Wheeling, W. Va. - On Thursday, the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) released their annual individual and team academic awards for the 2024-2025 season. The Wheeling University Men's Basketball team was well represented on the list, taking home the Team Academic Excellence Award while also having four athletes earn a spot on the NABC Honors Court. Elijah Edwards, Korey Beckett, Sean Ealy, and William Gabbert each earned individual academic honors, while leading the team to their second straight Team Academic Excellence honor.
"It is a tremendous honor to earn the Team Academic Excellence Award for the second consecutive school year," said Wheeling University Head Men's Basketball Coach Chris Richardson. "We are extremely proud of our entire team for their hard work in the classroom to earn this distinction. Academic excellence has been a hallmark of our program for many years, and we look forward to continuing that standard in the years to come."
The NABC Team Academic Excellence Award recognizes programs that completed the 2024-2025 academic year with a team GPA of 3.0 or higher. The honor was given to nearly 400 programs across all levels of NCAA Division I, II, and III, emphasizing the education portion of the NABC's Five Core Values. The Wheeling Men's Basketball team took home the award for a second straight season, posting a 3.22 team GPA during the season. The Cardinals are one of four Mountain East Conference (MEC) teams honored on this year's list, joining Concord, Fairmont State, and Point Park. NABC Executive Director Craig Robinson applauded the work of both the teams and student-athletes both on and off the court.
"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 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."
Along with the team honor, the Cardinals also had four athletes earn spots on the NABC Honors Court, their most honorees since they had five in 2022. Leading the list of honorees is William Gabbert, who earned his second NABC Honors Court award of his career. Joining him are three first-time NABC Honors Court members in Edwards, Ealy, and Beckett, with all three being veteran leaders for the program. The NABC Honors Court athletes include junior, senior and graduate student men's basketball players who finished the 2024-2025 season with a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher. Beckett and Edwards were each eligible for the honor for the first time in their careers, with Ealy picking up his first NABC Honors Court award in his second year of eligibility.
"Korey, Sean Elijah, and Will all exemplify the mission of our program and university," said Richardson. "Congratulations to them for this special achievement. They more than earned it."
In total, the MEC had four programs with players on the NABC Honors Court, with Wheeling once again joining conference rivals Fairmont State, Point Park, and Concord. The Falcons topped the list of MEC honorees, with six athletes named to the Honors Court, while Wheeling and Point Park tied with four honorees each. Concord rounded out the list with one player earning the NABC Honors Court award.
For a look at the entire list of NABC Team Academic Excellence and NABC Honors Court honorees, click HERE.
