything; and that’s one of the things that being involved in activities teaches you, is time management. And so that’s something I’ve been able to learn over my four years of high school,” Elliot says.

He and the others have been invited to receive their certificates of recognition this Thursday at the Wells Fargo Arena; they will be recognized during halftime of the Class 4A semifinal game, which starts at 6:30 p.m.