When the 2026 NCAA Men’s Final Four tips off in Indianapolis this April, the tournament’s legacy will extend far beyond the basketball court. Through Read to the Final Four, Indiana Sports Corp and the Local Organizing Committee are bringing the excitement of March Madness to third-grade classrooms across Indiana, inspiring students to become champions in reading.
Read to the Final Four is a statewide, tournament-style reading challenge where third graders track their reading minutes in hopes of advancing through a bracket to win prizes, free books, and a field trip to experience the Final Four in Indy. Since debuting at the 2016 Men’s Final Four, the program has helped students accumulate more than 121 million minutes of reading nationwide.
This year, over 400 Indiana schools are participating and in Columbus, the energy around reading is palpable. Seven Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation elementary schools have registered for the challenge, and their students are getting an extra boost from an unexpected source: high school student-athletes who volunteer as Book Buddies.
Coaches On and Off the Court
For Jerry Likens, the journey to becoming a reading mentor began his junior year when he joined a group of Columbus North football players visiting L.C. Schmitt Elementary, the school just across the street from his high school. What started as reading sessions and outdoor activities with second and third graders grew into something much bigger.
By senior year, Likens turned his experience into a formal project, combining volunteer hours as a Book Buddy at Parkside Elementary with efforts to recruit more high school students to the program. Think of these student-athletes as coaches, offering both encouragement and instruction to their elementary-aged counterparts, sitting side-by-side as young readers tackle challenging words and celebrating each page turned.
“Volunteering has made me more patient and empathetic,” Likens says. “I’ve learned that people learn at different paces, and we need to cater to their speed to see them do their best in school.”
Jerry’s leadership at Parkside Elementary aligns perfectly with another exciting initiative underway in the building. Parkside, along with six other BCSC schools, is competing in Read to the Final Four. Teachers are tracking their students’ reading minutes, and classrooms are advancing through the bracket challenge from the Round of 64 through the Sweet Sixteen, with the ultimate goal of reaching the Final Four and being crowned Reading Champions at a celebration in Indianapolis this April.
Building Teams of Readers
The synergy between Read to the Final Four and Book Buddies creates a powerful combination. While the tournament-style challenge motivates students to read more, the one-on-one attention from volunteers like Jerry helps ensure they’re building fundamental skills along the way.
Book Buddies of Bartholomew County has supported over 2,910 second and third graders since 2005, making it one of the largest volunteer programs in the county. Currently, 273 community volunteers, from high schoolers to retirees, work across all 11 BCSC elementary schools. Each student receives 30 minutes of individualized attention during weekly sessions, building not just reading skills but positive relationships across generations.
Lilly Coykendall, a senior at Columbus North and lacrosse player, captures what makes these connections special. “I chose to volunteer at Book Buddies because I love working with children, and I think it is a good organization to put time and effort into,” she says. “This experience has impacted me because I can help other students and children improve and prepare for their future, and that is special to me.”
The impact extends beyond individual reading sessions. Columbus East multi-sport athlete Keaton Lawson reflects on the broader ripple effect: “This has taught me that doing things for the community means a lot to a lot of people. Not just the kids that I’m helping but their families and the other people that are helping them out too.”
Some student-athletes contribute behind the scenes. Brooklyn Pendleton, a Columbus North multi-sport athlete, dedicates her time to creating reading comprehension questions for newly added books in the Book Buddies library, ensuring students have the tools they need to fully understand and connect with the stories they read. “The work I do creating the questions and choosing vocabulary words helps in a fundamental way,” Pendleton explains. The experience has “reinvigorated my passion for reading.”
The Power of Sports to Inspire Reading
Read to the Final Four exemplifies how sports can inspire a love of learning. The program transforms reading from a solitary academic task into an exciting team competition. Students log their minutes, classrooms advance through brackets, and schools compete for recognition all while developing the literacy skills that will serve them throughout their lives.
The tournament kicked off with Read to the Final Four Day on September 19, when classrooms across Indiana paused at 12:41 p.m. to read for 26 minutes in honor of the 2026 Final Four. Throughout the school year, participating schools have been logging minutes, with bracket rounds running from early February through early March. The Final Four teams will be recognized and champions crowned at a celebration in Indianapolis on April 6.
Beyond the competition, Read to the Final Four provides tangible support for literacy through the Literacy Legacy Grant program, offering funding for library makeovers and book collections. Schools across Indiana also have the opportunity to host Fan Jam Fridays, mobile celebrations that bring basketball, music, and literacy fun directly to students.
Supporting the Next Generation
Programs like Read to the Final Four and Book Buddies demonstrate what’s possible when communities invest in literacy. Through Indiana Sports Corp’s Team Up for Literacy initiative, we’re mobilizing resources to support literacy programs across Indiana, from early childhood through adult education, investing in what works and bringing the inspirational power of sport into classrooms.
When you support Team Up for Literacy, you’re helping fund programs that combine the excitement of competition with the foundation of strong literacy skills. You’re supporting third graders racing toward the Sweet Sixteen in their reading bracket. You’re enabling high school athletes to become mentors. You’re investing in library makeovers and book collections that will serve students for years to come.
As Jerry Likens and his fellow Book Buddies volunteers show their young readers that hard work and daily practice pay off, whether shooting free throws or sounding out new words, they’re building more than reading skills. They’re building confidence, relationships, and a love of learning that will last a lifetime.
Learn more about Team Up for Literacy and support programs that bring the power of sport to literacy education at indianasportscorp.org/community. Your gift today will help ignite a love of reading and transform lives across Indiana.
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To learn more about Read to the Final Four, visit finalfourindy.com/community/read-final-four. To learn more about Book Buddies of Bartholomew County, visit barthcobookbuddies.weebly.com.