KANSAS CITY – The Niagara University men's basketball program was recognized for its outstanding academic year with the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Team Academic Excellence Award for the second straight year, while several Purple Eagles were named to the NABC Honors Court.  

The NABC Team Academic Excellence Award is earned by a program whose grade-point average (GPA) is 3.0 or higher for the 2020-21 academic year. Niagara finished with a 3.18 GPA.

Seven Purple Eagles – Shandon Brown, Jordan Cintron, Marcus Hammond, Nicholas Kratholm, Steven Levnaic, Justin Roberts, and Raheem Solomon – were named to the NABC Honors Court. In order to be named to the Honors Court, a student-athlete must be at least a junior academically and have a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher.

The men's basketball program has had four consecutive semesters with a 3.0 or higher GPA, including a program-record 3.45 GPA for the fall 2020 semester. Niagara placed four Purple Eagles to the MAAC All-Academic Team and nine to the MAAC Academic Honor Roll for the 2020-21 season.

Nicholas Kratholm, who was a finalist for the Senior CLASS Award, was also named to the 2020-21 CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team.

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