Arizona men’s basketball earns team academic excellence award

Arizona men’s basketball excellence on the court last season was matched by the team’s prowess in the classroom.

The Wildcats received the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) 2021-22 Team Academic Excellence Award, the first such honor for the program in the 10-year history of the award. Arizona achieved the award by posting a team GPA of 3.0 or better.

Arizona joined Stanford, Utah and USC as the only Pac-12 programs to earn the team award.

“Academic success is a core value of the NABC and a priority shared by men’s basketball programs across the country,” said NABC Executive Director and former Oregon State coach Craig Robinson. “Excellence in the classroom requires hard work and dedication, and the NABC considers it a privilege to honor these deserving student-athletes and the coaches and staff who support them.”

Arizona set a program GPA record in two consecutive semesters last year, including a 3.14 GPA in the spring semester. 12 players had a GPA of over 3.0, eight players had a GPA of over 3.5, while one player finished with a 4.0 GPA.

In the fall semester, four players posted a perfect 4.0 GPA.

Forward Jordan Mains, a walk-on junior, was one of 2,000 players nationally across all divisions to be named to the Honors Court. The NABC Honors Court includes junior, senior and graduate student men’s basketball players who finished the 2021-22 year with a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher, according to an Arizona Athletics press release.