The six were named to the 2019-20 NABC Honors Court, while the Wildcats also earned Team Academic Excellence honors from the group.

The half-dozen honorees are seniors Myles Howard of Chicago and Marcus Matelski of Boyne Falls; junior Alec Fruin of Beloit, Wisconsin; and sophomores Carson Wonders of Iron Mountain, Marcus Krachinski of Perronville and Troy Summers of Grayling.

Eligibility for the Honors Court includes being a varsity player for two years at their school and maintaining a 3.2 cumulative grade-point average.

There were 1,350 players nationwide who earned the distinction. The six from NMU tied Michigan Tech and Wisconsin-Parkside for the most in the GLIAC.

Northern Michigan University’s Myles Howard drives while taking a shot with Grand Valley State's Christian Negron on defense during a game at the Barry Event Center on Feb. 20. Howard was one of six Wildcats who earned an NABC Honors Court award. (Journal photo)

For the Team Academic Excellence award, a squad must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0. The Wildcats were one of four GLIAC programs to earn the honor.

On the court, NMU was 13-17 overall and 9-11 in the GLIAC, good for a tie for third in the North Division. The Wildcats earned the eighth and final seed in the conference tournament, but made the most of it by upsetting No. 1 Ferris State 70-69 in the quarterfinals in Big Rapids before falling to No. 4 Northwood 64-53 in the semifinals in early March.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.

From left, Northern Michigan University's Troy Summers wrestles for control of the ball with Ferris State's Logan Ryan (partially hidden) and Greg Williams in the first quarter of their GLIAC men's basketball game played at the Berry Events Center in Marquette on Jan. 16. Summers was one of six Wildcats who earned an NABC Honors Court award. (Photo courtesy Daryl T. Jarvinen)