July 16, 2024
Success in the classroom: Ferris State men’s basketball teams earns NABC Team Academic Excellent Award
The Ferris State University men's basketball squad, which reached the NCAA Division II Elite Eight and won the NCAA D2 Midwest Regional Championship this past year, also is being honored for its classroom success as the National Association of Basketball Coaches announced its 2023-24 Team Academic Excellence Awards along with the NABC Honors Court selections.
The Bulldogs earned the NABC Team Academic Excellence Award for the first time. The distinction goes to programs that achieve a team grade point average of 3.0 or higher.
The NABC Honors Court includes junior, senior and graduate student men's basketball players who finished the 2023-24 year with a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher.
The Bulldogs had eight student-athletes achieve the distinction, including graduate seniors Amari Lee and Ben Davidson along with juniors Ethan Erickson, Reece Hazelton and Jimmy Scholler. Also honored were sophomores Brandon Claerbaut, Nate Claerbaut, and Cole Vickers.
The NABC's academic awards recognize teams and athletes from all levels of college basketball.
"The NABC is proud to celebrate these accomplished student-athletes, along with the coaches and staff who champion success in the classroom," NABC Executive Director Craig Robinson said. "Education is a core value of the NABC, and the teams and athletes who earned these awards are proof that academic achievement remains a priority across every level of our sport."
More than 2,100 players earned spots on the NABC Honors Court and over 360 programs received NABC Team Academic Excellence Awards for 2023-24, representing the highest academic achievement in the classroom by the nation's men's basketball teams and players.
Ferris State won both the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament Championship and the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional title this past season, closing the year with a 28-8 overall record while notching a share of the second-most wins in program history.
The Bulldogs made their first trip to the D2 Elite Eight in six years with the last coming in 2018 when FSU captured its first NCAA D2 National Championship. This past year's appearance in the Elite Eight was the Bulldogs' third overall in program history.