KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Hawai'i Pacific University has been recognized by the National Association of Basketball Coaches for the outstanding academic achievement of the Sharks men's basketball program.
 
The Sharks collected a 2019-20 Team Academic Excellence Award and had five student-athletes from the 2019-20 team named to the NABC Honors Court.
 
As a team, the Sharks are one of the 310 men's programs in all divisions who earned a collective 3.0 grade point average or better during the 2019-20 academic year. The Sharks posted a 3.091 mark to qualify for the award. HPU joins both Chaminade and Hawai'i Hilo on the list along with PacWest Conference members Azusa Pacific, Dominican (Calif.), Holy Names and Point Loma.
 
Named to the NABC Honors Court for HPU were Neema Namdar, Ronald Blain, David Rowlands, Chidozie Ndu and Ryan Godges. The five join more than 1,350 men's basketball student-athletes around the country who qualified for the award. The PacWest Conference placed 36 student-athletes from eight of the 11 institutions.
 
To qualify for the NABC Honors Court a student-athlete must hold an academic rank of junior or senior, be a varsity player, and hold a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 or higher at the conclusion of the academic year. Additionally, the institution must be an member of the NCAA Division I, II, III or NAIA Division I or II and have an NABC member coach.
 
The NABC recognizes the teams and student-athletes for their academic achievement annually. It celebrates the talents and gifts the young men possess off the court and the hard work exhibited in the classroom.