Sportsmanship

This is an overdue "congratulations", but a very necessary one. Congrats to, now alum, John Boxberger '13 on being selected to the 2012-13 SCAC All-Sportsmanship Team.

While the All-Sportsmanship Team is a fairly recent recognition from the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference, it stands for everything that is right with Division III. The SCAC is filled with student-athletes that strive to succeed in the classroom and in the sport of their choice. Our last post was a great example of how dedicated our student-athletes are to "getting it done" in the classroom. The All-Sportsmanship Team provides recognition to those who COMPETE in athletics "the right way". SCAC student-athletes are competitive. The drive to win for their school is just as strong as any other level and they have dedicated their lives to bettering themselves as athletes to be able to enjoy success in a sport they love. They compete hard, but they respect the game and each other. It is always amazing to see how well our student-athletes interact with one another. Sure, they want to do everything they can to earn the victory - it is a battle on the court, but once the game is over, win or lose, the level of respect and sportsmanship displayed is inspiring.

John Boxberger was the perfect selection for the All-Sportsmanship Team. Few showed as much emotion for their team than Box. Whether he was in the game or on the bench, Box's energy was always felt. Gifted with a powerful voice (which we all experienced first-hand in Italy), it was hard not to hear him from anywhere in the gym. His vocal encouragement helped carry us through many strenuous situations this past season. It is hard to say anyone wanted to win more than Box. Even with that drive and competitive spirit, there was never an instance where Box represented Trinity University in a poor manner. We were fortunate to have such an example of what it means to be a student-athlete.

Academic Standard

Winning back-to-back Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships is a tremendous accomplishment, but what is even more extraordinary is being able to succeed on the court WHILE maintaining the highest academic success in the conference. Yesterday, the SCAC announced the Spring 2013 Student-Athlete Academic Honor Roll, which acknowledges student-athletes that achieve a 3.25 or higher semester GPA. This year, Trinity Basketball placed 11 student-athletes on this list (the most for a men's basketball team), while holding an overall team GPA of 3.22 (far above the average male student's GPA at Trinity). We would like to congratulate, AND THANK, the following student-athletes for their dedication to succeeding at the highest level, both on and off the court -

John Boxberger
Jimmy Clark
Jacob Cukjati
Matt Holmes
Robert Kitzinger
John LaVanway
Zach Lambert
Craig Saltarelli
Matt Selling
Joe Shotland
Jonathan Wilt

As a whole, our Athletic Department simply out-performed the rest of the conference, with 141 student-athletes making the honor roll - 32 more than the second highest total. This is a testament to the type of student-athletes we attract here at Trinity. These are highly motivated individuals that are here not just to compete on the court/field, but more importantly, to earn a premier education. If anyone says that college athletics has lost its meaning, we would love to invite them down to San Antonio to experience what it means to be a true student-athlete.

Continuing To Excel Off The Court

Fall semester grades are in and Trinity Basketball AGAIN set an all-time high for team semester GPA! The average GPA of 3.441 beats last semester's average (and previous all-time high) 3.360. This is a testament to the hard work and dedication that this group of student-athletes put in and out of the classroom. We most often recognize our players for their athletic accomplishments, but these victories are the ones that should truly be heralded. As coaches, we couldn't be more impressed with the approach these 15 young men take to their education and commend them for the time management and efforts it takes to succeed in both academic and athletic arenas.

Go Tigers!

Tigers Succeed On AND OFF The Court!

While 2011-12 was a tremendous success for Trinity Basketball on the court, what might be even more impressive is the amount of success this team produced off the court. With the SCAC's 2012 Spring Student-Athlete Academic Honor Roll being announced last week, it is easy to see how this year's team set the Trinity Basketball record for highest team GPA in a semester (3.36) - 12 players were on the Honor Roll! In order to be recognized, a player must maintain a minimum grade-point average of 3.25, and for anyone who has ever studied at Trinity University, they know that is much easier said than done!

We would like to congratulate the following outstanding student athletes for putting their priorities in the right order and getting it done in the classroom:

Ryan Beall
John Boxberger
Jimmy Clark
Jacob Cukjati
Matt Feldman
Heath Hopson
Robert Kitzinger
John LaVanway
Zach Lambert
Gil Melchior
Joe Shotland
Jonathan Wilt

These guys are the perfect models for what Division III athletics, and what college athletics SHOULD be all about. We couldn't ask for better student-athletes representing Trinity Basketball.

Nine Tigers Make Academic Honor Roll

We are extremely proud to acknowledge nine of our Trinity Tiger basketball players for making the SCAC Spring Academic Honor Roll. The athletes are:

Clarke Allan '14
Ryan Beall '12
John Boxberger '13
Sam Dworkin '11
Matt Feldman '14
Sam Harris '12
Gil Melchior '12
Joe Shotland '14
Joel Van Essen '13

These guys embody what Division III and being a student-athlete is all about. Not only did they dedicate themselves to their teammates and contributed to our successes, but they also were able to balance their time and excel in the classroom, earning over a 3.25GPA for the semester. There are no mandatory study hours. We do not have special "athletic department tutors" specifically assigned to overlook our players' grade point averages. These guys are able to figure out how to be successful on both an academic front, as well as athletic.

Congratulations gentlemen - keep up the good work!

Guardian of the Game

Every year the National Association of Basketball Coaches holds their convention in conjunction with the NCAA Division I Men's Final Four. During the convention, the NABC hosts its annual awards show honoring many different levels of accomplishments throughout college basketball. This year, our own Coach Pat Cunningham received the "Guardian of the Game - Advocacy Award." This is quite the honor, as there are only four "Guardian of the Game" awards given each year - Leadership (Don Meyer, Northern State), Education (Charlie Coles, Miami, OH), Service (Bill Self, Kansas), and Advocacy (Pat Cunningham, Trinity), and recognizes Coach Cunningham for his years of hard-work serving the NCAA and NABC.

If you know Pat Cunningham, and haven't done so already, feel free in joining the Trinity Basketball Community in congratulating Coach for this tremendous (and most necessary) recognition.