de Graaf earns a spot on the NABC Honors Court for the second-straight year (PHOTO BY Jan Volk/SportsPix) |
Skyhawks receive Team Academic Excellence Award for second-straight year
Program-best seven named to NABC Honors Court for classroom efforts
NABC Announces 2020-21 Honors Court
NABC Team Academic Excellence Awards Announed
EASTON, Mass. (August 3, 2021) – The Stonehill College men's basketball team has received the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Team Academic Excellence Award for the second-straight year for having a team grade point average of 3.0 or better and placed a program-record seven of its upperclassmen on the NABC's Honors Court, the coaches' association has announced.
Stonehill's seven Honors Court representatives surpass the previous program best of four set last summer and lead the way among the Northeast-10 Conference's 14 men's basketball programs as the league featured 20 student-athletes in all named, with the Skyhawks among four NE10 programs with a team GPA of 3.0 or higher to earn the NABC's Team Academic Excellence Award. Stonehill's seven Honors Court members are made up of four recent graduates, including two-time recipients Owen de Graaf and Chris Willis, CoSIDA Academic All-District® selection Monty Urmilevicius and TJ Reed, along with juniors Isaiah Burnett, Shamir Johnson and Jack Schwietz.
In its ninth 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 2020-21 season. 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 2020-21 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.
de Graaf |
Willis |
Reed |
Urmilevicius |
Johnson |
Burnett |
|
Schwietz |
de Graaf, who graduated with 3.44 cumulative grade point average as political science major and economics minor, earns NABC Honors Court status for the second-straight year. He has been named to the NE10 Academic Honor Roll all eight semesters, with Academic Excellence status during the fall semester for having a 4.0 GPA, while receiving Academic Distinction status three semesters for having a semester GPA between 3.50 and 3.99. He has been named to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll six semesters and received the Division II Athletic Director's Association (ADA) Academic Achievement Award. de Graaf appeared in 70 games over his Stonehill career, connecting on 64.5-percent (20-of-31) of his three-pointers during the 2019-20 season, and finished shooting 47.1-percent from the field, including 45.6% from three-point distance, overall.
Willis, who graduated with a 3.61 cumulative grade point average as a finance major, also earns a spot on the NABC Honors Court for the second-straight year. He received the Saint Thomas Aquinas, Patron Saint of Students, Medal for having the highest cumulative GPA on the men's basketball team this spring and the Division II ADA Academic Achievement Award two straight years for having a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or higher. Willis was inducted to the Financial Management Association National Honor Society this spring and has been named to the NE10 Academic Honor Roll all eight semesters, with Academic Distinction status the last six for having a semester GPA between 3.50 and 3.99, and Athletic Director's Honor Roll seven semesters. Willis appeared in 19 games over his Stonehill career, starting one, and chipped in a career-best seven points on two occasions.
Urmilevicius, who graduated with a 3.52 grade point average as a finance and communication double major at Stonehill, is named to the NABC Honors Court for the first time after also being selected to the CoSIDA Academic All-District® first team earlier this spring. The Bryant University transfer has earned the Division II ADA Academic Achievement Award and has been named to the NE10 Academic Honor Roll all four semesters since coming to Stonehill, as well as the Athletic Director's Honor Roll. Urmilevicius had an impact for Stonehill during the 2019-20 season with the Skyhawks, helping the team earn an NCAA Tournament bid. He started 26 of 29 games played and contributed 8.3 points on 53.4-percent shooting, converting 67.6% of his free-throws (23-for-34) with 4.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 21.3 minutes per game. He appeared in 33 games, with eight starts, in two seasons at Bryant before joining Stonehill, totaling 326 points, 218 rebounds and 65 assists in 62 games played over three years on the court for his collegiate career.
Reed, who graduated with a 3.33 grade point average as a finance major at Stonehill, is named to the NABC Honors Court for the first time. He has been named to the NE10 Academic Honor Roll, with Academic Distinction status both semesters over the last year for having a GPA between 3.50 and 3.99, while earning Athletic Director's Honor Roll status both semesters as well.
Willis is also a two-time NABC Honors Court member (PHOTO BY Bob Blanchard) |
Burnett, a transfer from the U.S. Naval Academy that has earned a 3.33 cumulative GPA as a business major at Stonehill, earns NABC Honors Court status for the first time. He has been named to the NE10 Academic Honor Roll all three semesters since transferring to Stonehill, with Academic Distinction status one semester for having a GPA between 3.50 and 3.99. He has received the Division II ADA Academic Achievement Award and been named to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll two semesters. Burnett appeared in 25 games in two years at Navy, before redshirting in 2019-20 after transferring to Stonehill. He scored a season-high ten points at Colgate in February 2019.
Johnson, who has earned a 3.35 cumulative GPA as a business management major at Stonehill, earns a spot on the NABC Honors Court for the first time. He has been named to the NE10 Academic Honor Roll five semesters, with Academic Distinction status for having a semester GPA between 3.50 and 3.99 twice, while being named to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll as well. Johnson has received the Division II ADA Academic Achievement Award and earned the Stonehill Athletic Department's Community Service Award for his role in elevating the conversation for racial justice on the campus in the last year after establishing One Hill and working with the Athletics Task Force to Address Racial Injustice. Johnson appeared in 17 games in his first active season at Stonehill in 2019-20, averaging 9.8 minutes per game and netting a season-high 13 points in a win over Southwest Minnesota State University.
Schwietz, a transfer from the University of Maryland-Baltimore County that has earned a 3.22 cumulative GPA as a communication major, earns a spot on the NABC Honor Court for the first time. He was named to the Dean's List two semesters at UMBC, earning NE10 Academic Honor Roll status both semesters at Stonehill, with Academic Honors distinction for having a GPA between 3.00 and 3.49, while being named to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll both semesters as well. Schwietz appeared in 31 games, with five starts, in his two years at UMBC, posting a double-double with career-highs of 13 points and 11 rebounds, with four assists and three steals in a win over Valley Forge.
Stonehill, which saw its 2020-21 season canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic after having its NCAA Tournament appearance stopped by the pandemic last March, posted an 18-11 record overall in 2019-20, including 13-6 in the NE10. The Skyhawks reached the semifinals of the NE10 Tournament before being edged in a triple-overtime thriller, receiving an at large bid to the NCAA Tournament for the 15th time in program history.
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