KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The University of La Verne men's basketball team has earned a Team Academic Excellence Award from the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), the organization announced on Tuesday. The award recognizes outstanding academic achievement by a team with a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or better for the 2013-14 season.

In order to earn a NABC Team Academic Excellence Award, institutions in NCAA Divisions I, II, III, and NAIA Division I and II, must count the grade point averages of all men's student-athletes who competed during the 2013-14 season.

On Monday, Niall Harrison, Brett Stephan and Josiah Sukumaran garnered individual recognition, being named to the NABC Honors Court for achieving a GPA of 3.2 or higher.

Caltech and Pomona-Pitzer were also honored from the SCIAC.

About the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC)

Located in Kansas City, Missouri, the NABC was founded in 1927 by Phog Allen, the legendary basketball coach at the University of Kansas. Allen, a student of James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, organized coaches into this collective group to serve as Guardians of the Game. The NABC currently has nearly 5,000 members consisting primarily of university and college men's basketball coaches. All members of the NABC are expected to uphold the core values of being a Guardian of the Game by bringing attention to the positive aspects of the sport of basketball and the role coaches play in the academic and athletic lives of today's student-athletes. The four core values of being a Guardian of the Game are advocacy, leadership, service and education. For additional information about the NABC, its programs and membership, go to www.nabc.org.