Averkamp, McCallum Earn DI-AAA Scholar-Athlete Honors

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Loyola senior Ben Averkamp (Germantown, Wis./Germantown) and Detroit junior Ray McCallum (Beverly Hills, Mich./Detroit Country Day) each earned Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association Scholar-Athlete Team honors, as announced by the Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association (DI-AAA ADA).

Among the 10-man team, the Horizon League was the lone conference with two honorees, with Averkamp earning the distinction for the second straight season.

Averkamp became the first Loyola men’s basketball player to earn Academic All-America honors when he was named to the Capital One Academic All-America Second Team in February and capped his collegiate career by averaging 14.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.2 blocks per game despite missing six contests due to injury. The 6-foot-8 team captain, who was a Second Team All-Horizon League selection in each of his final two seasons, leaves Loyola as one of only 19 players in school history to have racked up over 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in his career, and he fell two blocks shy of becoming the first player in Loyola annals to total 1,300 points, 600 rebounds, 150 assists, and 150 blocked shots.

In addition to his production on the court, the biology major has excelled in the classroom and carries a 3.80 grade-point average. A three-time Horizon League Male Scholar-Athlete of the Month selection during the 2012-13 season, Averkamp was also a member of the 2012 Horizon League Fall Academic Honor Roll.  Last season, he collected a host of academic honors including Horizon League Men’s Basketball All-Academic Team, Capital One First Team Academic All-District V, National Jesuit Men’s Basketball All-Academic Team, and National Association of Basketball Coaches Honor Court status.

One of 30 candidates for the 2013 Senior CLASS Award, Averkamp is the President of the Horizon League Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and is also a member of Loyola’s SAAC Executive Board.

McCallum, a fellow SAAC member, was voted the Horizon League Player of the Year after finishing with 18.7 points per game, ranking 35^th nationally. The junior collected accolades throughout the postseason, including Lute Olson All-America Team honors and a place on the NABC District 12 First Team. The junior was the first player since fellow Titan Rashad Phillips in 2000-01 to earn both Horizon League preseason and postseason Player of the Year honors.

Entering his senior season, McCallum checks in at 39^th on the Horizon League’s all-time scoring ledger with 1,618 career points. McCallum is the active leader in the Horizon League with 451 assists and 175 steals.

A communications major, McCallum holds a 3.48 GPA through three years at Detroit.

Joining Averkamp and McCallum on the Division I-AAA Scholar-Athlete Team was Luke Apfeld (Vermont), Travis Bader (Oakland), Kyle Boswell (UC Santa Barbara), Chase Hallam (Denver), Holton Hunsaker (Utah Valley), John Staurt Mann (Belmont), Isaac Sosa (Canisius), and Scholar-Athlete of the Year Kelly Olynyk (Gonzaga).

Basketball players from all Division I-AAA ADA member institutions were eligible for the award. Each nominee was required to have a minimum GPA of 3.20 (on a 4.00 scale) in undergraduate study, been a starter or important reserve that has participated in at least 50 percent of his team’s games, and reached junior academic standing at the institution. A special review committee of Division I-AAA athletics directors selected the winners.