University of Northern Iowa Athletics
Panther men’s basketball earn NABC Team Academic Excellence Award, Six selected to Honors Court
7/20/2023 1:15:00 PM | Men's Basketball
KANSAS CITY, Mo. --- UNI men's basketball has been recognized by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) for their academic success during the 2022-23 season.
The Panthers on Thursday afternoon were among over 300 programs around the country to receive the NABC Team Academic Excellence Award, which recognizes men's basketball programs that completed the 2022-23 academic year with a cumulative team grade-point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher.
The NABC also honored over 1,800 individuals for academic excellence through its Honor Court, recognizing student-athletes with a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher. Six Panthers, including Bowen Born, Cole Henry, Derek Krogmann, Drew Daniel, James Betz and Tytan Anderson were selected.
"Education is a core value of the NABC, and we are privileged to recognize these outstanding student-athletes and the coaches and support staff who invest in their development," said NABC Executive Director Craig Robinson. "The hundreds of teams and thousands of players that qualified for NABC academic awards this season are a testament to our sport's ongoing prioritization of success in the classroom."
Born, a Second Team All-Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) guard last season, led the Panthers in scoring with 17.9 points per game while shooting 40.8% from the field. The Norwalk, Iowa native, who scored a career-high 34 points in UNI's MVC Tournament quarterfinal against Bradley, is currently majoring in psychology.
An Oskaloosa, Iowa native, Henry appeared in 29 games for UNI in 2022-23 with a 5.2 points per game average. He notably scored a career-high 15 points in the Panthers' win against Towson and pulled down a career-best 12 rebounds in January against Southern Illinois. Henry is majoring in communications with an emphasis in sports public relations.
Daniel played in a career-high 31 games last season for the Panthers, averaging just under ten minutes a game off the bench. He scored a career-high 11 points in UNI's season opener against Wartburg and knocked down three baskets from beyond the arc in the regular season finale vs. Belmont. Daniel is currently majoring in management: business administration.
A native of Eldridge, Iowa, Anderson recorded a breakout season last winter, leading the MVC with 11 double-doubles and being named captain of the MVC Most Improved Team. He averaged 12.6 points per game and led the Panthers with 8.5 rebounds a game, notably setting a new school record for single-game rebounds against an MVC opponent with 18 against Murray State. Anderson is majoring in management: business administration.
Betz, a Ventura, Iowa native, started 31 games for UNI last season, averaging six points per contest, while also picking up MVC Scholar-Athlete Third Team and College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District recognition. He scored a career-high 19 points against San Francisco last November, averaging 17.8 minutes a game. Betz graduated this past spring with a degree in movement and exercise science.
Krogmann, who joined Betz in graduating this spring with a degree in financial management, saw action in a career-high 17 games, shooting 60% from the field. He also picked up CSC Academic All-District honors during the year, pulling down a career-best six rebounds against Wartburg and finishing the season with seven assists.
ABOUT THE NABC
The NABC was founded in 1927 by Forrest "Phog" Allen, the legendary University of Kansas men's basketball coach. Formation of the NABC began as an emergency measure for the presentation of a united opinion after the Joint Basketball Rules Committee, then the central governing authority of the game, announced without notice that it had adopted a change in the rules which virtually eliminated the dribble.
Allen, a student of basketball founder James Naismith, organized coaches to take a stand in a nationwide protest which successfully postponed the adoption of the rule change for one year. This marked the start of a collective group of coaches serving as Guardians of the Game. Since its inception, the NABC has also contributed numerous ideas and programs to enhance and preserve college basketball. These initiatives include establishing the original Basketball Hall of Fame (Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame), creating the format for today's NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship, originating the Final Four Fan Fest concept, and launching Coaches vs. Cancer.
