BOSTON, Mass. – Three members of the 2009-10 Wentworth Institute of Technology men's basketball team have been honored by the National Association of Basketball Coaches Association as a part of the 2009-2010 NABC Honors Court. Rising seniors Keenan Burke-Pitts (Auburn, Mass.), Colin O'Donnell (Nobleboro, Maine), and Mike McClure (Blue Bell, Pa.) have all earned this elite honor. In order to be eligible for the NABC Honors Court, student-athletes must: 1.) Academically be a junior or senior and a varsity player; 2.) Have a cumulative grade point average of 3.2 or higher at the conclusion of the 2009-10 academic year; 3.) Have matriculated at least one year at their current institution; and 4.) Be a member of an NCAA Division I, II, III, or NAIA institution.
A co-captain for the Leopards this past season, Burke-Pitts started four of the 27 games he appeared in, averaging nearly 13 minutes per game. He averaged 3.0 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game and shot over 90 percent (.903) from the free throw line and recorded career highs of 13 points in an 82-62 win over New York City Tech and five assists in an 87-77 loss to Fisher. In 65 career games, he is an 86 percent free throw shooter.
O'Donnell came off the bench in all 12 games he appeared in for the Leopards during his junior season and notched career highs with eight points in an 86-56 win over Salve Regina and four rebounds in two games. He has played in 36 games over the course of his career.
Coming off the bench in 20 of the 21 games he played in, McClure averaged 1.6 points per game, which matches his best seasonal output, established as a sophomore. Shooting over 52 percent from the floor this past season, he is a career 54.8 percent shooter in 38 games (two starts).
Under the direction of head coach Tom Devitt, Wentworth finished the 2009-2010 season with a 15-12 record, including a second-place (10-3) finish in The Commonwealth Coast Conference. The Leopards fell to third-seeded Curry in TCCC Semifinals and earned the program's first ECAC Tournament berth since the 1998 season. Seeded eighth, Wentworth fell short against top-seeded Eastern Connecticut in the finals, 64-59.
Located in Kansas City, Missouri, the NABC was founded in 1927 by Phog Allen, the legendary basketball coach at the University of Kansas. Allen, a student of James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, organized coaches into this collective group to serve as Guardians of the Game. The NABC currently claims nearly 5,000 members consisting primarily of university and college men's basketball coaches. All members of the NABC are expected to uphold the core values of being a Guardian of the Game by bringing attention to the positive aspects of the sport of basketball and the role coaches play in the academic and athletic lives of today s student-athletes. The four core values of being a Guardian of the Game are advocacy, leadership, service and education. For additional information about the NABC, its programs and membership, visit the organization's official website.
