Aggies Earn NABC Team Academic Excellence Award, Place Four on Honors Court

NM State recognized for academic achievement during the 2025-26 academic year.

Source: NMSU Athletics
Photo: Courtesy

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) announced the recipients of the 2025-26 NABC Team Academic Excellence Awards and NABC Honors Court, with NM State men’s basketball earning recognition in both categories. 

The NABC Team Academic Excellence Award recognizes programs that completed the 2025-26 academic year with a team GPA of 3.0 or higher. The NABC Honors Court, meanwhile, recognizes junior, senior and graduate student men’s basketball student-athletes who finished the 2025-26 academic year with a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher. 

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For the second time in the last three seasons, the Aggies earned the NABC Team Academic Excellence Award, highlighting the program’s continued commitment to success in the classroom. NM State was also one of just three Conference USA programs to receive the Team Academic Excellence Award, joining Liberty and Western Kentucky. 

Four Aggies also earned spots on the 2025-26 NABC Honors Court: 

• Julius Mims (Gr.) 
• Chris Terrell (Sr.) 
• Christian Villegas (Gr.) 
• Cyr Malonga (Jr.) 

The four selections mark the second time the Aggies have had four student-athletes earn NABC Honors Court recognition after Kaosi Ezeagu, Christian Cook, Tanahj Pettway and Christopher Biekeu received the honor following the 2023-24 academic year. 

For complete coverage of NM State men’s basketball, visit NMStateSports.com – the official home of the Aggies – and follow the Aggies on Facebook (NM State Men’s Basketball), Twitter (@NMStateMBB) and Instagram (@NMStateMBB).