Wheeling, W. Va. - After announcing the Team Academic Excellence Awards on Wednesday, the postseason academic awards continued for the National Association of Basketball Coaches. The organization honored over 2,300 players for their individual accomplishments with its 2025-2026 Honors Court list. The Wheeling University Men's Basketball team continued its success in the classroom, with Alex Smith, Elijah Edwards, and Kris English each earning a spot on the list.
In order to qualify as a member of the NABC Honors Court, a player must be in their junior, senior, or graduate year and finish the 2025-2026 season with a cumulative 3.2 GPA or higher. This season, over 2,300 student-athletes were honored on the Honors Court, with all three levels of the NCAA and NAIA represented. Not only were the Cardinals the only program in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) to earn the Team Academic Excellence Award, they were also the only team in the conference with a representative on the Honors Court. It marks the fourth season in a row that the Cardinals have had at least one representative on the Honors Court, as well as the third consecutive season with three or more Cardinals making the list.
Leading the group was redshirt junior Alex Smith, who continued his leadership on the court into the classroom. The business major was a leader on the court for the Cardinals, averaging 6.2 points per game, while sitting second on the team with 6.0 rebounds per game and 126 assists across 28 games. Smith's impact would be felt on both sides of the ball for the Cardinals, but it was his defense that shined through. He was the team's leader with 52 steals during the year, while recording five or more rebounds in five of his final seven games. He tied a season-high with 12 rebounds on February 11th against Fairmont State, and added a seven rebound, nine assist, game against West Liberty to round out the season.
The lone multi-time Honors Court member on the list was senior Elijah Edwards, who earned the honor for the second time in his career. Edwards would appear off the bench six times for the Cardinals during the season, finishing with 14 points, two rebounds, and one assist across 15 minutes. He would set a career high with six points against Fairmont State, led by a 2-for-2 mark from beyond the arc, and added four points in the MEC Tournament matchup against Concord, while also finishing with one assist. Edwards was a leader off the court as well, participating in several activities across campus. Edwards has been a strong role player for the Cardinals during his time, and graduated from Wheeling University this past spring.
The final member of the NABC Honors Court was Kris English, who was eligible for the first time this season. English transferred in this past season, and was a key contributor early on before an injury shut him down during the second semester. He started his Cardinal career with a bang, putting up 10 points and three rebounds against CAL-U, and finished in double figures in six of his 10 games played. He would end up averaging 9.0 points per game and added 3.2 rebounds per game coming off the Cardinal bench. Before he suffered his injury, English had a string of three of four games in which he scored in double figures, and he looks to continue that trend this season.
The Wheeling University Men's Basketball team continues its preparations for the 2026-2027 season as they keep the winning culture alive on the court and in the classroom.
