Missouri State head basketball coach Cuonzo Martin has more than one reason to smile this offseason. Aside from ending the 2009-10 campaign with four straight wins and a CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament title, the Bears achieved their second-highest team grade-point average in 15 years and saw three players complete their degrees this spring.

The team's 2.84 grade point average during the 2010 spring semester was second only to a 3.00 average in the spring of 2001 as the best semester GPA since 1995. In all, four players posted averages over 3.25 this spring, including Ryan Jehle (3.75), Will Creekmore (3.68), Caleb Patterson (3.45) and Nafis Ricks (3.25).

Likewise, Justin Fuehrmeyer was the first men's basketball player to receive the Virgil Cheek Award since 1990. He graduated in May along with Wade Knapp and Shane Laurie who both concluded their playing careers with Martin in 2009.  With the three spring graduates plus Jehle -- who completed his undergraduate degree in the fall of 2009 -- 89 percent of the seniors who have completed their playing careers at Missouri State since 1990 have also completed their degrees at MSU (33 of 37).

Creekmore (first team) and Jehle (second team) were also named to the Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete team this season, marking the second year in a row each has achieved that milestone.

The Bears finished the 2009-10 season with a 24-12 overall record and will return five players who received Missouri Valley Conference postseason awards.