Published: March 16, 2008 08:49 pm         

New: Olsthoorn told team weeks ago she wouldn't return

TERRE HAUTE — Indiana State’s 6-foot-2 sophomore center Maria Olsthoorn “has officially left our basketball program,” women’s basketball coach Jim Wiedie wrote in an e-mail message Sunday.

Olsthoorn did not travel with the Sycamores to last weekend’s Missouri Valley Conference women’s basketball tournament at St. Charles, Mo., as was reported on www.tribstar.com prior to ISU’s loss to Drake in Friday’s quarterfinals.

Olsthoorn led Indiana State with an average of 5.7 rebounds, while averaging 7.0 points. Olsthoorn started 14 of ISU’s 26 games this season. Her departure from the team was known to be imminent within the team.

Olsthoorn did not respond to e-mails sent to her Indiana State address. ISU is currently on spring break.

“Maria informed us, as a team, around the midpoint of conference play that she wasn’t coming back [for the 2008-2009 season],” Wiedie wrote. “She told us that she really didn’t have the heart or passion for basketball, and that she wanted to concentrate on other things, specifically her academics.”

Olsthoorn, a nursing major, began to see decreased minutes in ISU’s final games and did not play at all in the Sycamores’ victories in Hulman Center against then first-place Evansville and Southern Illinois.

“Although I did not agree with the decision or like it, I accepted it and we moved on,” Wiedie continued. “Maria informed me one day before we were to leave for the conference tournament that she would not be making the trip.

“Apparently she was upset that she did not play in our final two home games, both of which we won. I had a very good reason for not playing Maria in those final two games, but the particulars are not for public knowledge. It was a team-related issue and only my team and staff are aware of the reasons."

For a complete report, pick up Monday's edition of the Tribune-Star.