FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern men's basketball program was honored for its hard work in the classroom, as the team received the National Association of Basketball Coaches Team Academic Excellence Award.
"Other than winning a national championship, this recognition may be the most important that any intercollegiate athletic team could receive," said head coach
Gary Tuell. "And it would be easy to argue that this is a higher award than a national championship. Certainly our faculty, administrators and the parents of our players would say that. I'm so very proud of our team. When you consider what they accomplished on the court and in the classroom, you can't help but stick your chest out and be proud of the entire group."
The Sharks were the only team in the Sunshine State Conference to be honored for academic excellence by the NABC. Of all the men's hoops teams in the state of Florida, the Sharks were the only squad to receive this distinction. The Sharks finished the year with a cumulative GPA of 3.24. Of the 13 players on the roster in the spring, seven had a winter GPA of over a 3.0. The Sharks' tradition of academic excellence will likely continue into next season, as the expected returners have a cumulative GPA of 3.44.
"Out of all the NCAA DI, DII and NAIA men's basketball programs in the state of Florida, it's nice to know that our NSU squad not only posted the highest team GPA but also is the only team among so many outstanding universities to make this prestigious list. It's quite an accomplishment for our student-athletes."
The NABC has recognize outstanding academic achievement by a team for the first time this season, with teams honored when holding a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better for the 2012-13 season.
Earlier in the week, The NABC honored
Louie Schonauer (Sr., Lincoln, Ill.),
Lukas Roesch (Sr., Sugar Grove, Ohio) and
Brian Cahill (So., Arlington, Va.) as Honors Court members. Earlier this season,
Justin Jeangerard (So., Weaverville, Calif.) was named a Capital One Academic All-South Region honoree.
"At NSU we look for young men who can be successful on and off the court," stated Tuell. "A lot of coaches talk about academics and doing things the right way, but at NSU we don't just talk about it, we make it a priority in recruiting. High character and high academic achievement are two of the cornerstones of our program. We're blessed to have an administration that provides our student-athletes with a first-class academic support system. And we're blessed to have student-athletes who take advantage of the resources and have the personal drive and discipline to excel in basketball and in the classroom."
For the latest NSU news and results, be sure to visit
www.NSUSharks.com. To have results sent directly to your cell phone via text message, sign up for SMS text message delivery by
clicking here. For the latest news, be sure to sign up for the Shark Alert E-newsletter by
clicking here.
