SJC Student-Athlete Receives First Team Academic All-America® Honors

March 03, 2015 BK

Brooklyn, N.Y. – March 3, 2015 – Adding to the growing list of accolades throughout his outstanding four-year career, St. Joseph's College (SJC) senior David Louison has been selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America to the 2014-15 Capital One Academic All-America® Division III Men's Basketball First Team, the first Brooklyn Campus student-athlete to receive the honor.

Louison was selected as an Academic All-District honoree several weeks ago, one of five student-athletes from Division III men's basketball teams in New York State. As a first team Academic All-America selection, he is among the top five student-athletes across more than 400 Division III men's basketball schools nationally. To be eligible for consideration, student-athletes must have a minimum 3.3 cumulative grade point average.

"It's pretty humbling," said Louison, a criminal justice major with a 3.93 GPA. "I've been speechless since I was first notified that I was selected for such a high honor. I'm extremely grateful and proud to be in this position and have this under my belt as a student-athlete."

"Dave epitomizes what it means to be a St. Joseph's College student-athlete and he truly deserves to receive this honor, the highest academic accolade in collegiate athletics," said Frank P. Carbone, athletic director for the Brooklyn Campus of SJC.

Louison was recently named the Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year and is a four-time All-HVIAC selection as well as a two-time United States Collegiate Athletic Association First Team All-American. The St. Edmund Prep product led the team this season with 16.5 points per game and 11.3 rebounds and has recorded 19 double-doubles.

The Brooklyn native joined the exclusive 1,500-point, 1,000-rebound club this season racking up over his four-year career 1,679 points, 1,181 rebounds and 59 double-doubles, the active Division III leader in the last two categories.

"Dave's statistics speak for themselves", said Joseph Cocozello, head coach for the Brooklyn Campus men’s basketball team. "Whenever I've been interviewed in regards to Dave, I would very rarely talk about the basketball on the court; his game speaks for itself. More important is the pride he takes in his academics as a student-athlete. He is a model citizen and ambassador for the school. We are blessed and fortunate to have had him for the past four years."

Prior to Louison's arrival, the team had four straight losing seasons and now is working on their third straight winning season and is on the verge of making their second USCAA National Championship appearance in three years.

Off the court, Louison has worked in the U.S. Attorney's Office as a student clerk since June 2012, gaining valuable exposure and experience working on high profile cases. Upon his graduation from SJC this spring, Louison plans to become a paralegal, attend law school and continue to pursue a career as a lawyer.

Joining Louison on the 2014-15 Capital One Academic All-America® first team are John Coleman of Clarkson University, the Academic All-America of the Year, Benjamin Ritholtz of Yeshiva University, Travis Schomaeker of Defiance College and Gordon Lyons of SUNY-Geneseo.

ABOUT ST. JOSEPH'S COLLEGE
St. Joseph's College has been dedicated to providing a diverse population of students in the New York metropolitan area with an affordable education rooted in the liberal arts tradition since 1916. Independent and coeducational, the College provides a strong academic and value-oriented education at the undergraduate and graduate levels, aiming to prepare each student for a life characterized by integrity, intellectual and spiritual values, social responsibility, and service. With campuses located in the Clinton Hill area of Brooklyn and in Patchogue, Long Island, the College offers degrees in more than 35 majors, special course offerings and certificates, affiliated and pre-professional programs.