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39 "He worked hard at school, he did well in school, he enjoyed school. But the opportunity was there now for him." Under Eaves' watch, the Badgers have had 19 underclassmen turn pro since 2002. "Like my wife (Beth) said to me one day," Eaves related, "in coming to school here is it about a degree or is it about a job? They can go hand-in- hand, if the degree leads to a job. "But in the meantime, if you're here as a student-athlete and you get a job, a working job at that kind of (pay), you have to take that opportunity." Eaves has always stressed the value of academics and it's more than lip service. "He obviously takes it very seri- ously," Kerdiles said. "He makes sure you're on top of school. And if you're not, if you're running behind, he'll be the first one to make sure you get things fixed. "He's not afraid to sit you in a game. Luckily, I wasn't in that position. But he'll definitely go there. School means a lot to him. That was a big part in me signing at Wisconsin. He cared a lot." Mersch has gotten the same vibes. "Coach Eaves is a really stickler in making sure our team GPA is where it needs to be," he said. "Just take a look at this year with all the seniors who needed to take classes during practices. "Coach switched the practice times to make sure we were able to do that. That just speaks volumes on how much he believes in an education and how important he thinks it is for our lives." It's the first base that Eaves touches during the on-campus recruiting process. "The first person," he said, "that we hit when people come to visit us on an official or unofficial visit is Mary." Mary Weaver-Klees is an assistant director of aca- demic services. She oversees hockey. "For parents, it's the most important thing," Eaves said of their fact-finding sessions. "For the younger person, they sit in on it and they hear. I don't know how much they really absorb. "But it's really important for the parents to know that this is a big deal." Eaves believes strongly in Weaver-Klees and the "system" that is in place here. "She's a superstar in our opinion," he said. "There are a lot of people like Mary throughout the whole academic system at the university that help our kids be successful." Direction usually filters down from the top. To this end, Weaver-Klees credited Eaves for creating the culture and establishing the academic parameters for his program. "It's an expectation," Weaver-Klees said. "It start- ed when they came in with Coach saying, 'This is im- portant, this is something I value and I want you to value it.' He sets goals for them. "He's bringing the right kids in and they're doing the right things." She noted that all nine seniors are on track to DAVID STLUKA