July 17, 2025

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) has announced the recipients of the 2024-25 NABC Team Academic Excellence Awards and NABC Honors Court, representing achievement in the classroom by men's college basketball teams and individual players.

The NABC Team Academic Excellence Awards recognize programs that completed the 2024-25 academic year with a team GPA of 3.0 or higher.  The Dakota State University Trojan men's basketball team received this team academic award.

The NABC's academic awards are presented annually to teams and athletes from all levels of college basketball.  The NABC Honors Court, meanwhile, includes, junior, senior, or graduate student men's basketball players who finished the 2024-25 year with a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher.

Five Trojans athletes earned individual academic honors from NABC.  They are Brayden Pankonen, Calvin Payne, Ethan Slaathaug, Isaac Sumption, and Taine Mitchell.

"Education is one of the NABC's five core values, and we are proud to recognize the academic accomplishments of these programs and individual student-athletes across our sport," said NABC Executive Director Craig Robinson. "The dedication and hard work of these athletes, along with their coaches and support staff members who prioritize academic success, deserves to be widely celebrated."

Over 2,400 players earned spots on the NABC Honors Court and nearly 400 programs received NABC Team Academic Excellence Awards for 2024-25.