UC Riverside Men’s Basketball Earns NABC Team Academic Excellence Award
7/15/2026 11:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
RIVERSIDE, Calif. – UC Riverside men's basketball earned the 2025-26 NABC Team Academic Excellence Award, while BJ Kolly, Marqui Worthy Jr. and Parker Strauss were named to the NABC Honors Court, the National Association of Basketball Coaches announced.
The NABC Team Academic Excellence Award recognizes programs that completed the academic year with a team GPA of 3.0 or higher. The Highlanders closed the year with a team GPA of 3.09.
"I am extremely proud of our team award regarding our overall grade point average and our three student-athletes that have qualified for this honor individually," said coach Gus Argenal. "We are constantly pushing our players to strive for excellence in all they do and this is an example of the culture we have set in a short time. The success of our team is a testament to the individuals but also my assistant coaches and our academic support team for their constant guidance throughout the year."
In addition to the team recognition, UC Riverside student-athletes BJ Kolly, Marqui Worthy Jr. and Parker Strauss were named to the 2025-26 NABC Honors Court. The Honors Court recognizes junior, senior and graduate student-athletes who finished the academic year with a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher.
The NABC recognition adds to a strong academic year for the trio, as Strauss, Worthy Jr. and Kolly also earned spots on the Big West Commissioner's Honor Roll.
The Highlanders were among more than 400 programs to receive NABC Team Academic Excellence Award recognition for the 2025-26 academic year, while more than 2,300 student-athletes earned spots on the NABC Honors Court.
The NABC's academic awards are presented annually to teams and student-athletes from all levels of college basketball.
The NABC Team Academic Excellence Award recognizes programs that completed the academic year with a team GPA of 3.0 or higher. The Highlanders closed the year with a team GPA of 3.09.
"I am extremely proud of our team award regarding our overall grade point average and our three student-athletes that have qualified for this honor individually," said coach Gus Argenal. "We are constantly pushing our players to strive for excellence in all they do and this is an example of the culture we have set in a short time. The success of our team is a testament to the individuals but also my assistant coaches and our academic support team for their constant guidance throughout the year."
In addition to the team recognition, UC Riverside student-athletes BJ Kolly, Marqui Worthy Jr. and Parker Strauss were named to the 2025-26 NABC Honors Court. The Honors Court recognizes junior, senior and graduate student-athletes who finished the academic year with a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher.
The NABC recognition adds to a strong academic year for the trio, as Strauss, Worthy Jr. and Kolly also earned spots on the Big West Commissioner's Honor Roll.
The Highlanders were among more than 400 programs to receive NABC Team Academic Excellence Award recognition for the 2025-26 academic year, while more than 2,300 student-athletes earned spots on the NABC Honors Court.
The NABC's academic awards are presented annually to teams and student-athletes from all levels of college basketball.
Players Mentioned
Thursday, May 21
Monday, May 04
Friday, May 01
Tuesday, March 24
