Kentucky Wildcats Receive NABC Team Academic Excellence Award for 2024–25 Season

The University of Kentucky men’s basketball team has been honored for its academic achievements during the 2024–25 academic year. On Thursday, the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) presented the Wildcats with the Team Academic Excellence Award.

In addition to the team honor, seven Kentucky players were named to the NABC Honors Court. The recognized athletes include Lamont Butler, Koby Brea, Grant Darbyshire, Walker Horn, Otega Oweh, Jaxson Robinson, and Zach Tow.

The Team Academic Excellence Award is given to programs that maintain a minimum cumulative team GPA of 3.0 throughout the academic year. Meanwhile, the Honors Court celebrates individual academic success among junior, senior, and graduate players who finished the year with at least a 3.2 GPA.

Lamont Butler had a standout season on the court as well, starting all 27 games he played in. He averaged 11.4 points, 4.3 assists, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game while posting career-high shooting percentages—49.8% from the field and 39.1% from beyond the arc.

Koby Brea appeared in every game, totaling 36 for the season. He posted a career-best 11.6 points per game and was especially effective from deep, hitting 43.5% of his three-point attempts. His 93 made threes marked the seventh-highest single-season total in program history.

Grant Darbyshire took the floor in two games, one of which was Kentucky’s NCAA Tournament win over Troy. Beyond his NABC recognition, he earned a place on the SEC Winter Academic Honor Roll and was inducted into UK’s Frank G. Ham Society of Character.

Walker Horn saw time in five contests and registered an assist in a victory against Brown.

Otega Oweh led the Wildcats in scoring and was named to the All-SEC second team. He set career highs in nearly every statistical category, including 16.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.6 steals, 0.5 blocks per game, and a 77.6% free throw rate.

Jaxson Robinson was among the top shooters in the country, earning a spot as a Julius Erving Award finalist. Over 24 games, he averaged 13.0 points and had 17 games scoring in double figures, while hitting at least one three-pointer in each of his final 21 appearances.

Zach Tow played in two games, making his debut in the home finale against LSU and later contributing in the NCAA Tournament matchup versus Troy.

For ongoing updates on the Wildcats, fans can follow @KentuckyMBB across social media platforms or visit UKathletics.com.

Tags: Mark Pope