Four Gonzaga players, team receive NABC academic recognition

Four Gonzaga basketball players earned academic honors from the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) for the 2022-23 season.

Rasir Bolton and Malachi Smith, senior guards on last year’s team, and walk-ons Colby Brooks and Abe Eagle were named to the NABC Honors Court.

Honors Court criteria includes student-athletes being in their junior or senior year academically with at least one year at their current school while carrying a grade-point average of 3.2 or higher.

Gonzaga received an NABC Team Academic Excellence Award.

Bolton was selected to the Honors Court for the third straight season. The 6-foot-3 Bolton averaged 10.6 points, 2.4 assists and connected on 42.5% beyond the 3-point arc and nearly 80% at the free-throw line in two seasons as a Zag. He was named to the 2023 West Coast Conference All-Academic team with a 3.72 GPA in organizational leadership.

Bolton also was honored by the NABC after averaging 15.5 points and 3.9 assists at Iowa State in 2020-21.

Smith averaged 8.7 points and made 50% of 3-point attempts to earn WCC Sixth Man of the Year. The 6-4 Smith, a transfer from Chattanooga, played for the Portland Trail Blazers earlier this month in the NBA Summer League on an Exhibit 10 contract.

Smith was named to the 2022 College Sports Information of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District III team as a sophomore at Chattanooga.

Brooks, a 6-6 wing from Los Angeles, played in eight games and scored 21 points in 22 minutes. He made 8 of 11 shots and 4 of 5 free throws.

Eagle, a 6-9 forward from Los Angeles, logged 11 minutes in five games. He scored four points.