ST. LOUIS – Four Saint Louis Billikens were awarded academic honors by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) today.
 
Brandon Courtney, Gibson Jimerson, Marten Linssen and Fred Thatch Jr. were named to the NABC Honors Court for the 2021-22 season.
 
"Academic success is a core value of the NABC and a priority shared by men's basketball programs across the country," said NABC Executive Director Craig Robinson. "Excellence in the classroom requires hard work and dedication, and the NABC considers it a privilege to honor these deserving student-athletes and the coaches and staff who support them."
 
The NABC Honors Court includes academic junior, senior and graduate student men's basketball student-athletes who finished the 2021-22 year with a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher.
 
Courtney graduated from SLU in May with entrepreneurship and sports business degrees. He delivered one of the top moments of last season when he opened the scoring in a win against VCU on Senior Day with a 3-pointer in his lone career start. Courtney, a member of the Billikens' 2019 Atlantic 10 Conference Championship team, is enrolled in graduate school at SLU and will serve as a Senior Graduate Manager for the Billikens next season.
 
Jimerson adds NABC Honors Court accolades to his long list of academic honors this season, most notably being named a second-team Academic All-American. Jimerson led the Billikens in scoring with 16.3 ppg a season ago, third in the A-10. His 42 percent mark from 3-point range ranked fifth in the conference, while his 82.6 percent shooting mark from the stripe was sixth in the A-10.
 
Linssen graduated from SLU with an MBA in May. In two years with the Bills, he appeared in more than 50 games and contributed 6.4 ppg and 3.0 rpg. Linssen was named to the All-Tournament Team of the Cancun Challenge while helping SLU to the tournament title. He recently signed a professional contract to begin his pro career in his native Germany with the Paderdorn Baskets.
 
Thatch has already graduated from SLU with a bachelor's degree in marketing and an MBA, and he is now pursuing a Ph.D. from the University. An A-10 All-Academic team selection last year, he finished the year fourth on the team in scoring with 9.3 ppg and second with 5.5 rpg. Thatch was especially hot late in the year, as his averages jumped to 11.5 points and 6.1 rebounds in A-10 games.