Kat men's basketball boasts proud academic tradition
10/15/2008 1:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
No sport better epitomizes the Sam Houston State athletics goal of success both in the arena and the classroom than the Bearkat men's basketball team.
Simply look at the Academic All-Southland Conference team for the past three years for proof. Six Bearkat student-athletes have earned Academic All-SLC honors a total of 15 times in 2006, 2007, and 2008.
Further, Sam Houston State senior forward Ryan Bright was selected as the Capital One Bank Southland Conference Men's Basketball Student-Athlete of the Year both in 2007 and 2008. The award annually presented to the individual in SLC basketball who achieves excellence in academics and athletics.
Bright also was chosen as the Southland Conference's Steve McCarty Citizenship Award male recipient. The award recognizes a student-athlete who exhibits outstanding qualities in citizenship, sportsmanship, leadership and community service.
Finally, Bright was named to the 2008 CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America squad. Bright and senior guard Shamir McDaniel were among the five NCAA Division I men's basketball players from Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana named to the Academic All-Region honor squad.
Bright, a Kinesiology major with a 3.64 overalll grade point average, and McDaniel, who posted a 3.24 GPA in marketing, both were Academic All-SLC first team selections. Junior Barkley Falkner, an accounting major with a 3.93 overall GPA, was a second team selection. Senior Jeremy Thomas, a health major with a 3.49 GPA, was named honorable mention Academic All-SLC. Bright and Falkner both produced 4.00 grade point averages during the 2008 spring semester.
“Emphasis on the student in student-athlete is one of our keys in recruiting,” head coach Bob Marlin said. “We talk a lot about succeeding in the classroom. We want to give our players every opportunity to do well academically.”
SAM HOUSTON STATE ACADEMIC ALL-SLC SELECTIONS
David Amaya - 1998 1999 2000
Ryan Bright - 2006 2007 2008
Jorge Castiblanque - 1997
Mike Dillard - 1998
Barkley Falkner - 2008
Ricky Fernandez - 1999
Tarus Green - 1994
Ryan Griffin - 2006 2007
Gene Isabell - 1993 1994 1995
Shamir McDaniel - 2006 2007
Quinton McLeod - 1994 1995
Keith Peoples - 1994 1995
Paul Schneekloth - 1995
Jeremy Thomas - 2006 2007 2008
Aaron Wade - 2006 2007 2008
