KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) announced the organization's academic awards for the 2022-23 season Thursday as the Colorado School of Mines men's basketball team was named a recipient of the Team Excellence Award while seven individuals were named to the Honors Court list.
 
To be eligible for the NABC Team Academic Award, a team must have achieved a GPA of 3.0 or higher during the 2022-23 academic year, while the NABC Honors Court recognizes players who are juniors, seniors, or graduate students academically, and have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.2 or higher at the conclusion of the 2022-23 academic year.
 
Of the Orediggers' 16-man roster last season, seven individuals earned Honors Court recognition led by Adam Thistlewood, Ben Boone, Trent Dykema, Brendan Sullivan, Sam Beskind, Grant Pressly and Reagan Koch.
 
Thistlewood, a graduate transfer from Colorado State who joined Mines as a third-generation Oredigger to conclude his collegiate career, was a First Team All-RMAC selection and named Second Team All-Region by D2CCA and Second Team All-District by the NABC. He finished the season as the team leader with 15.9 points and 6.6 rebounds per game in 30.8 minutes per night while pulling down 159 boards and connecting on 175 field goals, both of which also led the team. He is currently working towards a Master's degree in Computer Science.
 
Boone completed his Master's degree in Engineering Technology & Management in May after completing an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2022 and was named First Team Academic All-RMAC for the third consecutive season. Despite missing time early in the season with an injury, he played a large part for Mines in the second half of the season and finished the year averaging 10.7 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game while shooting .457/.386/.769 with 44 rebounds and 42 assists to go with 11 steals and ended his Mines career seventh all-time with a .408 three-point percentage.
 
Dykema as graduated in May with a Master's degree in Engineering Technology & Management after also earning a undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering last year and was named First Team Academic All-RMAC during the most recent season. He made the first 14 starts of his career last year and appeared in all 32 games for the Orediggers, averaging 3.8 points and 2.2 rebounds in 15.7 minutes per night with a pair of double-digit scoring outings against Colorado Christian.
 
Sullivan, one of the most decorated players in program history both on and off the court, earns his third Honors Court recognition in as many seasons and adds to an already impressive resume from last season. Named the RMAC Academic Player of the Year for the third-straight year, he also earned First Team All-RMAC and Academic All-RMAC honors while being named Second Team Academic All-America by the College Sports Communicators as well as earning Second Team All-Region honors from the D2CCA and Second Team All-District laurels from the NABC. A participant in the 2023 Reese's-NABC Division II College All-Star Game, Sullivan completed his studies at Mines with a Master's Degree in engineering Technology & Management in May after previously earning an undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering. Last season, he started all 32 games to extend his games started streak to 114 and averaged 13.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.0 steals in 28.7 minutes per game. A career .518 shooter in his career who never shot below .500 from the floor in any of his five seasons, he ended his career ranked sixth all-time in scoring (1,943), fourth in steals (160) and field goals (639), sixth in three-point field goals (216), eighth in assists (279), and ninth in three-point percentage (.401).
 
Beskind, a transfer from Stanford who joined the Orediggers last year, took over starting point guard duties and made an immediate impact in his debut season in Golden, earning Honorable Mention All-RMAC honors while ranking second in the league in assists. He averaged 9.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists per night with an assist/turnover ratio of 2.2 to lead the RMAC while shooting .481/.338/.835 on the season. Already a two-time graduate of Stanford with undergraduate and graduate degrees in Management Science & Engineering and named an Academic All-District selection by the College Sports Communicators, Beskind is now working towards a dual Master's at Mines in Humanitarian Engineering and Advanced Energy Systems and will return for his final year of eligibility next season. He also hosts the Built For Earth podcast, in which Beskind discusses climate change initiatives and technological solutions with industry leaders.
 
Pressly appeared in in 23 games as a reserve last season and shot .429 from the field and .375 from beyond the arc with 21 assists, 18 rebounds and five steals. His best performance of the season came against Western Colorado on December 18 when he scored seven points, pulled down four boards and dished out six assists in just 18 minutes. The Plano, Texas product is pursuing a degree in Business Engineering & Management Science.
 
Koch burst onto the scene last season, appearing in all but one game as one of the first men off the bench and averaged 5.0 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 14.8 minutes per game. He shot .534 from the field and .423 from three-point land while also being an impactful player on defense with 29 steals and 71 rebounds in addition to turning in five double-digit scoring outings. A native of Chanhassen, Minnesota, Koch is majoring in Mechanical Engineering.
 
Fans can keep up with Mines men's basketball on Twitter and Instagram at @minesmbb. They can also keep up with Colorado School of Mines Athletics all year long on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the handle @MinesAthletics.