Skyhawks receive Team Academic Excellence Award for first time
Moreton highlights program-best four named to NABC Honors Court with recognition for second-straight year
2019-20 NABC Team Academic Excellence Awards Announced
2019-20 NABC Honors Court Announcement
Stonehill earns the NABC's Team Academic Excellence Award for the first time for having a team GPA of 3.0 or above. |
EASTON, Mass. (July 21, 2020) – The Stonehill College men's basketball team has received the National Association of Basketball Coaches Team Academic Excellence Award for the first time for having a team grade point average of 3.0 or better and placed a program-best four of its upperclassmen on the NABC's Honors Court, the coaches' association has announced.
Stonehill's four Honors Court recipients is highlighted by All-American and recent graduate Will Moreton, who earns the recognition for the second-straight year, while rising seniors Owen de Graaf, Johnny Stretesky and Chris Willis have all received the recognition for the first time. Stonehill's four Honors Court recipients matches the number by fellow Northeast-10 Conference member Pace University for tops among the Conference's 14 men's basketball programs as the league featured 18 student-athletes in all named, with the Skyhawks among six programs with a team GPA of 3.0 or higher to earn the NABC's Team Academic Excellence Award.
In its eighth year, the NABC Team Academic Excellence Awards, created by the NABC Committee on Academics, recognizes outstanding academic achievement by a team with a 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.
The NABC Honors Court recognizes NCAA Division I, II, III or NAIA student-athletes of basketball programs led by NABC member coaches for their work in the classroom. To be named to the Honors Court, a student-athlete must meet a high standard of academic criteria of being in their junior or senior year academically on the men's basketball team with a cumulative grade point average of 3.2 or higher at the conclusion of the academic year.
Moreton |
de Graaf |
Stretesky |
Willis |
Moreton, who recently signed a professional contract with Dutch club Donar Groningen, earns a spot on the NABC Honors Court for the second-straight year after wrapping up an All-America career at Stonehill and earned the College's Edward E. Martin Senior Male Scholar-Athlete Award for his efforts in the classroom and basketball court. He recently graduated with a 3.51 cumulative grade point average and a degree in finance from the College after starting all 114 games of his collegiate career. Moreton earned CoSIDA Academic All-District I first team and NE10 Academic All-Conference honors this season, been inducted to the Financial Management Association Honor Society. He has been named to the NE10 Academic Honor Roll all eight semesters, receiving Academic Distinction status each of the last six for having a semester GPA between 3.50 and 3.99, and the Athletic Director's Honor Roll seven semesters.
Moreton, the NE10 Player of the Year, earned a spot on the Division II Bulletin All-America team this season as well as All-East Region first team honors from both the NABC and D2CCA. The three-time All-NE10 performer, with first team accolades this season after being selected to the second team as a sophomore and junior, led Stonehill in scoring, rebounding and assists for the third-straight season this winter. Moreton, named an honorable mention selection to the D2EastHoops.org All-Decade Team, finished his career ranked fourth in program history with 1,841 points, while his 265 career three-point field goals is second in program history behind only Jon Cronin, '92's 308 threes.
de Graaf, a political science major with a minor in economics with a 3.36 cumulative grade point average at Stonehill, has appeared in 70 games over his first three seasons. He has been named to the NE10 Academic Honor Roll all six semesters to date, with Academic Distinction status the last three semesters for having a semester GPA between 3.50 and 3.99, and Athletic Director's Honor Roll four semesters. He played all 27 games for Stonehill this past season, connecting on 64.5-percent (20-of-31) of his three-pointers, scoring a season-best 12 points on 4-for-4 shooting from three-point range, in nine minutes off the bench against Assumption College on February 15.
Stretesky, a finance major with a 3.43 cumulative grade point average at Stonehill, has appeared in 30 games over his first three seasons for the Skyhawks. He has been named to the NE10 Academic Honor Roll all six semesters, with Academic Distinction status this spring for having a semester GPA between 3.50 and 3.99, and Athletic Director's Honor Roll five semesters. Stretesky appeared in 11 games for the Skyhawks off the bench this season.
Willis, a finance major with a 3.56 cumulative grade point average at Stonehill, has played 19 games over his three-year career for the Skyhawks. He received the Division II ADA Academic Achievement Award in 2019 for having a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or higher. He has been named to the NE10 Academic Honor Roll all six semesters to date, with Academic Distinction status the last four for having a semester GPA between 3.50 and 3.99, and Athletic Director's Honor Roll five semesters. Willis, who missed the 2019-20 season to injury, appeared in 14 games as a sophomore, starting one, and chipped in a career-best seven points on two occasions.
Stonehill finished its 2019-20 season with an 18-11 record overall, including 13-6 in the NE10, finishing second in the Conference's Northeast Division and reaching the semifinal round of the NE10 Tournament, before earning the program's 15th NCAA Tournament bid.
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