KANSAS CITY -- Three standout America East men's basketball student-athletes were listed on the 2010-11 National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Honors Court, which was announced Monday. The Honors Court recognizes collegiate basketball student-athletes who excelled in academics during the past year.
University of Maine's Andrew Rogers and University of New Hampshire's Alvin Abreu and Brian Bensonwere among the honorees named, which spanned all three NCAA divisions and NAIA. Rogers and Benson have each earned America East All-Academic honors each of the last two years while Abreu, who sat out last season due to injury, was a second-team all-conference choice in 2009-10. UNH is just two of 28 institutions with multiple players listed.
Eligible candidates for the honor must be a varsity player who has spent at least one year at their current institution, reached junior academic standing and finished the 2010-11 academic year with a minimum of 3.20 cumulative GPA.
Located in Kansas City, Missouri, the NABC was founded in 1927 by Phog Allen, the legendary basketball coach at the University of Kansas. Allen, a student of James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, organized coaches into this collective group to serve as Guardians of the Game. The NABC currently claims nearly 5,000 members consisting primarily of university and college men’s basketball coaches. All members of the NABC are expected to uphold the core values of being a Guardian of the Game by bringing attention to the positive aspects of the sport of basketball and the role coaches play in the academic and athletic lives of today’s student-athletes. The four core values of being a Guardian of the Game are advocacy, leadership, service and education.