KANSAS CITY, Mo. (July 15, 2024) – The Mercy University men's basketball team has earned the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Team Academic Excellence Award and student-athletes Alex May (Englewood, N.J./St. Francis College (Brooklyn), Elijah Botnick (Hartford, Conn./UConn Avery Point), Garrett Kirkland (Springdale, Md./Bishop McNamara), Jay Turner (Waterbury, Conn./Notre Dame West Haven Prep), Max Mitchell (Westport, Conn./Roberts Wesleyan University) and Taj Chiles (Harlem, N.Y./University of Bridgeport) have been tabbed to the NABC Honors Court, as announced by the organization earlier today.

The NABC Team Academic Excellence Awards recognize men's basketball programs that completed the 2023-24 academic year with a team GPA of 3.0 or higher. The NABC Honors Court, meanwhile, includes junior, senior, and graduate student men's basketball players who finished the 2023-24 year with a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher.

Over 2,100 student-athletes earned spots on the NABC Honors Court and over 360 programs received NABC Team Academic Excellence Awards for 2023-24. The Mavericks posted a 3.44 GPA in the fall and a 3.16 GPA in the spring. 

May is named to the Honors Court for the first time and had a 3.66 GPA. The senior averaged a team-high 15.5 points per game and was third with 5.2 rebounds per game.

Botnick receives Honors Court accolades for the first time with his 3.49 GPA. The junior appeared in six games and had two points.

Kirkland takes home Honors Court recognition for the third straight year. The graduate student posted a 4.0 GPA and was named the ECC Men's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year last month. The guard was also named College Sports Communicators Academic All-District and averaged 9.9 points per game.

Turner is named to the Honors Court for the second straight year. The senior has a 3.54 GPA and appeared in 23 games, averaging 5.3 points and 4.1 rebounds per game.

Mitchell is tabbed to the Honors Court following his first season as a Maverick. The junior has a 3.28 GPA and played in seven games. He averaged 3.9 points per game and shot 43.8 percent from downtown.

Chiles receives Honors Court recognition following his first season as a Maverick. The junior has a 3.36 GPA and appeared in 26 games. The guard was also named College Sports Communicators Academic Al-District and averaged 12.2 points per game and a team-high 4.5 assists per game.