As announced by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) today, four members of the 2019-20 Humboldt State University Men’s Basketball Team were named to the NABC Honors Court.  As a team, the Lumberjacks were recognized as one of the institutions to earn the Eighth Annual Team Academic Excellence Award, created by the NABC Committee on Academics.

 The four Lumberjacks to be named to the Honors Court were Victor Mijas, Arash Poorsina, Gabrys Sadaunykas and Jackson Strong.  They were four of the 1,350 men’s collegiate basketball student-athletes that excelled in academics during the past season.

 The NABC Honors Court highlights the talents and gifts that these men possess on the court and the hard work they exhibit in the classroom. 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 2019-20 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.

 Earlier this summer, Mijas, Poorsina, Sadaunykas and Strong were named to the 2019-20 California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Winter All-Academic Team.  Back in March, Strong was named to the 2019-20 All-CCAA Team for the second consecutive season.  The senior shooting guard was named to the 2019-20 CoSIDA Academic All-District Team in late winter. 

 As a team, the Lumberjacks were one of the institutions to receive the NABC Team Excellence Award for achieving a team cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or better for the 2019-20 season.

 In order to earn a NABC Team Academic Excellence Award, institutions in the NCAA, NAIA and NJCAA must count the grade point averages of all men’s student-athletes who competed during the 2019-20 season. About the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC)

 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 has 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. For additional information about the NABC, its programs and membership, go to www.nabc.com. 2019-20 NABC Team Academic Excellence Awards