Men’s Basketball Earns NABC Team Academic Excellence Award; Francis Named to Honors Court
Jul 15 | Men's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers men's basketball has been recognized for its work in the classroom, earning a 2025-26 NABC Team Academic Excellence Award, the National Association of Basketball Coaches announced. In addition, incoming senior guard Tariq Francis was named to the 2025-26 NABC Honors Court for his individual academic achievement last season.
The NABC Team Academic Excellence Award recognizes programs that completed the 2025-26 academic year with a cumulative team grade-point average of 3.0 or higher. Rutgers was one of more than 400 programs nationally — spanning all levels of college basketball — to earn the distinction.
Francis, a junior health administration major, was one of more than 2,300 student-athletes nationwide named to the NABC Honors Court, which honors junior, senior and graduate student men's basketball players who finished the academic year with a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher.
The NABC's academic awards are presented annually to teams and individuals from all levels of college basketball.
Get to Know Tariq Francis in the Classroom: Academic Q&A
Q: What is your major? A: Health Administration.
Q: Why did you choose to come to Rutgers? A: Rutgers was a great fit academically and athletically. The coaching staff made me feel at home right away — Coach Pikiell is a great coach, and all the assistants have great resumes and are great people. It was an opportunity to better myself and be part of something bigger than me.
Q: What opportunities has being a college basketball player at Rutgers provided you outside of the game? A: Networking, more than anything. Rutgers has an incredible alumni base and so many connections. Day in and day out, you're meeting new people, learning more about the business side of things, and being exposed to opportunities that players at smaller schools may never see. It's helped me grow as a person.
Q: Why did you choose your major, and what does it mean to you? A: I've always been interested in healthcare and wanted to study something that impacts my life directly. It felt like a great foundation — something I'm genuinely passionate about learning, and something I can continue to build on as I venture into business after basketball.
Q: What are your plans after your playing career? A: I want to do as much as possible. Healthcare is a big interest — I want to understand how I can personally make an impact on the system and help make people's lives easier. I also want to get into real estate and continue building on the business side. Ultimately, I want to grow my brand and put myself in a position to take care of my family and the people around me.
Q: What is your favorite memory at Rutgers so far? A: The game-winner against Penn. That was a high-energy moment right before Christmas break — celebrating with the team, the coaches, the fans. Going into that break feeling like that was something special.
The NABC Team Academic Excellence Award recognizes programs that completed the 2025-26 academic year with a cumulative team grade-point average of 3.0 or higher. Rutgers was one of more than 400 programs nationally — spanning all levels of college basketball — to earn the distinction.
Francis, a junior health administration major, was one of more than 2,300 student-athletes nationwide named to the NABC Honors Court, which honors junior, senior and graduate student men's basketball players who finished the academic year with a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher.
The NABC's academic awards are presented annually to teams and individuals from all levels of college basketball.
Get to Know Tariq Francis in the Classroom: Academic Q&A
Q: What is your major? A: Health Administration.
Q: Why did you choose to come to Rutgers? A: Rutgers was a great fit academically and athletically. The coaching staff made me feel at home right away — Coach Pikiell is a great coach, and all the assistants have great resumes and are great people. It was an opportunity to better myself and be part of something bigger than me.
Q: What opportunities has being a college basketball player at Rutgers provided you outside of the game? A: Networking, more than anything. Rutgers has an incredible alumni base and so many connections. Day in and day out, you're meeting new people, learning more about the business side of things, and being exposed to opportunities that players at smaller schools may never see. It's helped me grow as a person.
Q: Why did you choose your major, and what does it mean to you? A: I've always been interested in healthcare and wanted to study something that impacts my life directly. It felt like a great foundation — something I'm genuinely passionate about learning, and something I can continue to build on as I venture into business after basketball.
Q: What are your plans after your playing career? A: I want to do as much as possible. Healthcare is a big interest — I want to understand how I can personally make an impact on the system and help make people's lives easier. I also want to get into real estate and continue building on the business side. Ultimately, I want to grow my brand and put myself in a position to take care of my family and the people around me.
Q: What is your favorite memory at Rutgers so far? A: The game-winner against Penn. That was a high-energy moment right before Christmas break — celebrating with the team, the coaches, the fans. Going into that break feeling like that was something special.
Players Mentioned
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