8/2/22 Red Hawks’ NABC Men’s Basketball Receives Academic Recognition
2 August 2022 Sports
RIPON — Six Ripon College men’s basketball players have been named to the 2021-2022 NABC Honors Court by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). This honor recognizes men’s collegiate basketball student-athletes from all NCAA divisions and the NAIA for their excellence in the classroom this past season.
Ripon’s honorees are Ryan Mahoney ’22 of Suring, Wisconsin; David De Valk ’23 of Appleton, Wisconsin; Drew Jorgensen ’23 of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin; Jack Brady ’23 of Brookfield, Wisconsin; Justin Bartol ’23 of Berlin, Wisconsin; and Ryan Steffes ’23 of St. Cloud, Wisconsin.
To receive Individual Honors Court recognition, a student-athlete must academically be a junior or senior varsity player who has earned a grade-point average of 3.2 or higher at the end of the academic year. Players also must have been enrolled at their current institution for at least one year while playing for an NABC-member coach in their NCAA Division.
The Red Hawks men’s basketball team also earned the NABC’s Team Academic Excellence Award, which requires a team cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or better during the 2021-22 school year.
“Achieving a balance in your academic and athletic pursuits at Ripon College is something we take great pride in,” said Athletic Director and Men’s Basketball Coach Ryan Kane. “What is remarkable about this group’s achievement is that we did it at a high level while capturing a conference championship for the first time in 23 years and not sacrificing that balance.”
This was Mahoney’s first season earning Individual Honors Court. He is a guard and his career highlights include being a member of the 2020 Midwest Conference Tournament Championship, the NCAA Tournament team and the 2022 Midwest Conference Regular Season Championship team. He majored in exercise science with an emphasis on human performance.
De Valk, a chemistry-biology major, has been named Academic All-Conference twice previously in addition to earning NABC’s Individual Honors Court. The Red Hawks center produced career highs in several categories during the 2021-22 season including 23 points, 16 rebounds and 4 assists.
Jorgensen received Individual Honors Court for the second consecutive season. He plays as guard and scored a career-high 22 points against UW-Whitewater in December 2021, averaging 8.5 points per game this season while shooting 40 percent on 127 3-point attempts. He is majoring in physical educations.
This also is Brady’s second consecutive appearance on the NABC Honors Court. He is tied for sixth in school history for single-game 3-pointers with seven, and recorded a career-high seven assists this season. He is majoring in business management.
Bartol has received Academic All-Conference recognition in all three of his years at Ripon before earning Individual Honors Court. Playing in 16 games during the 2021-22 season. He plays forward and has averaged 5.2 minutes of play, recording 26 total rebounds (10 offensive). He is majoring in chemistry-biology.
Steffes also has earned Academic All-Conference during his three years, and this is his second consecutive NABC Honors Court appearance. The guard ranks eighth in school history for career 3-point percentage (.434) while being tied for second with nine single-game 3-pointers. He also has recorded one career double-double producing 22 points and 10 rebounds in a single game, earning him First Team All-Conference this season. He is majoring in business management and economics.
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