The National Association of Basketball Coaches has released its Honors Court list for the 2025‑26 season, naming 42 student‑athletes from seven Empire 8 men’s basketball programs as academic standouts.
Conference leaders in scholarship
Eligibility requires athletes to be juniors, seniors or graduate students, hold a cumulative GPA of at least 3.2, and have completed a full academic year at their institution.
Nationwide, more than 2,300 men’s collegiate basketball players earned the honor, while nearly 400 teams posted a team GPA of 3.0 or higher, qualifying for the NABC Team Academic Excellence Award.
Within the Empire 8, Russell Sage College led the conference with eight recipients, followed by Alfred University with seven, and Keuka College and St. John Fisher University each contributing six.
Additional programs that received the team academic award include SUNY Geneseo, Houghton University, Nazareth University, SUNY Poly, and St. John Fisher University.
The recognition underscores a growing emphasis on scholarly achievement among Division II and Division III basketball student‑athletes, highlighting the conference’s balanced commitment to athletics and academics.