What makes for a successful Pitt season? Can they make a run in a weak NCAA Tournament field? Big 12 > ACC? How good of a resume does Pitt have? How high of a seed do they deserve?
– The University of Pittsburgh men’s basketball team placed four members – Cameron Johnson, Ryan Luther, Rafael Maia and Damon Wilson – on the All-ACC Academic Team, as announced by league commissioner John Swofford Tuesday morning. All four Panthers are first time honorees, while North Carolina’s Marcus Paige was named the recipient of the league’s Skip Prosser Award for the second straight year.
To be eligible for consideration, a student-athlete must have earned a 3.00 grade point average for the previous semester and maintained a 3.00 cumulative average during his academic career.
The Skip Prosser Award is presented annually to the top scholar-athlete in ACC men’s basketball. It is named in memory of Wake Forest head basketball coach George Edward “Skip” Prosser, who passed away on July 26, 2007. Prosser compiled a 291-146 career record in 14 seasons as a head coach, including a 126-68 mark in his six years with Wake Forest. Former Pitt guard Cameron Wright claimed the Prosser Award in 2014.
To be nominated for the Skip Prosser Award, a student-athlete must be an upperclassman with a grade-point average of 3.0 or better – both in his career and in the previous two semesters. Sixty percent of the award is based on academic achievement and 40 percent on athletic accomplishments.