KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The University of Louisville men’s basketball program was recognized Thursday with the Team Academic Excellence Award as presented by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).

In order to receive the Team Academic Excellence Award, a program must achieve a team GPA of 3.0 or higher for the previous academic year. Each institution must count the GPA of all men’s basketball student-athletes who were listed on the team roster during the previous season.

Additionally, Zan Payne, Aidan McCool and El Ellis were named to the NABC Honors Court for their individual excellence in the classroom. To be selected for the NABC Honors Court, a student-athlete must be a junior, senior or graduate student academically; attain a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher; and must be a member of a four-year institution with at least one active NABC member coach.

The Cardinals have attained a collective 3.0 GPA or better for 26 of the last 30 semesters, including a 3.121 cumulative team mark for the Spring 2023 semester. Ten members of the team earned Athletic Director’s Honor Roll status for achieving a 3.0 GPA or higher in the spring.

Five Cardinals – Payne, Hercy Miller, Mike James, Brandon Huntley-Hatfield and Fabio Basili – were named to the 2022-23 All-ACC Academic Men's Basketball Team in April. Louisville has placed 48 selections on the academic team in the Cardinals' nine years in the ACC.