Men's basketball recognized with academic accolades

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – On Wednesday, the Otterbein University men's basketball team saw six individuals, as well as the team, recognized for their academic achievements by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).

As a team, the Cardinals earned the NABC Team Academic Excellence Award, presented to programs that finished the year with a 3.0 team GPA or better. Otterbein obtained a team GPA of 3.5 for the 2025-26 school year.

The NABC Honors Court recognizes juniors, seniors and graduate students who completed the academic year with a cumulative 3.2 GPA or higher. Recent graduates Bryan Flannery, Julian Heckman, Reece Huber and Mason Stuck were accompanied by rising seniors Chase Gario and Mike Steel on the list.

Otterbein concluded the 2025-26 season in historic fashion, turning in a 23-6 record and advancing to the NCAA Round of 32. The Cardinals spent seven weeks in the D3hoops.com Top 25 ranking, peaking at No. 17 and ending the year ranked No. 22.

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Players Mentioned

#13 Julian Heckman: G; 6' 0"; Senior

#23 Reece Huber: G; 6' 3"; Senior

#25 Mike Steel: F; 6' 8"; Junior

#22 Mason Stuck: F; 6' 5"; Senior

#30 Bryan Flannery: W; 6' 2"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#13 Julian Heckman
: 6' 0"; Senior
: G

#23 Reece Huber
: 6' 3"; Senior
: G

#25 Mike Steel
: 6' 8"; Junior
: F

#22 Mason Stuck
: 6' 5"; Senior
: F

#30 Bryan Flannery
: 6' 2"; Senior
: W