STANDISH, Maine – The Saint Joseph's College men's basketball team has been recognized as one of over 175 programs across the country to earn Team Academic Excellence Award honors from the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), as announced on Wednesday.
In its third year of existence, the high academic honor recognizes outstanding academic achievement by teams with a cumulative grade point average of 3.00 or better for the 2014-15 season. All NCAA Division I, II, III, and NAIA Division I and II institutions are eligible.
The Monks, under the direction of 12th-year Head Coach Rob Sanicola '99, compiled an aggregate 3.04 GPA last year and placed four players – Craig Luschenat (Boston, Mass.), Davis Tucker (High Point, N.C.), John Crawley (Worcester, Mass.) and Connor Hart (Rockport, Maine) - on the 2014-15 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) All-Academic Team.
Saint Joseph's is the lone GNAC team to earn the academic accolade and is joined by Colby College as one of just two institutions from the State of Maine to be listed.
NABC Team Academic Excellence Awards
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.org.
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Saint Joseph's College is Maine's only Catholic liberal arts college, providing a supportive, personalized and career-focused education for more than 100 years. From its 474-acre campus on the shores of Sebago Lake, the College offers more than 40 undergraduate programs to a population of approximately 1,000 students. Saint Joseph's College Online provides certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees for working adults through an online learning program. For more, visit www.sjcme.edu.
