The women's basketball team members don't scrimmage in practice. At least not against each other.
Instead, the Cardinals compete against five men, hand picked from the Ball State community by the coaching staff.
The team employs a scout team consisting of eight men to better prepare them for upcoming games.
"Basically, they're just here to challenge us every day," assistant coach Stephanie White said. "But the biggest thing is guys, no matter what caliber of athletes they are, are bigger, stronger and faster than any other team we're going to play against."
The staff picked Jagga Rent two years ago to be on the scout team, and he has continued to volunteer ever since.
Rent was playing a casual game of basketball in Irving Gym, unknowingly being observed by an assistant coach.
The coach was impressed by his skills and approached him after the game, inviting him to be on the scout team.
"Initially it started out as something to get in good basketball shape," Rent said. "I played all through high school and wanted to stay in shape and not just sit around.
"As I kept coming and the first year passed, I kind of fell in love with the girls and just love doing it and wouldn't trade it for anything."
Rent's recruitment as a scout member was rare, as the team normally makes tryouts known to the Ball State community.
"At the beginning of the year, we put out fliers and come to see how good they are and how well they will help our team," White said.
Rent, along with the other seven members, is just as much a part of the team's practices as the players. The scout team's participation counts toward their eligibility, meaning that they must keep their grade point averages according to NCAA regulations.
The scouts' responsibilities include looking over opposing-team tape and adjusting their style of play according to each opponent's strengths and weaknesses, almost taking on a completely different player each week.
Ball State uses the scout team to get an idea of what to expect in the next game.
"It just goes back to the fact that when you play against the guys from the scout team, no team is going to be as good as they are," White said. "And if we can play against these guys every single day we're going to be a whole lot better."
White plays on the professional level during the Cards' off-season as a member of the WNBA's Indiana Fever. White was the team's third leading scorer at 6.9 points per game before sustaining a knee injury just days before the end of the 2003 season. However, White said she plans to return in 2004, fully rehabilitated.
As a member of the Ball State coaching staff, White is responsible for the scout team, something she notes is also important on the professional level.
"We had a scout team of guys from Indianapolis who were able to do it," White said. "I don't know how many teams do it, but I know that we did it, and it definitely helped us."
Rent has formed close relationships with the players, developing friendships with them and doing activities off the court.
"It's kind of a passion after you get into it for a while. You care about how they're doing throughout the season," Rent said. "It's not just coming to practice. You kind of have relationships with the players and want to see how they're doing."
For Rent, being a part of the team also involves going to the games and observing the Cardinals' play.
"I come to all the home games and try to go to all the away games I can because it's getting personable with the program," Rent said. "You see things that you pick up on and some things you can do better to help them for the next game."
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