KANSAS CITY, MO – The UVA Wise men's basketball team has been announced as a recipient of the National Association of Basketball Coaches Team Academic Excellence Award for their academic endeavors during the 2024-25 season. In addition, six student-athletes have earned spots on the organization's Honors Court.

To be awarded the Team Academic Excellence Award a team must complete the 2024-25 academic year with a team GPA of 3.0 or higher. To earn a spot on the Honors Court the player must be a sophomore, junior, senior, or graduate who has a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher.

Making the Honor Roll from UVA Wise are Calen Lightford, Josh Newland, Lav Cvetkovic', Patrick Shelley, Zachary Owens, and Zy'Ever Wingfield.

Other South Atlantic Conference members to earn Team Academic Excellence Awards are Carson-Newman, Emory & Henry and Tusculum.

The NABC's academic awards are presented annually to teams and athletes from all levels of college basketball.

"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. A complete list is available at the link above.

The UVA Wise men's basketball team will report back to campus in mid-August and will soon afterwards begin preparations for the 2025-26 season. The Cavs will literally open the 2025-26 season for the NCAA Division II as they will play the first D-II game in the country when they face Lubbock Christian in the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic at 11 a.m. on November 1 in Lakeland, Florida.