Florida State University Athletics
Record-Tying Five Seminoles Named To NABC Academic Honors Court
7/15/2024 1:02:00 PM | Men's Basketball
TALLAHASSEE –Jaylan Gainey, Jesse Jones, Isaac Spainhour, Max Thorpe, and Jamir Watkins are among a record-tying five members of the Florida State men's basketball team who have been named to the 2024 NABC Honors Court. As a team, the Seminoles earned an Academic Excellence Award for the 2024 season. Gainey, Jones, Spainhour, Thorpe, and Watkins all earned the academic distinction from the NABC for their success in the classroom during the 2024 season.
Most recently, the Seminoles had five players named to the NABC Honors Court in 2019 and 2023.
Academically in 2024, the Seminoles had a school record-tying 10 players named to the ACC Academic Honor Roll and two players named to the ACC All-Academic Men's Basketball Team. Under Head Coach Leonard Hamilton, the Seminoles have earned a perfect APR (Academic Progress Rate) score of 1.000 in four of the last six and six of the last nine years.
The Seminoles earned a 995 APR under Hamilton in 2024 – the highest multi-year APR in school history. The APR accounts for eligibility, retention, and graduation and provides a measure of each teams' academic performance. The 2024 APR reflects rates from the 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23 academic years.
"I am very proud of our academic success," said Hamilton. "Having five players named to the NABC Honors Court is special because it allows you to measure yourself among your college basketball peers. As our players earn their way on this list each year, it continues to show just how committed they are to their academic success."
In just two years at Florida State, Gainey earned two master's degrees, was named to the 2023 and 2024 ACC Academic Honor Roll, was named to the 2024 All-ACC Academic Men's Basketball team, and was presented with the 2023 Golden Torch Award for Men's Basketball for Academic Excellence from the Florida State Department of Athletics.
Thorpe, who will earn his MBA from Florida State in August of 2024, was named to the ACC Academic Honor Roll in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 and to the NABC Honors Court in 2023 and 2024.
Spainhour was named to the 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 ACC Academic Honor Roll, earned Academic Dean's List honors in 2021, 2022, and 2024, and was named to the NABC Honors Court in both 2023 and 2024.
Watkins, one of the top returning guards in the nation for the 2024-25 season, was named to the 2024 All-ACC Academic Men's Basketball Team, the 2024 ACC Academic Honor Roll, and earned Florida State academic Dean's List Honors during the spring of 2024.
"Academic success has always been a priority to my mom," said Watkins. "Because it is a priority to my mom, it's important for me to do well academically. I am going to earn my degree from Florida State, and that's going to be an important milestone for not only me, but for the younger kids in my family. They are going to be able to see me reaching one of my goals, and that will help them set their goals to earn a college degree."
In order to receive the Team Academic Excellence Award, a program must achieve a team GPA of 3.0 or higher for the previous academic year. To qualify individually, a player (junior, senior, or graduate students) must have achieved a GPA of 3.2 or higher.
"The NABC is proud to celebrate these accomplished student-athletes, along with the coaches and staff who champion success in the classroom," said NABC Executive Director Craig Robinson. "Education is a core value of the NABC, and the teams and athletes who earned these awards are proof that academic achievement remains a priority across every level of our sport."
Most recently, the Seminoles had five players named to the NABC Honors Court in 2019 and 2023.
Academically in 2024, the Seminoles had a school record-tying 10 players named to the ACC Academic Honor Roll and two players named to the ACC All-Academic Men's Basketball Team. Under Head Coach Leonard Hamilton, the Seminoles have earned a perfect APR (Academic Progress Rate) score of 1.000 in four of the last six and six of the last nine years.
The Seminoles earned a 995 APR under Hamilton in 2024 – the highest multi-year APR in school history. The APR accounts for eligibility, retention, and graduation and provides a measure of each teams' academic performance. The 2024 APR reflects rates from the 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23 academic years.
"I am very proud of our academic success," said Hamilton. "Having five players named to the NABC Honors Court is special because it allows you to measure yourself among your college basketball peers. As our players earn their way on this list each year, it continues to show just how committed they are to their academic success."
In just two years at Florida State, Gainey earned two master's degrees, was named to the 2023 and 2024 ACC Academic Honor Roll, was named to the 2024 All-ACC Academic Men's Basketball team, and was presented with the 2023 Golden Torch Award for Men's Basketball for Academic Excellence from the Florida State Department of Athletics.
Thorpe, who will earn his MBA from Florida State in August of 2024, was named to the ACC Academic Honor Roll in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 and to the NABC Honors Court in 2023 and 2024.
Spainhour was named to the 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 ACC Academic Honor Roll, earned Academic Dean's List honors in 2021, 2022, and 2024, and was named to the NABC Honors Court in both 2023 and 2024.
Watkins, one of the top returning guards in the nation for the 2024-25 season, was named to the 2024 All-ACC Academic Men's Basketball Team, the 2024 ACC Academic Honor Roll, and earned Florida State academic Dean's List Honors during the spring of 2024.
"Academic success has always been a priority to my mom," said Watkins. "Because it is a priority to my mom, it's important for me to do well academically. I am going to earn my degree from Florida State, and that's going to be an important milestone for not only me, but for the younger kids in my family. They are going to be able to see me reaching one of my goals, and that will help them set their goals to earn a college degree."
In order to receive the Team Academic Excellence Award, a program must achieve a team GPA of 3.0 or higher for the previous academic year. To qualify individually, a player (junior, senior, or graduate students) must have achieved a GPA of 3.2 or higher.
"The NABC is proud to celebrate these accomplished student-athletes, along with the coaches and staff who champion success in the classroom," said NABC Executive Director Craig Robinson. "Education is a core value of the NABC, and the teams and athletes who earned these awards are proof that academic achievement remains a priority across every level of our sport."
Players Mentioned
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