RSC Men's Basketball honored by NABC

Posted: Jul 20, 2023

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The NABC has announced the recipients of the 2022-23 NABC Team Academic Excellence Awards and NABC Honors Court, representing outstanding achievement in the classroom by men's college basketball teams and student-athletes.

The NABC Team Academic Excellence Awards recognize men's basketball programs that completed the 2022-23 academic year with a team GPA of 3.0 or higher. The NABC Honors Court, meanwhile, includes junior, senior and graduate student men's basketball players who finished the 2022-23 year with a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher.

The NABC's academic awards include honorees from all levels of college basketball.

Sage men's team was also honored with a Team Excellence Award for the fourth straight academic year. This marks the fifth time Sage's men's basketball team has garnered the award, all coming under the guidance of head coach Brian Barnes.

Barnes noted, "Our coaching staff is extremely proud of our team's commitment to their academic success." He added, "Dependability is a core value in our program and it is great to see our guys take it to heart. We are excited to celebrate our 4th consecutive NABC Team Academic Excellence recognition. The honor is a tribute to the commitment made by our student athletes and also the outstanding teaching and learning environment we have at Sage. We would like to thank all of our faculty, deans and support systems that make Russell Sage College such a special place."

Honored from the Gator men's basketball team were graduate player Ryan Long (Averill Park, NY/Averill Park) and junior Jackson Brown (Latham, NY/Catholic Central). Brown is majoring in sports and recreation management at Sage, while Long is pursuing his master's in special education.

Additionally, Barnes remarked that "our staff would like to congratulate both Ryan and Jackson for being recognized on the 2022-23 NABC Honors Court. Both young men have been a model of consistency and were laser focused this year on being the best student athletes they can be. We are all very proud of them!"

Sage has now had 24 players honored by the NABC.

"Education is a core value of the NABC, and we are privileged to recognize these outstanding student-athletes and the coaches and support staff who invest in their development," said NABC Executive Director Craig Robinson. "The hundreds of teams and thousands of players that qualified for NABC academic awards this season are a testament to our sport's ongoing prioritization of success in the classroom."

Over 1,800 players earned spots on the NABC Honors Court and over 300 programs received NABC Team Academic Excellence Awards for 2022-23.

The qualifications are as follows:

1. Academically a junior or senior and a varsity player.

2. Cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.2 or higher at the conclusion of the 2022-23 academic year.

3. Students must have matriculated at least one year at their current institution.

4. Member of a NCAA Division I, II, III, or NAIA Division I or II institution with a NABC member coach.