KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) announced Thursday its team and individual academic honors for the 2024-25 academic year, with the University of Tennessee men’s basketball program earning plaudits in both areas.
The Volunteers received the NABC Team Excellence Award for the fourth consecutive year. They are the only SEC team to claim the distinction each of the last four seasons, with no other program even owning a three-year streak.
Six fellow SEC schools made the cut in 2024-25. Tennessee joined Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, Ole Miss and Texas on the list. The latter three are the only other SEC schools with even back-to-back recognitions.
The team designation is awarded to schools that post a GPA of at least 3.0 during the academic year. Tennessee vastly exceeded that figure with a 3.54 team GPA to set a new program record. That tally included a 3.59 GPA in the spring, the best single-semester GPA in program history.
In addition, five Volunteers netted NABC Honors Court recognition, which goes to juniors, seniors and graduate students who record a 3.2 GPA for the academic year.
Grant Hurst (recreation and sport management) made the cut for the second consecutive year, with four teammates joining him on the list. Fellow returnee Zakai Zeigler (retail and merchandising management) also garnered the designation, as did three first-year Volunteers.
Felix Okpara (retail and merchandising management) collected the honor in his first year of eligibility, while Darlinstone Dubar (strategic and digital communication) and Chaz Lanier (agricultural leadership, education and communications) did so in their graduate programs.
The complete list of 2024-25 NABC academic honorees, for both players and teams, can be found HERE.
All 14 players on the 2024-25 Tennessee roster were named to either the SEC Winter Academic Honor Roll or the SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll, both of which require a GPA of 3.0 or above.
