ORLANDO, Fla. – LSU men’s basketball guard Chris Bass is one of 17 student-athletes nationwide to garner a 2011 Academic Momentum First Team award Thursday as announced by the Scholar Baller program in conjunction with the National Consortium for Academics and Sports (NCAS).
Top nominations were categorized based on each student-athlete’s academic improvement and the impact each student-athlete’s academic performance had on his or her classmates, teammates, academic advisors, and professors.
Award nominations included stories of: working with a learning specialist to progress academically; persevering on the quest for academic success while inspiring peers and teammates to excel in the classroom, becoming the first in their family to graduate with a degree from a college or university; being an international student who had to persevere through hardships both academically and economically; and organizing local community service initiatives.
“I would like to thank the academic support staff for all of their time and hard work they have put in towards me,” Bass said. “I would also like to thank the coaching staff for giving me this opportunity to continue my education at LSU. I put my trust in God and worked hard daily to improve in grades so I could graduate.”
“From the time I started at LSU and began working with Chris, I have seen a positive change in him academically and personally,” Assistant Director at the Cox Communications Academic Center for Student-Athletes Ericka Lavender said. “Chris is a great young man, and he has worked very hard to get to where he is now. I’m very proud of him, of all of his academic accomplishments and I wish him the best. I can’t wait to see him graduate in May.”
The NCAS is an ever-growing organization of colleges and universities that provides opportunities for current and former student-athletes to continue their pursuit of higher education, while working in the community with children to address social issues. Established in 1985, the overall mission of the NCAS is “to create a better society by focusing on educational attainment and using the power appeal of sport to positively affect social change.”
Established in 1995, the Scholar Baller movement evolved in response to concerns that the student-athlete’s athletics role increasingly superseded the student role. In order to address this issue, the founding members of Scholar Baller developed a groundbreaking program to bridge the gap between education and sport utilizing student-athletes’ passion for entertainment and athletics. As a result, the Scholar Baller program has produced unprecedented outcomes in student retention and academic achievement.
Each award recipient will receive a recognition certificate and authentic Scholar Baller medal. In addition, all nominees also will receive a ThinkMan or ThinkWoman decal/sticker.
Below is the complete list of Academic Momentum First Team award recipients.
Player, School, Major, Sports
Chris Bass, LSU, General Studies, Basketball
Chelsea Carrier, West Virginia, Child Development, Track and Field
Erin Davis, Nebraska, Psychology, Gymnastics
Antonio Fenelus, Wisconsin, Education, Football
Janae Fulcher, Arizona State, Interdisciplinary Studies, Basketball Curenski Gilleylen, Nebraska, Civil Engineering, Football
Robert Golabek, Buffalo, Communication, Track and Field
Gimel Gordon, Georgia State, Nursing, Soccer
Shannon Hoffman, Wisconsin, Human Development and Family Studies, Rowing Connor Lade, St. John’s, Sports Management, Soccer
Robert McLarney, Rutgers, Communication, Soccer
Jessica Pariza, North Carolina State, Business Management, Gymnastics Latoya Parkinson, Auburn, Mathematics, Track
Trent Richardson, Alabama, Undeclared, Football
Anthony Salciccia, California, Social Welfare, Soccer
Allison Venella, Villanova, English, Cross Country
Natalie Villarreal, Texas A&M, Agricultural Leadership and Development, Softball