Court & classroom: Northern Michigan University men’s basketball team, 6 players earn coaches’ group academic awards

The Wildcat men won the GLIAC regular season title, rolling up a program-tying record of 13 consecutive wins during the season, then drew a berth in the NCAA Division II national tournament for the second straight year.

Now this NMU team and several of its players have received academic honors for the fifth straight year under head coach Matt Majkrzak, who just by the way was named GLIAC Coach of the Year.

The academic honors were bestowed by the National Association of Basketball Coaches and were for both team and individual honors that represent outstanding achievement in the classroom by men’s basketball teams and student-athletes.

The team as a whole earned an NABC Team Academic Excellence Award for completing the 2023-24 academic year with an overall grade-point average of at least 3.0.

Northern Michigan University’s Dylan Kuehl, center with ball, goes up for a shot between a pair of Hillsdale defenders during their nonconference men’s basketball game played at the PEIF gym in Marquette on Nov. 21. The Wildcats’ Sam Privet is at lower left and teammate Carson Smith at lower right. center (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)

Individually, a half-dozen Wildcat players earned spots on the NABC Honors Court. That award can be earned by junior, senior and graduate student men’s players who finished the academic year with a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher. That could include redshirt sophomore players as they would be in at least their third year in college.

The honorees, including their year of athletic eligibility, hometown and major, are these student-athletes:

• Redshirt sophomore Jackson Dudek of Kimberly, Wisconsin, majoring in financial management;

• Redshirt sophomore Dylan Kuehl of Iron Ridge, Wisconsin, majoring in construction management;

• Redshirt junior Connor McCance of Montgomery, Illinois, majoring in accounting;

Jackson Dudek

• Junior Brian Parzych of Milwaukee, majoring in pre-business;

• Redshirt sophomore Sam Privet of Caledonia, Minnesota, majoring in construction management;

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Redshirt junior Carson Smith of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, majoring in financial management.

The NABC academic awards recognize teams and players at all levels of college basketball.

“The NABC is proud to celebrate these accomplished student-athletes, along with the coaches and staff who champion success in the classroom,” NABC Executive Director Craig Robinson said. “Education is a core value of the NABC, and the teams and athletes who earned these awards are proof that academic achievement remains a priority across every level of our sport.”

Connor McCance

Over 2,100 players earned spots on the NABC Honors Court and over 360 programs received NABC Team Academic Excellence Awards for 2023-24. A full list of Honors Court recipients is available by visiting online at https://nmuwildcats.com/documents/2024/7/15/Honors_Court_-_REVIEW.pdf?elinkdata=@ELINKDATA@&utm_medium=sidearm-email&utm_source=nmuwildcats.com&utm_campaign=Men%e2%80%99s+Basketball+earns+NABC+Team+Academic+Excellence+Award+for+fifth+straight+year&utm_content=95ede66c-092d-4306-85b5-325f39a5b191.

In addition to Majkrzak being conference coach of the year, Kuehl was named to the GLIAC First Team and All-Defensive Team, while Northern’s Max Weisbrod earned Player of the Year.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.