KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) announced yesterday the fifth annual Team Academic Excellence Awards, created by the NABC Committee on Academics.

These awards recognize outstanding academic achievement by a team with a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or better for the 2016-17 season. 

Northwest men's basketball compiled a 3.26 team GPA for the 2016-17 season and was one of only five NJCAA institutions and the only MACJC program honored by the NABC. Bubba Skelton's squad was also honored with All-Academic distinction from the MACJC and the NJCAA earlier this summer.

In order to earn a NABC Team Academic Excellence Award, institutions in the NCAA, NAIA and NJCAA must count the grade point averages of all men's student-athletes who competed during the 2016-17 season.