2021-22 NABC Academic Awards

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – After a season of putting in hard work that led to the program's first ever Pacific West Conference Championship on the hardwood, Academy of Art men's basketball's graduate student Joshua Bagley has also been rewarded for his hard work off the court with a spot on the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Honors Court. 

For a student-athlete to earn a spot on the NABC Honors Court they must be of upperclassmen standing (junior, senior or graduate student), as well as finish the year with above a 3.2 cumulative grade point average for the 2021-22 academic year. 

When away from the court Bagley could be found in the School of Communications where he garnered a 3.23 GPA, while on the court he was orchestrating the Knights' first ever trip to the NCAA Division II Tournament, appearing in the opening round against CCAA member Chico State who eventually reached the Elite Eight. He was also instrumental in ART U's first ever victory over a NCAA Division I opponent when the Knights took down UC Davis on Nov. 28, leading the team with four assists while chipping in nine points and a block. 

Six times Bagley would record five or more assists this season, finishing the year with the second-most helpers on the Knights at a total of 87. Not only is that the eighth-most in a single ART U season and a career best, Bagley has now moved into second place for assists in an Academy of Art career with a total of 219, sitting just five shy of all-time program leader Cobe Williams (224). From the free throw line Bagley was nearly automatic, ending the year 71-for-78 (91.0 percent) from the line for the best single-season free throw percentage in program history. Showing how well-rounded his game is, he was also named the PacWest Defender of the Week award on Dec. 6 before ending the campaign with 31 steals. 

Bagley was one of over 2,000 players to earn a spot on the NABC Honors Court in 2021-22, and is just the eighth Urban Knight in history to do so. He is the first since a trio did so back in the 2019-20 season, following the record of four Knights who initially collected Honors Court positions while ART U earned its first Team Academic Excellence Award in 2018-19.