KANSAS CITY, Mo. – For the second-straight year, the William & Mary men's basketball team placed two players on the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Honors Court with Michael Schlotman and Paul Rowley being recognized. Both players received the accolade for the second year in a row and earned their undergraduate degrees from W&M in May.
 
The NABC Honors Court recognized those men's collegiate basketball student-athletes who excelled in academics during the past season. In order to be named to the Honors Court, a student-athlete must meet a high standard of academic criteria. The qualifications are as follows: 1) academically a junior or senior and a varsity player; 2) possess a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.2 or higher at the conclusion of the 2016-17 academic year; 3) must have matriculated at least one year at their current institution; 4) member of a NCAA Division I, II, III, or NAIA Division I or II institution with a NABC member coach. Schlotman and Rowley were two of nine CAA student-athletes to receive the honor, joining Charleston's Evan Bailey and Erik Goldbach, Delaware's Eric Carter and Curtis McRoy and Elon's Jack Anton, Luke Eddy and Patrick Ryan.
 
Rowley became the first men's basketball student-athlete at W&M since 1913 to be received as Phi Beta Kappa earlier this year. A double-major in computer science and finance, he graduated from the school in just three years and will begin Law School in the fall. Rowley was a CAA All-Academic Team selection. He appeared in all 31 games with nine starts, averaging 5.4 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. Rowley ranked 15th nationally according to ESPN.com in 3-point percentage (48.7). At the team's annual awards banquet, he was named the team's Most Improved Player and garnered the 'Kraze' Award for the second consecutive season.
 
Scholtman was a two-time CAA All-Academic Team selection and received the program's Arete Award for his academic excellence at the conclusion of the 2016-17 season. He appeared in 54 games with two starts over his Tribe career, averaging 1.1 points and nearly an assist and a rebound per game. Prior to graduating from W&M with his degree in finance, Schlotman accepted a position at FBR Capital Markets & Company where he is an investment banker.
 
Earlier in July, the Tribe was one of 50 Division I teams and the only one from the state of Virginia to receive the NABC Academic Excellence Award. The Green and Gold squad compiled a cumulative team GPA of 3.08. It added to the team's academic success as the program received its fifth-straight NCAA Public Recognition Awards in May. The award honors teams who registered an APR in the top 10 percent nationally in that sport.
 
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.