RAPID CITY - Members of the Red Cloud boys basketball team are committed to success not only on the court, but also in the classroom.

Head basketball coach Matt Rama requires that to be on the starting line-up for the Red Cloud Crusaders, players must maintain a C average and show exceptional determination during every practice.

Rama says players Art Vitalis and Christian McGhee have gone above and beyond his standards, maintaining a 4.0 semester grade point average while excelling on the court.

And they're not the only ones. Jeremy Blacksmith also has a 4.0, and David Giago, Wade O' Bryan and Billy Scott are all honor students.

Vitalis, a senior, has attended Red Cloud since first grade, and has played Crusader basketball with classmate and teammate McGhee since the fifth grade. Although basketball is his first sport, Vitalis has managed to obtain an all-conference award in football and was a state-qualifier in track.

"I want to be a good role model for the younger Crusaders, and other students on the Pine Ridge Reservation," said Vitalis, who is quick to give credit to his family and friends for their support. In fact, as he considers his options for college, he says that coach Rama and other Red Cloud supporters have been helpful in his decision-making process.

Dee Vitalis, Art's mother, says her son is independent, talented and smart in everything that he does.

"He is a very confident and ambitious person, and I believe that he will accomplish everything that he sets out to do," she said. "We're all very proud of the emphasis he places on academics."

McGhee, also a senior, has been on the honor roll every quarter since the fifth grade and has attended Red Cloud since he entered the Montessori program in the fall of 1994. He hopes to go to college to play basketball and major in physical education with a minor in coaching.

Among his accolades are being named to the all-tournament team at the Lakota Nation Invitational, and all-conferences for both football and basketball.

McGhee says balance is the key to his success.

"I make sure all my school work is done first, and then I go to practice and work hard," he said. "The principles taught on the court also apply in the classroom."

McGhee's parents, Jim and Donna McGhee, are proud of their son's accomplishments.

"I couldn't ask for a better son. He puts his heart 100 percent into everything he does and I am very proud of him," his dad says.

"His accomplishments and dedication to making positive and healthy choices will guide him throughout his life," his mom added.

Both Vitalis and McGhee would like to play basketball in college and are currently looking into colleges such as Dickinson State, Black Hills State University and Colorado State.