It’s one thing to win on the basketball court. There’s fame and glory involved in being a gladiator in the arena. It can be even more noble being a winner in the classroom despite less accolades and recognition.
What has flown a little under the radar is the job the Ohio State men’s basketball team has done in the academic arena under head coach Chris Holtmann. For the second-straight year, the team was singled out by the National Association of Basketball Coaches for its academic success. It was recognized with the 2018-2019 Team Academic Excellence Award — just one of two Big Ten teams to receive the designation (Northwestern being the other).
The award has been given out for seven years now and the past two years are the first for the Buckeyes.
Here’s the complete release from Ohio State:
COLUMBUS, Ohio-The Ohio State men’s basketball team was recognized Thursday by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) with the 2018-19 Team Academic Excellence Award.
The Buckeyes have earned the honor for the second-consecutive year. The NABC has been recognizing teams with a cumulative 3.0 or better grade-point average for the last seven years.
Earlier this week, guard Joey Lane, who graduated in the spring with a degree in marketing, was recognized by the Big Ten as a 2018-19 Distinguished Scholar. To be eligible for the honor student-athletes needed a grade-point average of 3.7 or better the previous academic year.
For more on Ohio State’s 131 Big Ten Distinguished Scholars in 2018-19, click HERE.
The Buckeyes begin the third year under head coach Chris Holtmann in 2019-20 after consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament.
Ohio State opens the season at home vs. Cincinnati in early November.
