AUSTIN, Texas --- Tusculum University's Trenton Gibson has been named to the 2020-21 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Academic All-America® first team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Gibson, a senior guard from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, becomes the first Academic All-American® in program history. Gibson graduated from Tusculum with summa cum laude honors earlier this month while majoring in sport management. He finished his undergraduate studies with a 3.95 cumulative grade point average.
On the basketball hardwood, Gibson led the Pioneers in scoring, rebounding and assists as Tusculum posted a 14-6 record and finished the year as NCAA II Southeast Region semifinalists. TU finished third in the South Atlantic Conference standings and advanced to the semifinal round of the SAC Tournament for a second straight year.
Gibson was named the 2021 SAC Player of the Year and also garnered postseason honors by earning spots on the SAC All-Tournament Team and the NCAA Southeast Regional All-Tournament squad. He also became only the third Pioneer to garner NABC All-District accolades.
He was tabbed the 2021 SAC Men's Basketball Scholar Athlete of the Year, becoming the first player in league history to garner the league's top-two awards for the sport of men's basketball.
Gibson finished the season averaging 18.8 points per game which was third in the league, while his 8.2 rebounds per game average was also third-best in the conference. He dished out 5.0 assists per contest (3rd in SAC / 36th in NCAA II) making him the only player in the SAC to be ranked in the league's top-five in scoring, rebounds and assists. He also topped the conference in minutes played per game averaging 35.6 minutes per outing (49th in NCAA II).
The two-time All-SAC selection scored in double figures in 19 of his 20 games this season including nine outings with 20 or more points. Gibson, who was named the 2018 SAC Freshman of the Year, became the 28th member of Tusculum's 1,000-Point Club. His 1,190 career points are the 19th most in the 110-year history of the TU's men's basketball program. He is also the only player in school history to record 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 300 assists in a career.
Gibson has shined in the classroom where he was the 2020 recipient of the SAC Elite 20 Award for men's basketball. He is a member of the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll, Tusculum President's List, Dean's List and Charles Oliver Gray Honors List. He is a two-time Division II Athletic Directors Association Honor Roll selection and is a member of the Alpha Chi Honor Society.
In addition to his success on the basketball court and in the classroom, Gibson has been an active member of the community. He volunteered at the Nettie Day of Service, is a member of the Pioneer Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and is a Pioneer Peer serving as a mentor for incoming freshmen. He volunteers as a youth basketball coach with the Above the Rim program and has served as a sports management intern within the Tusculum Athletic department this spring. He is also an Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America and served a summer internship with the NCAA national office.
The Division II and III CoSIDA Academic All-America® programs are partially financially supported by the NCAA Division II and III national governance structures to assist CoSIDA with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2020-2021 Divisions II and III Academic All-America® programs.
2020-21 CoSIDA NCAA II Men's Basketball Academic All-America Team
First Team
Dalton Bolon, West Liberty
Parker Fox, Northern State
Trenton Gibson, Tusculum
Chandler Jacobs, Dallas Baptist
John Paul Kromka, Pittsburgh-Johnstown
Second Team
Elijah Jenkins, Embry-Riddle
Sam Orf, Alabama Huntsville
Tyler Riemersma, Augustana
Brendan Sullivan, Colorado School of Mines
Jared Vitztum, Fort Hays St.
Third Team
Harry Cavell, Seattle Pacific
Adam Dworsky, Southeastern Oklahoma St.
Conley Garrison, Drury
Ronnie Silva, Adelphi
Owen White, Michigan Tech
