Elmira College's Porrett and Abate Named to NABC Honors Court

Related Media

ELMIRA, NY (07/31/2018) Academic accolades continue to pour in for the Elmira College men's basketball team, who after receiving the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Team Academic Excellence Award, saw two rising seniors recognized for their outstanding work in the classroom. Classmates Justin Porrett '19, a double-major in Finance and Accounting, and Anthony Abate '19, a double-major in Biology and Chemistry, were selected to the NABC Honors Court this afternoon, as announced by the national office.

"We are extremely proud of Justin and Anthony," said head coach Randie Torgalski. "They have worked their tails off for three years. It's terrific that the NABC recognizes student-athletes who truly put the time into their studies. Justin and Anthony certainly do just that."

The NABC Honors Court recognizes men's collegiate basketball student-athletes who excelled in academics during the past season. The award also recognizes the talents and gifts that these men possess off the court and the hard work they exhibit in the classroom.

In order to be named to the Honors Court, a student-athlete must meet a high standard of academic criteria. Honorees must be a junior or senior academically and a varsity player with a cumulative grade-point average (GPA) of 3.2 or higher at the conclusion of the 2017-18 academic year. Student-athletes must have matriculated at least one year at their current institution and be a member of a NCAA Division I, II, III, or NAIA Division I or II institution with a NABC member coach.

Porrett and Abate were two of 11 student-athletes from Empire 8 Conference institutions to be recognized for their excellence in the classroom. Joining the duo from Elmira were student-athletes from Nazareth and Stevens Institute of Technology.

Porrett adds NABC Honors Court accolades to his First Team Academic All-District award, given by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), as well as a trio of Empire 8 President's List honors.

About the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC)

Located in Kansas City, Missouri, the NABC was founded in 1927 by Phog Allen, the legendary basketball coach at the University of Kansas. Allen, a student of James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, organized coaches into this collective group to serve as Guardians of the Game. The NABC currently has nearly 5,000 members consisting primarily of university and college men's basketball coaches. All members of the NABC are expected to uphold the core values of being a Guardian of the Game by bringing attention to the positive aspects of the sport of basketball and the role coaches play in the academic and athletic lives of today's student-athletes. The four core values of being a Guardian of the Game are advocacy, leadership, service and education. For additional information about the NABC, its programs and membership, go to www.nabc.org.