Men’s Basketball Grabs NABC Academic Award Again, Seven Rams Named to NABC Honors Court

NABC RELEASE | NABC HONORS COURT 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Suffolk men's basketball and seven Rams were recognized by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) for academic excellence. The blue-and-gold picked up the Team Academic Excellence Award, while Cole LeVangie, Connor Strickland, Danny Yardemian, Devin Dzikas, Keenan Robertson, Kyle Phillips and Liam Cunnie were tabbed to the NABC Honors Court.  

It is the second straight season that both the Suffolk squad and individuals were bestowed with the respective distinctions. 

The team award, which was created by the NABC Committee on academics has honored institutions in the NCAA, NAIA, and NJCAA for academic achievements over the last decade with the Rams appearing on the list eight of the last night seasons. All of Suffolk's recognitions have come in the Jeff Juron era.  

In order to achieve NABC Team Academic Excellence Award status, which started in 2012-13, programs must achieve a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better during the 2024-25 academic year. Suffolk's 12-player roster combined for a 3.454 cumulative GPA. 

The blue-and-gold, who earned its first NABC Team Academic Excellence Award distinction in 2016-17, is one of nearly 400 programs overall to earn the feat for 2024-25 and one of four Conference of New England (CNE) teams to grab the nod this year along with Roger Williams, Wentworth and Western New England.

The NABC Honors Court, meanwhile, includes junior, senior and graduate student men's basketball players who finished the 2023-24 year with a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher.  

Dzikas and Cunnie were repeat honorees as they scooped up the nod for the first time a year ago. LeVangie, Phillips, Robertson, Strickland and Yardemian, meanwhile, earned the feat for the first time in their careers. The seven Rams recognized in a single season are the most for the blue-and-gold in program history surpassing the previous mark of four, which was achieved twice, with the last happening a year ago.  

Suffolk is one of four CNE programs represented on the 2024-25 NABC Honors Court list as Roger Williams (8), Wentworth (4), and Western New England (9). Overall, 2,400 players earned spots on the NABC Honors court. 

NABC has been honoring student-athletes academic achievements with the Honor Court since the 2006-07 season. Suffolk's first nods came in 2008-09. Since Juron took over the program in 2015-16, 25 Rams have combined for 34 NABC Honor Court awards. Overall, the blue-and-gold has seen 27 student-athletes grab 38 NABC honors Court accolades.