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6 Liberty Players Earn NABC Recognition, Flames Receive Team Excellence Award
7/17/2025 1:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Six Liberty men's basketball players garnered 2024-25 National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Honors Court recognition for their efforts in the classroom. In addition, the Flames earned the NABC Team Academic Excellence Award for the seventh straight year.
Liberty's NABC Honors Court recipients include Isaiah Ihnen, Gabriel McKay, Colin Porter, Kaden Metheny, Zander Yates and Owen Aquino. The NABC Honors Court recognizes players who were academically a junior, senior or graduate student during the 2024-25 school year. To be eligible, student-athletes must have a cumulative grade-point average (GPA) of 3.2 of higher at the conclusion of academic year and must have been a member of the varsity roster in 2024-25.
To earn the NABC Team Academic Award, a team must have achieved a GPA of 3.0 or higher during the 2024-25 school year. All men's basketball players listed on the varsity roster during the season must be included in the team GPA calculation. Liberty posted a 3.23 GPA as a team during the 2024-25 academic year.
Liberty is one of only two schools in Conference USA to receive the NABC Team Academic Excellence Award this year, along with Western Kentucky. The Flames led all CUSA institutions with six NABC Honors Court recipients.
Over 2,400 players from all levels of college basketball earned spots on the NABC Honors Court, and nearly 400 programs received NABC Team Academic Excellence Awards for 2024-25.
2024-25 NABC Honors Court
Isaiah Ihnen
Liberty's NABC Honors Court recipients include Isaiah Ihnen, Gabriel McKay, Colin Porter, Kaden Metheny, Zander Yates and Owen Aquino. The NABC Honors Court recognizes players who were academically a junior, senior or graduate student during the 2024-25 school year. To be eligible, student-athletes must have a cumulative grade-point average (GPA) of 3.2 of higher at the conclusion of academic year and must have been a member of the varsity roster in 2024-25.
To earn the NABC Team Academic Award, a team must have achieved a GPA of 3.0 or higher during the 2024-25 school year. All men's basketball players listed on the varsity roster during the season must be included in the team GPA calculation. Liberty posted a 3.23 GPA as a team during the 2024-25 academic year.
Liberty is one of only two schools in Conference USA to receive the NABC Team Academic Excellence Award this year, along with Western Kentucky. The Flames led all CUSA institutions with six NABC Honors Court recipients.
Over 2,400 players from all levels of college basketball earned spots on the NABC Honors Court, and nearly 400 programs received NABC Team Academic Excellence Awards for 2024-25.
2024-25 NABC Honors Court
Isaiah Ihnen
- Major: Business Administration (graduate student) (3.33 GPA)
- Fourth career NABC Honors Court award
- Named to 2024-25 CUSA Commissioner's Honor Roll
- Three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree while at Minnesota
- Major: Executive Leadership (graduate student) (3.22 GPA)
- Fourth career NABC Honors Court award
- Two-time CUSA Commissioner's Honor Roll recipient
- Two-time ASUN Academic Honor Roll recipient
- Major: Business Administration (3.66 GPA)
- First career NABC Honors Court award
- Named to 2024-25 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District® Men's Basketball Team (second straight year)
- Earned CUSA All-Academic team honors for a second straight year
- Two-time CUSA Commissioner's Honor Roll recipient
- Major: Business Administration – Real Estate Development (graduate student) (3.38 GPA)
- First career NABC Honors Court award
- Garnered inclusion on 2024-25 CUSA Commissioner's Honor Roll
- Earned Academic All-MAC honors during 2022-23 season at Bowling Green
- Major: Interdisciplinary Studies (3.49 GPA)
- Second career NABC Honors Court award
- Two-time CUSA Commissioner's Honor Roll recipient
- Major: Interdisciplinary Studies (3.33 GPA)
- First career NABC Honors Court award
- Named to 2024-25 CUSA Commissioner's Honor Roll
Congrats to our 6?? @NABC1927 Honors Court recipients!??
— Liberty Men's Basketball (@LibertyMBB) July 17, 2025
Additionally, we received the Team Academic Excellence Award for a 7??th straight year.??
??: https://t.co/z4b6upnkmB pic.twitter.com/2mqAlwu2jv
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