KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The NABC has announced the recipients of the 2025-26 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's academic awards are presented annually to teams and athletes from all levels of college basketball. The William Jewell men's basketball program earned the Team Academic Excellence Award with a 3.41 team GPA, ranking among the top-2 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference for the third straight season. The NABC Team Academic Excellence Awards recognize programs that completed the 2025-26academic year with a team GPA of 3.0 or higher. 

In addition to the team award, student-athletes, Bradley Lightbourne (Business Sports Management), Isaac Patterson (Business Administration), Justice Sutton (Business Administration), Kanukayi Gudza (Biochemistry), Kyle Scharbrough (Civil Engineering), and Peter Obeng (Exercise Science), were each named to the Honors Court, which recognizes individuals who have a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher and are of at least junior status. 

"College basketball student-athletes do incredible things on the court, but their achievements in the classroom are equally worthy of celebration," said NABC Executive Director Craig Robinson. "Education is one of the NABC's core values, and the hundreds of programs and thousands of athletes represented on these awards reinforce the commitment to academic success that exists across all levels of our sport."

Over 2,300 players earned spots on the NABC Honors Court and over 400 programs received NABC Team Academic Excellence Awards for 2025-26.