KANSAS CITY -- Five standout America East men's basketball student-athletes, three of which were also America East All-Academic selections this season, were listed on the 2011-12 National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Honors Court, which was announced Tuesday. The Honors Court recognizes collegiate basketball student-athletes across all three NCAA divisions and NAIA who excelled in academics during the past year.
University of Maine's Andrew Rogers and University of New Hampshire's Brian Benson earned the honor for the second straight season, while University at Albany's Jacob Iati and University of Vermont's Luke Apfeld and Ben Crenca received the accolade for the first time. Apfeld, Benson and Rogers were all America East All-Academic choices in 2011-12 while Iati earned the distinction last year.
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 2011-12 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.
America East is proud to have one of most comprehensive academic awards programs in the country. In addition to the the All-Academic program, which rewards student-athletes that excel both academically and athletically in each of the conference’s 20 sports, the conference presents the Academic Cup to the athletic program with the highest combined GPA of all its student-athletes in the given academic year. Additionally, a scholar-athlete, someone who distinguishes himself/herself as the top student-athlete in his/her sport, is awarded. From that group, one male and one female is selected the America East Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Finally, the conference recognizes all student-athletes who achieve at least a 3.0 GPA on its Academic Honor Roll, with those achieving a 3.50 average or better receiving Commissioner’s Honor Roll status.