Kansas City, Mo. – The Mount Saint Mary College Men's Basketball team has been honored for its work in the classroom with the NABC Team Academic Excellence Award it was announced Thursday afternoon. In addition to the team award, five members of the men's basketball team earned a spot on the NABC Honors Court.
For a team to be recognized with the academic excellence award, it must hold a grade point average of at least 3.0. To be included as a member of the Honors Court, a student-athlete must be a junior, senior of graduate student and hold a grade point average of at least 3.2.
Chris Yearwood (Red Hook, N.Y.), a Sports Management major, was fourth on the team in scoring in 2022-23, netting nearly 10 points per game. Yearwood led the Mount with 25 three-point field goals and was good for 2.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.
Connor Cyran (Garfield, N.J.), an Exercise Science major, led the Knights in scoring with nearly 12 points per game as a junior. Cyran converted at 48.8-percent from the floor in 2022-23, adding nearly six rebounds per game to go along with better than one assists and one steal per outing.
Jayden Racca (New Fairfield, Conn.), a Journalism major, appeared in 26 games for the Knights as a junior and averaged 6.4 points per game. Racca shot 42.1-percent from the floor and hauled in nearly three rebounds per tilt.
Jordan Rush (Valhalla, N.Y.), a Business Management and Administration major, closed his second year at the Mount appearing in 16 games. Rush finished a February 11 game against Manhattanville with a season-high four points and three assists.
Ryan Graham (Campbell Hall, N.Y.), a Healthcare Management major, wrapped up the 2022-23 season fifth on the team in scoring with 7.5 points per game. Graham rounded out the year tied for second on the team in three-point field goals with 23 and chipped in better than one assist and one steal per game.
"Education is a core value of the NABC, and we are privileged to recognize these outstanding student-athletes and the coaches and support staff who invest in their development," said NABC Executive Director Craig Robinson. "The hundreds of teams and thousands of players that qualified for NABC academic awards this season are a testament to our sport's ongoing prioritization of success in the classroom."
In total, over 1,800 players earned spots on the NABC Honors Court and over 300 programs received NABC Team Academic Excellence Awards for 2022-23.
About The NABC: The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) was founded in 1927 by Forrest "Phog" Allen, the legendary University of Kansas men's basketball coach. Formation of the NABC began as an emergency measure for the presentation of a united opinion after the Joint Basketball Rules Committee, then the central governing authority of the game, announced without notice that it had adopted a change in the rules which virtually eliminated the dribble. Allen, a student of basketball founder James Naismith, organized coaches to take a stand in a nationwide protest which successfully postponed the adoption of the rule change for one year. This marked the start of a collective group of coaches serving as Guardians of the Game. Since its inception, the NABC has also contributed numerous ideas and programs to enhance and preserve college basketball. These initiatives include establishing the original Basketball Hall of Fame (Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame), creating the format for today's NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship, originating the Final Four Fan Fest concept, and launching Coaches vs. Cancer.
