KANSAS CITY, Mo. - - Belmont University men's basketball was honored Tuesday by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) as part of its annual academic awards program.
Belmont received the NABC Team Academic Excellence Award and had six student-athletes named to the NABC Honors Court – graduates
Nick Muszynski,
Grayson Murphy,
Luke Smith and
Caleb Hollander, and rising seniors
EJ Bellinger and
Derek Sabin.
Belmont men's basketball leads the nation in CoSIDA Academic All-America® selections since 2000-01 with 19, including Smith this past year.
The NABC Team Academic Excellence Award recognizes outstanding academic achievement by a team with a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or better for the 2021-22 season.
To earn a NABC Team Academic Excellence Award, institutions in the NCAA, NAIA and Two-Year Colleges must count the grade point averages of all men's student-athletes on the basketball roster during the 2021-22 season.
Since inception of the NABC Team Academic Excellence Awards in 2013, Belmont is one of only two NCAA Division I programs to be honored every year (Eastern Washington).
Belmont has posted a team GPA of 3.0 or higher 22 consecutive years.
The NABC Honors Court recognizes the highest achieving student-athletes in college basketball.
Belmont annually ranks among NCAA Division I leaders on this academic achievement list, with a remarkable 63 Bruin selections to the NABC Honors Court since 2011.
In order to be named to the Honors Court, a student-athlete must meet a high standard of academic criteria. 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 2021-22 academic year, (3) Students must have matriculated at least one year at their current institution and (4) Member of a NCAA Division I, II, III, or NAIA Division I or II institution with a NABC member coach.
Belmont University men's basketball has earned postseason invitations 15 of the last 17 seasons, including nine berths to the NCAA Tournament. The Bruins have won 20 conference championships since 2006 - third-most nationally over that span (Gonzaga, Kansas). Belmont has won 20 or more games in 12 consecutive seasons (Gonzaga, Kansas, Oregon). Belmont is one of only six NCAA Division I programs outside the Power 5 to post Top 100 rankings 12 consecutive seasons (BYU, Gonzaga, Saint Mary's (CA), San Diego State, Wichita State). Belmont University men's basketball boasts an NCAA-leading 19 CoSIDA Academic All-America selections since 2001 and is the only NCAA Division I program to make the NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) Honor Roll every year of existence
