Belmont University Men’s Basketball Earns NABC Academic Awards

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – – Belmont University men’s basketball was honored Thursday by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) as part of its annual academic awards program.

Belmont received the NABC Team Academic Excellence Award and had three student-athletes named to the NABC Honors Court – graduates EJ Bellinger, Drew Friberg and Derek Sabin.

Belmont men’s basketball leads the nation in CoSIDA Academic All-America® selections since 2000-01 with 19, including Luke Smith in 2021-22.

The NABC Team Academic Excellence Award recognizes outstanding academic achievement by a team with a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or better for the 2021-22 season.

To earn a NABC Team Academic Excellence Award, institutions in the NCAA, NAIA and Two-Year Colleges must count the grade point averages of all men’s student-athletes on the basketball roster during the 2022-23 season.

Since inception of the NABC Team Academic Excellence Awards in 2013, Belmont is one of only two NCAA Division I programs to be honored every year (Eastern Washington).

Belmont has posted a team GPA of 3.0 or higher 23 consecutive years.

The NABC Honors Court recognizes the highest achieving student-athletes in college basketball.

Belmont annually ranks among NCAA Division I leaders on this academic achievement list, with 66 Bruin selections to the NABC Honors Court since 2011.

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 2021-22 academic year, (3) Students must have matriculated at least one year at their current institution and (4) Member of a NCAA Division I, II, III, or NAIA Division I or II institution with a NABC member coach.

Belmont University men’s basketball has been a postseason fixture the last two decades, including nine berths to the NCAA Tournament. The Bruins have won 20 conference championships since 2006 – third-most nationally over that span (Gonzaga, Kansas). Belmont has won 20 or more games in 13 consecutive seasons (Gonzaga, Kansas, Oregon) and 19 or game games in 18 consecutive seasons (Gonzaga, Kansas, San Diego State). Belmont is among select programs with two or more first-round selections in the NBA Draft over the last five years (Ben Sheppard, Dylan Windler). Belmont University men’s basketball boasts an NCAA-leading 19 CoSIDA Academic All-America selections since 2001 and is the only NCAA Division I program to make the NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) Honor Roll every year of existence