KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Salisbury University men's basketball team was named a recipient of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Team Academic Excellence Award while
Elijah Bryan,
Jaylen Shippen and
Joey Lutz were named to the Honors Court, announced by the association on Wednesday afternoon.
The NABC Team Academic Excellence Awards recognize programs that completed the 2025-26 academic year with a team GPA of 3.0 or higher, while the Honors Court features junior, senior and graduate students who finished the campaign with a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher. The SU men's basketball team concluded the year with a 3.26 team GPA to qualify for the academic acknowledgment.
Bryan, a junior forward from Fort Meade, Md., lands on the list by boasting a 3.53 GPA as a Political Science major. Bryan made one start and appeared in 24 contests. averaging 2.9 points per game and 3.1 rebounds per game on 44.7 percent shooting from the field.
Shippen, a senior guard from Ardmore, Pa., earned his degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus on education with a 3.54 GPA. The Clarion transfer made three starts and played in 24 games, tallying a point per game, 1.1 assists per contest and 1.3 rebounds per game.
Lutz, a junior guard from Damascus, Md., wrapped up his junior year with a 3.23 GPA as an Interdisciplinary Studies major with a focus on business. Lutz shot 31.3 percent on the campaign, averaging 2.5 points per game in 24 showings.
The program receives the Team Academic Excellence Award for the third time in the past four years and has posted three or more members of the team to the Honors Court for the fourth consecutive season.
"College basketball student-athletes do incredible things on the court, but their achievements in the classroom are equally worthy of celebration," said NABC Executive Director Craig Robinson. "Education is one of the NABC's core values, and the hundreds of programs and thousands of athletes represented on these awards reinforce the commitment to academic success that exists across all levels of our sport."
Over 2,300 players earned spots on the NABC Honors Court and over 400 programs received NABC Team Academic Excellence Awards for 2025-26.
Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with affiliate membership in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (football, men's & women's swimming), Coastal Lacrosse Conference (men's lacrosse), State University of New York Athletic Conference (field hockey), and Colonial Women's Golf Conference (women's golf). With over 500 student-athletes in 23 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the nation's most competitive intercollegiate athletics programs regardless of division, featuring dedicated coaches and staff that foster excellence on and off the field. The Sea Gulls have won a combined 23 team national championships, 26 individual national championships, and 211 conference championships, and have produced 54 Academic All-Americans.
To Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University, and learn more about Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit SUSeaGulls.com or follow on social media @SUSeaGulls.
