Men's Basketball Earns NABC Team Academic Excellence Award; Trio Named to Honors Court
7/15/2024 12:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Ryan Kalkbrenner, Sami Osmani and Steven Ashworth honored
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Three members of the 2023-24 Creighton men's basketball team -- Ryan Kalkbrenner, Sami Osmani and Steven Ashworth -- have been named to National Association of Basketball Coaches Honors Court, while the Bluejay team also picked up an NABC Team Academic Excellence Award.
Creighton's three NABC Honors Court members are its most since 2016-17, when Tyler Clement, Toby Hegner and Cole Huff were recognized.
The NABC Honors Court highlights the talents and gifts that these men possess on the court and the hard work they exhibit in the classroom. The awards give recognition to men's collegiate basketball student-athletes in all NCAA divisions and the NAIA, who excelled in academics during the past season. The NABC Honors Court includes junior, senior and graduate student men's basketball players who finished the 2023-24 year with a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher. Over 2,100 players earned spots on the NABC Honors Court for 2023-24.
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"The NABC is proud to celebrate these accomplished student-athletes, along with the coaches and staff who champion success in the classroom," said NABC Executive Director Craig Robinson. "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."
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Kalkbrenner averaged 17.3 points and 7.6 rebounds per game while ranking second nationally with 3.1 blocked shots per contest in 2023-24. He became CU's first player since 1985 to swat 100 shots in a season, helping him earn Second Team All-BIG EAST accolades. The Florissant, Mo., product is one of three men in league history to win three or more BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year honors. Kalkbrenner graduated in May of 2023 and is a four-time member of the Creighton Dean's List and three-time BIG EAST All-Academic Team honoree. This is the third NABC Honors Court recognition for the Sport Leadership graduate student.
An Oak Lawn, Ill., native, Osmani is on the NABC Honors Court for the second consecutive season. He graduated from Creighton in May of 2023 and has been on the Dean's List all eight semesters he's been enrolled. Osmani missed the 2023-24 season due to injury. he is pursuing his Master's in Data Analytics.
Ashworth started all 35 games in his first year as a Bluejay, averaging 11.1 points while ranking second on the team in assists (148) and three-pointers (80). Ashworth is a Leadership major and was a two-time Academic All-Mountain West Conference selection when he played at Utah State University. He was on the Creighton Dean's List both semesters during the 2023-24 academic year.
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In addition to the individual recognition for Kalkbrenner, Osmani and Ashworth, the NABC also announced the 12th annual Team Academic Excellence Awards. These awards recognize outstanding academic achievement by a team with a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or better for the 2023-24 season. To earn a NABC Team Academic Excellence Award, institutions in the NCAA, NAIA and Two-Year Colleges must count the grade point averages of all men's student-athletes on the basketball roster during the 2023-24 season.
Creighton was one of four BIG EAST teams to be recognized for 2023-24, joining Marquette, Seton Hall and Villanova. It was CU's first NABC Team Academic Excellence Award since 2020-21. The only other Division I school in the state besides Creighton to be recognized was Omaha.
The Bluejays are one of just 10 schools to earn an NABC Team Academic Excellence award in addition to being in the year-end Associated Press Top 25 poll, joining Purdue, Tennessee, Iowa State, Duke, Marquette, Arizona, Clemson, Auburn and Kansas.
Coached by Greg McDermott, Creighton finished the 2023-24 season with a 25-10 record, tied for second in the BIG EAST Conference, and reached the program's third Sweet 16 in the last four years.
Creighton's three NABC Honors Court members are its most since 2016-17, when Tyler Clement, Toby Hegner and Cole Huff were recognized.
The NABC Honors Court highlights the talents and gifts that these men possess on the court and the hard work they exhibit in the classroom. The awards give recognition to men's collegiate basketball student-athletes in all NCAA divisions and the NAIA, who excelled in academics during the past season. The NABC Honors Court includes junior, senior and graduate student men's basketball players who finished the 2023-24 year with a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher. Over 2,100 players earned spots on the NABC Honors Court for 2023-24.
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"The NABC is proud to celebrate these accomplished student-athletes, along with the coaches and staff who champion success in the classroom," said NABC Executive Director Craig Robinson. "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."
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Kalkbrenner averaged 17.3 points and 7.6 rebounds per game while ranking second nationally with 3.1 blocked shots per contest in 2023-24. He became CU's first player since 1985 to swat 100 shots in a season, helping him earn Second Team All-BIG EAST accolades. The Florissant, Mo., product is one of three men in league history to win three or more BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year honors. Kalkbrenner graduated in May of 2023 and is a four-time member of the Creighton Dean's List and three-time BIG EAST All-Academic Team honoree. This is the third NABC Honors Court recognition for the Sport Leadership graduate student.
An Oak Lawn, Ill., native, Osmani is on the NABC Honors Court for the second consecutive season. He graduated from Creighton in May of 2023 and has been on the Dean's List all eight semesters he's been enrolled. Osmani missed the 2023-24 season due to injury. he is pursuing his Master's in Data Analytics.
Ashworth started all 35 games in his first year as a Bluejay, averaging 11.1 points while ranking second on the team in assists (148) and three-pointers (80). Ashworth is a Leadership major and was a two-time Academic All-Mountain West Conference selection when he played at Utah State University. He was on the Creighton Dean's List both semesters during the 2023-24 academic year.
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In addition to the individual recognition for Kalkbrenner, Osmani and Ashworth, the NABC also announced the 12th annual Team Academic Excellence Awards. These awards recognize outstanding academic achievement by a team with a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or better for the 2023-24 season. To earn a NABC Team Academic Excellence Award, institutions in the NCAA, NAIA and Two-Year Colleges must count the grade point averages of all men's student-athletes on the basketball roster during the 2023-24 season.
Creighton was one of four BIG EAST teams to be recognized for 2023-24, joining Marquette, Seton Hall and Villanova. It was CU's first NABC Team Academic Excellence Award since 2020-21. The only other Division I school in the state besides Creighton to be recognized was Omaha.
The Bluejays are one of just 10 schools to earn an NABC Team Academic Excellence award in addition to being in the year-end Associated Press Top 25 poll, joining Purdue, Tennessee, Iowa State, Duke, Marquette, Arizona, Clemson, Auburn and Kansas.
Coached by Greg McDermott, Creighton finished the 2023-24 season with a 25-10 record, tied for second in the BIG EAST Conference, and reached the program's third Sweet 16 in the last four years.
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