ESPN's Jason Whitlock "developed a plan in early October to pay for several Ball State students to attend" next Wednesday's game against No. 18-ranked Northern Illinois, and he has "enlisted the help" of former Ball State coach and current Michigan coach Brady Hoke and Hoke’s wife, Laura, according to Zaleski & Beebe of the Muncie STAR PRESS. Whitlock, a Ball State alum, "contributed $5,000 and the Hokes matched the amount." Ball State will "add another $7,000 and the total will allow 240 Ball State students to be bused to the game in DeKalb, Ill." The trip includes "meals and game tickets, and five buses will transport the students." Whitlock’s donation "included a stipulation that 25 seats be reserved for journalism students at Ball State and 25 for members of the Black Student Association, leaving 190 seats for the general student body." Whitlock said that he e-mailed Laura Hoke "a couple of weeks ago to see if she and her husband ... would participate." Whitlock: “Laura emailed me back almost instantly and said she would love to do it." Ball State Deputy AD Brian Hardin said, "I gotta give Jason a lot of credit. He called at the beginning of last week and said he would love to find a way to get as many students up there as possible" (Muncie STAR PRESS, 11/8).
