Commissioner Val Ackerman With DePaul's Billy Garrett Jr.
NABC Names 12 From BIG EAST MBB To Honors Court
Twelve BIG EAST men’s basketball student-athletes have been named to the 2017 National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Honors Court which recognizes excellence in the classroom.
To be named to the Honors Court, the student-athlete must meet high academic standards. He must be a junior or senior and have a cumulative grade point average of 3.2 or higher at the conclusion of the 2016-17 academic year. The students also must have matriculated at least one year at their current institutions.
DePaul had the most BIG EAST honorees with four, including senior Billy Garrett, Jr., who won the BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete of the Year award for men's basketball in March. Garrett Jr. majored in business finance. The other Blue Demons named to the NABC Honors Court were seniors Peter Ryckbosch (Health Sciences-Bio Science major) and R.J. Curington (Business-Management) along with junior Joe Hanel (Exercise Science).
A trio of Creighton seniors were recognized -- Cole Huff (Journalism), Toby Hegner (Marketing) and Tyler Clement (Financial Analysis and Marketing).
Butler and Villanova each had two players named. The Bulldogs had seniors Steven Bennett (Chemistry & Organizational Communication and Leadership) and Trey Pettus (Actuarial Science). The Wildcats had senior Dennis Grace (Finance) and junior Matt Kennedy (Finance).
Seton Hall was represented by junior Michael Nzei (Economics).