Benedict Places 6 On NABC Honors Court

The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) has announced the recipients of the 2022-23 NABC Team Academic Excellence Awards and NABC Honors Court, representing outstanding achievement in the classroom by men's college basketball teams and student-athletes.

Over 1,800 players earned spots on the NABC Honors Court and over 300 programs received NABC Team Academic Excellence Awards for 2022-23. Included in the NABC Honors Court are six Benedict College players: Brandon Beidleman; Gedeon Buzangu; Gob Gabriel; Felix Gue; Malachi McCoy; and Brandon Smith.

Beidleman was a junior guard majoring in sport management with a 3.49 GPA. Buzangu was a sport management graduate student with a 3.88 GPA. Gabriel was a junior mass communications major with a 3.52 GPA. Gue wa a junior interdisciplinary studies major with a 3.83 GPA. McCoy was a senior criminal justice major with a 3.72 GPA.Smith was a senior criminal justice major with a 3.22 GPA.

Benedict was one of three SIAC schools with players selected to the Honors Court, joining Kentucky State and Miles.

The NABC Team Academic Excellence Awards recognize men's basketball programs that completed the 2022-23 academic year with a team GPA of 3.0 or higher. The NABC Honors Court, meanwhile, includes junior, senior and graduate student men's basketball players who finished the 2022-23 year with a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher.

The NABC's academic awards include honorees from all levels of college basketball.

"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."