By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information Director
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The National Association of Basketball Coaches unveiled its 2021-22 academic team and individual honorees today and the University of Tennessee at Martin men’s program racked up multiple accolades.
The Skyhawks were one of 303 men’s programs to claim the NABC Team Academic Excellence Award, which includes honorees from all levels of college basketball who achieved at least a 3.0 Grade Point Average during the academic year. UT Martin was the only current Ohio Valley Conference school to make the list and was one of just six NCAA Division I programs located in Tennessee to earn a spot.
Last season, the Skyhawks chalked up a cumulative 3.22 GPA. That included a 3.16 GPA in the fall and a 3.28 GPA in the spring. Ten different student-athletes landed on the UT Martin Athletic Director’s Honor Roll, which recognizes those who achieve a 3.0 GPA or higher during the fall or spring semesters.
Individually, Skyhawk graduate guard Darius Simmons was selected to the NABC Honors Court today. The Raleigh, NC native was one of a dozen OVC representatives amongst over 2,000 names to appear on the list, which includes junior, senior and graduate student men’s basketball players who finished the year with at least a 3.2 cumulative GPA. He becomes the first UT Martin recipient of the award since Parker Stewart in 2019-20.
Simmons averaged 8.1 points while ranking second on the Skyhawks in both three-point field goal percentage (.356) and free throw percentage (.781) before an injury prematurely ended his season in mid-January. Off the hardwood, he accumulated a perfect 4.0 GPA while pursuing his Masters of Business Administration degree from UT Martin.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information