LOUDONVILLE, NY – The Siena Men's Basketball program punctuated an outstanding 2022-23 school year in the classroom with multiple academic honors from the National Association of Basketball Coaches. The Saints earned the program's second-ever NABC Team Academic Excellence Award, while a program record-tying three student athletes were named to the NABC Honors Court.
 
"Education is a core value of the NABC, and we are privileged to recognize these outstanding student-athletes and the coaches and support staff who invest in their development," said NABC Executive Director Craig Robinson. "The hundreds of teams and thousands of players that qualified for NABC academic awards this season are a testament to our sport's ongoing prioritization of success in the classroom."
 
Siena earns NABC Team Academic Excellence honors for just the second time ever, after first receiving the honor following the conclusion of head coach Carmen Maciariello's first season at the helm in 2019-20. The Saints were one of just 80 Division I men's basketball programs – and the only Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference team – to garner recognition. The NABC Team Academic Excellence Awards recognize men's basketball programs from all collegiate levels which completed the 2022-23 academic year with a team grade-point average of 3.0 or higher.
 
Siena achieved a program-record 3.38 team GPA for the 2022-23 academic year to raise the program's overall cumulative team GPA to a stellar 3.30. Individually, a total of 11 Saints on this past year's roster maintained a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better following the conclusion of the most recent spring semester, while five different Saints achieved a perfect 4.0 GPA during either the Fall 2022 or Spring 2023 semesters. Additionally, the team boasted one Siena College President's List (3.9-3.99 GPA) honoree and nine Dean's List (3.5-3.89) honorees total encompassing both semesters this past school year. Two Saints were named College Sports Communications Academic All-District selections, while five earned MAAC All-Academic Team honors.
 
Graduate students Michael Baer and Jackson Stormo and junior Steven Lazar were named to the NABC Honors Court, which is reserved for collegiate men's basketball student athletes who are either a junior, senior, or graduate student, and who finished the 2022-23 year with a cumulative GPA of 3.20 or higher. Siena, which tied a program-record with a trio of honorees for the second straight year, comprised three of the seven total MAAC selections named to the NABC Honors Court.
 
Baer earns NABC Honors Court acclaim for the fourth straight season. The Bettendorf, Iowa native has now received recognition following each of his two seasons as a Saint, after previously earning the distinction after each of his final two years at the University of Iowa. A College Sports Communicators Academic All-District and MAAC All-Academic Team selection this season, Baer was honored as Siena's Leo Dufort Male Student Athlete of the Month for January, and was named the MAAC Male Student Athlete of the Week on Jan. 11. Enrolled in Siena's Masters of Business Administration program, Baer wrapped up the 2022-23 academic year possessing a 3.71 cumulative GPA. He achieved a perfect 4.0 GPA during the Fall 2022 semester, and was named to the Dean's List this spring.
 
Stormo has now received NABC Honors Court recognition following each of his three seasons at Siena. The Santa Barbara, California standout – who was named a Second Team All-MAAC selection this season for his athletic prowess – also joined Baer in earning CSC Academic All-District and MAAC All-Academic Team honors this spring. Stormo maintained a 3.76 cumulative GPA following the conclusion of the most recent spring semester while pursuing his Data and Analytics Certificate.
 
Lazar earns NABC Honors Court acclaim in his first year of eligibility. The Toronto, Ontario native has been named to the MAAC All-Academic Team and Academic Honor Roll in each year of eligibility. Lazar currently maintains a 3.86 cumulative GPA while majoring in biology, and was named to the President's List this past spring after posting a perfect 4.0 GPA during the Fall 2022 semester.
 
The NABC honors cap a highly-decorated 2022-23 academic year for the Siena Men's Basketball program. This past November, the Saints were one of 10 Siena Athletics programs to post a perfect 100% graduation success rate according to the latest NCAA GSR Report. Moreover, earlier this calendar year the program achieved the highest rate increase of any Siena Athletics' program, earning an 11-point jump in the latest NCAA Division I Academic Progress Rate (APR) Report, with their score of 983 exceeding the national men's basketball average by 16 points.