Thursday, July 30, 2015

PORTLAND, Ore. – The men’s basketball programs at Seattle Pacific University and the University of Alaska Anchorage lead a long list of academic honorees by the National Basketball Coaches Association (NABC) in the organization’s Team Academic Awards and Honors Court.

The Falcons and Seawolves are among 175 teams nationwide selected for NABC’s Team Academic Excellence Awards. The awards program, now in its third year, recognizes outstanding achievement by a men’s basketball program with a cumulative grade point average of 3.00 or better during the 2014-15 academic year. In order to qualify, teams must count grade point averages of all rostered athletes that competed during the season.

Additionally, 11 student-athletes from Seattle Pacific, Alaska Anchorage and Central Washington University were named to the NABC Honors Court. The program honors outstanding academic achievement by men’s basketball players of junior or senior standing who finish the academic year with a cumulative grade point average of 3.2 or better. Both awards are bestowed to programs whose coaches are members of the NABC.

Seattle Pacific was the 2014-15 GNAC Men’s Basketball Tournament champion, earning their 11th straight NCAA Division II Tournament appearance, and also led men’s basketball programs in the GNAC All-Academic standings with a 3.41 cumulative grade point average. The Falcons had four individual GNAC All-Academic selections.

Senior guard Riley Stockton was named the GNAC’s Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year after earning First Team All-GNAC honors and was among five SPU players named to the NABC Honors Court. Stockton was joined by Honorable Mention All-GNAC senior guard Matt Borton, senior guard Brendan Carroll and senior forwards Shawn Reid and Eric Morse.

Alaska Anchorage made the squad after placing fourth in the GNAC regular season standings and advancing to the GNAC Tournament. The Seawolves four NABC Honors Court selections were led by First Team All-GNAC senior guard Travis Thompson, who was named to the CoSIDA Division II Academic All-American Third Team. Joining Thompson on the Honors Court are senior forward Brad Mears and junior guards Kevin Bowman and Travis Parrish.

Central Washington’s Honors Court selections included senior guard Julian Vaughn and junior guard Joey Roppo.

Concordia University also received a Team Academic Excellence Award and had five Honors Court selections in their final season playing a full NAIA Division II schedule. Concordia, in the second year of their transition to NCAA Division II membership, will play a full GNAC schedule in 2015-16. The Cavaliers finished in a three-way tie for the Cascade Collegiate Conference title and advanced to the second round of the NAIA Division II National Tournament.