Nzei Named to DI-AAA ADA Scholar-Athlete Team
4/9/2019 11:58:00 AM | Men's Basketball
CLEVELAND - Senior Michael Nzei (Makurdi, Nigeria) of the Seton Hall men's basketball team has earned yet another academic honor in his outstanding career. The Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association (DI-AAA ADA) has named Nzei to its 17th annual Scholar-Athlete Team, presented by ARMS Software. Nzei is one of 10 student-athletes in Div. I-AAA (non-football playing schools) to receive the honor.
Basketball players from all Division I-AAA ADA member institutions are eligible for these prestigious awards. Each of the nominees is required to maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.20 - on a 4.00 scale - in undergraduate study and have been a starter or important reserve with legitimate athletics credentials. Nominees must have participated in at least 50 percent (50%) of the team's games listed on the nomination form. To be eligible for nomination to the Scholar-Athlete Team, he/she must have reached junior academic standing at their institution (ineligible athletics transfers are NOT eligible).Â
Nzei, who has a 3.64 grade point average in his Master of Business Administration program, adds this honor to an already long list of accolades. He was named the 2019 BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Seton Hall's first winner of the award since 1996, he is a four-time member of the BIG EAST All-Academic team, two-time member of the NABC Honors Court and five-time selection to the Seton Hall Dean's List. He also is a member of Chi Alpha Sigma, the National Student-Athlete Honor Society. Nzei already holds his Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from Seton Hall, which he received in May 2018.
The senior captain also contributed on the court for the Pirates. He appeared in 135 games for The Hall, the most in school history. He scored 700 career points, ranking him 80th all-time.Â
This season, he became a full-time starter and averaged 9.0 points and 5.2 rebounds while sporting a team-high 60.2 field goal percentage which also ranks fifth in the BIG EAST.
A true winner, Nzei was a part of 88 Seton Hall basketball victories, which ties him with Terry Dehere (1989-93) for the third-most victories in school history. In addition, Nzei became just the third Seton Hall basketball student-athlete to appear in an NCAA Tournament game in four consecutive seasons, joining Arturas Karnisovas and Bryan Caver (1991-94).
Nzei is a part of a Seton Hall program that emphasizes classroom success alongside basketball success and skill development. The Pirates have had a team cumulative GPA over 3.0 at the end of each of the last four academic years and has had 44 BIG EAST All-Academic team selections in head coach Kevin Willard's tenure.Â
Men's Scholar-Athlete Team
Men's Scholar-Athlete of the Year:Â Dylan Windler, Belmont University
Basketball players from all Division I-AAA ADA member institutions are eligible for these prestigious awards. Each of the nominees is required to maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.20 - on a 4.00 scale - in undergraduate study and have been a starter or important reserve with legitimate athletics credentials. Nominees must have participated in at least 50 percent (50%) of the team's games listed on the nomination form. To be eligible for nomination to the Scholar-Athlete Team, he/she must have reached junior academic standing at their institution (ineligible athletics transfers are NOT eligible).Â
Nzei, who has a 3.64 grade point average in his Master of Business Administration program, adds this honor to an already long list of accolades. He was named the 2019 BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Seton Hall's first winner of the award since 1996, he is a four-time member of the BIG EAST All-Academic team, two-time member of the NABC Honors Court and five-time selection to the Seton Hall Dean's List. He also is a member of Chi Alpha Sigma, the National Student-Athlete Honor Society. Nzei already holds his Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from Seton Hall, which he received in May 2018.
The senior captain also contributed on the court for the Pirates. He appeared in 135 games for The Hall, the most in school history. He scored 700 career points, ranking him 80th all-time.Â
This season, he became a full-time starter and averaged 9.0 points and 5.2 rebounds while sporting a team-high 60.2 field goal percentage which also ranks fifth in the BIG EAST.
A true winner, Nzei was a part of 88 Seton Hall basketball victories, which ties him with Terry Dehere (1989-93) for the third-most victories in school history. In addition, Nzei became just the third Seton Hall basketball student-athlete to appear in an NCAA Tournament game in four consecutive seasons, joining Arturas Karnisovas and Bryan Caver (1991-94).
Nzei is a part of a Seton Hall program that emphasizes classroom success alongside basketball success and skill development. The Pirates have had a team cumulative GPA over 3.0 at the end of each of the last four academic years and has had 44 BIG EAST All-Academic team selections in head coach Kevin Willard's tenure.Â
Men's Scholar-Athlete Team
|  Name  |
 Institution  |
 GPA  |
 Major  |
| Clayton Cluster | Loyola University Chicago | 3.75 | Finance |
| John Konchar | Purdue Fort Wayne | 3.46 | Information Technology |
| Drew McDonald | Northern Kentucky University | 3.40 | Marketing |
| Michael Nzei | Seton Hall University | 3.64 | Business Administration |
| Josh Perkins | Gonzaga University | 3.66 | Sport Management |
| Glenn Sanabria | St. Francis Brooklyn | 3.89 | Management/Project Management |
| Joseph Sherburne | UMBC | 4.00 | Financial Economics |
| Max Strus | DePaul University | 4.00 | Business Administration |
| Jake Toolson | Utah Valley University | 3.68 | Communications |
| Dylan Windler | Belmont University | 3.74 | Accounting |
Players Mentioned
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Thursday, September 17
Friday, September 04
Monday, August 31
