Seven Dixie State University men's basketball players were named to the 2019-20 National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Academic Honors Court, as announced by the organization on Wednesday. In addition, the Trailblazer program was recognized with the NABC's 2019-20 Team Academic Excellence Award.

Among the seven Trailblazers who earned NABC Honors Court accolades were seniors Cameron Chatwin (4.00 GPA), Jack Pagenkopf (3.304 GPA) and Andre Wilson (3.684 GPA), along with juniors Jarod Greene (3.803 GPA), Hunter Schofield (3.961 GPA), Zubair Seyed (3.217 GPA) and Dason Youngblood (3.671 GPA). In all, more than 1,350 men's college basketball student-athletes at all NCAA and NAIA divisions were recognized for their academic achievements from this past season.

Along with the NABC awards, Youngblood garnered First Team Academic all-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference honors, while Chatwin, Pagenkopf and sophomores Josh Newbold and Jacob Nicolds collected RMAC Honor Roll recognition. Meanwhile, Nicolds was named the RMAC's annual Summit Award for men's basketball, which is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average (GPA) participating at the final site for each of the RMAC's championships, and Chatwin was voted to the 2019-20 College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District 6 men's basketball team.

In addition to the individual academic achievements, the DSU men's basketball program combined to post a 3.651 team cumulative GPA for the 2019-20 academic year. DSU was one of 310 four-year men's basketball programs across the country to earn the national award.

"I'm very proud of all our guys and I congratulate them, I know how hard they worked in the classroom and getting seven of our players on the [Honors Court], I'm very proud of that as well," DSU Head Coach Jon Judkins said. "I want to thank my assistant coaches and our academic support staff for their hard work in keeping track of our student-athletes and staying in touch with them all year.

"I'm very proud of this year's team with how we won, won the [RMAC] conference, and how well we did in the classroom," Judkins added. "All of this means a lot to me and I hope it means a lot everyone else as well."

To be eligible for the annual NABC Honors Court, men's basketball student-athletes must meet a high standard of academic criteria, including:

1. Academically be a junior or senior and a varsity player.
2. Cumulative G.P.A. of 3.2 or higher at the conclusion of the academic year
3. Students must have matriculated at least one year at their current institution.
4. Member of an NCAA Division I, II, III, or NAIA Division I or II institution with a full-time NABC member coach.

In order to earn the NABC Team Academic Excellence Award, institutions at the NCAA, NAIA and NJCAA levels must a program must count the cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or better for the just completed season.

Dixie State saw its final season of NCAA Division II competition come to an abrupt end this past March 11, after the NCAA canceled all remaining winter and spring sports championships due to the COVID-19 pandemic. DSU, which won the 2019-20 RMAC regular season title (17-5) and earned the No. 3-overall seed in the 2020 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball South Central regional, finished the year with a 23-7 overall record.

The 23 wins tied a program record for wins (23-7 in 2017-18), while Dixie State wrapped up its 14-year NCAA Division II affiliation with a 266-122 (.685) overall record. The DSU program won seven conference championships (6 Pacific West, 1 RMAC), two conference tournament crowns (PacWest 2013/2018), and made nine NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament appearances. Dixie State appeared in six-straight NCAA tournaments from 2010-15, and advanced all the way to the "Sweet 16" in 2011.

This past July 1, Dixie State officially began its transition to NCAA Division I status and become a new member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).

About the NABC
Located in Kansas City, MO, the NABC was founded in 1927 by Forrest "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.  Additional information about the NABC, its programs and membership, can be found at www.nabc.org.