Photo by: Columbia University Athletics / Stockton Photo, Inc.
Men’s Basketball Earns NABC Team Academic Excellence Award
7/15/2026 12:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Thompson, Noland, Romanelli, and Bedri named to Honors Court
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Columbia men's basketball program received the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Team Academic Excellence Award, the NABC announced on Wednesday.
The NABC Team Academic Excellence Awards recognize men's basketball programs that completed the 2025-26 academic year with a team GPA of 3.0 or higher.
Blair Thompson, Kenny Noland, Nicolo Romanelli, and Zine Eddine Bedri were named to the NABC Honors Court, which includes junior, senior, and graduate student men's basketball players who finished the 2025-26 year with a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher.
Over 2,300 players earned spots on the NABC Honors Court and over 400 programs received NABC Team Academic Excellence Awards for 2025-26.
Follow The Lions
For the latest on Columbia men's basketball, follow @CULionsMBB on X and Instagram, search Columbia men's basketball on Facebook, or follow on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
About the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC)
Located in Kansas City, Missouri, the NABC was founded in 1927 by Phog Allen, the legendary basketball coach at the University of Kansas. Allen, a student of James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, organized coaches into this collective group to serve as Guardians of the Game. The NABC currently has nearly 5,000 members consisting primarily of university and college men's basketball coaches. All members of the NABC are expected to uphold the core values of being a Guardian of the Game by bringing attention to the positive aspects of the sport of basketball and the role coaches play in the academic and athletic lives of today's student-athletes. The four core values of being a Guardian of the Game are advocacy, leadership, service and education. For additional information about the NABC, its programs and membership, go to www.nabc.org.
The NABC Team Academic Excellence Awards recognize men's basketball programs that completed the 2025-26 academic year with a team GPA of 3.0 or higher.
Blair Thompson, Kenny Noland, Nicolo Romanelli, and Zine Eddine Bedri were named to the NABC Honors Court, which includes junior, senior, and graduate student men's basketball players who finished the 2025-26 year with a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher.
Over 2,300 players earned spots on the NABC Honors Court and over 400 programs received NABC Team Academic Excellence Awards for 2025-26.
Follow The Lions
For the latest on Columbia men's basketball, follow @CULionsMBB on X and Instagram, search Columbia men's basketball on Facebook, or follow on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
About the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC)
Located in Kansas City, Missouri, the NABC was founded in 1927 by Phog Allen, the legendary basketball coach at the University of Kansas. Allen, a student of James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, organized coaches into this collective group to serve as Guardians of the Game. The NABC currently has nearly 5,000 members consisting primarily of university and college men's basketball coaches. All members of the NABC are expected to uphold the core values of being a Guardian of the Game by bringing attention to the positive aspects of the sport of basketball and the role coaches play in the academic and athletic lives of today's student-athletes. The four core values of being a Guardian of the Game are advocacy, leadership, service and education. For additional information about the NABC, its programs and membership, go to www.nabc.org.
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