For the first time, the Virginia Tech men’s basketball team has been honored by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) for its Team Academic Excellence Award, as announced by the organization Thursday.
To earn the award, a team must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better for the 2019-20 season. The honor is now in its eighth year of existence.
The basketball squad posted a 3.62 GPA this past spring, the highest semester mark in school history, and a 3.27 GPA this past fall. The team has now owned at least a 3.20 GPA four semesters in a row.
The VT roundballers have been able to improve under the direction of Alise Svihla, the associate director of student-athlete academic support services, the team’s academic advisor.
“The student-athletes continue to impress me with their commitment to academics,” Svihla said. “We have done a lot to establish a culture that proves our guys can compete at the highest level, both academically and athletically. They have bought into this culture and are 100% in. Their hard work shows, and I am so proud of them.“