University of Saint Mary junior guard Grant Greenberg, Leavenworth, Kan., was named the male recipient of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics’ (NAIA) prestigious Emil S. Liston Award. The NAIA announced the association’s highest individual honors in a video presentation (WATCH HERE) as part of the inaugural NAIA National Awards Day. Awards recognized achievements of NAIA student-athletes, administrators and coaches. In addition, 9 inductees to the 2015-16 NAIA Hall of Fame Class were announced.
The award, given annually by the NAIA and Daktronics, recognizes athletic excellence and high academic achievement by junior student-athletes in men’s and women’s basketball. Since 1950, the award has honored the memory of the NAIA’s first executive director, Emil S. Liston. He founded of the National Association of Intercollegiate Basketball (NAIB).
In just two years, Greenberg has already set the scoring record for points in a career at Saint Mary—tallying 1,647 points with two years of eligibility still remaining. Greenberg has played in 60 games, making 537 of his 995 shots for a 54 percent shooting percentage from the field. He shoots 39 percent from three-point range (making 96 three-point shots total), and from the free-throw line, Greenberg shoots 87 percent. He also has 321 rebounds, 140 assists, 72 steals, and 18 blocks in his career.
Greenberg’s performance has earned him Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) Player of the Week eight times and NAIA National Player of the Week once. He’s been named First Team All KCAC in his first two seasons at Saint Mary, and he was named an NAIA First Team All-American last season. The Jewish Sports Review also selected him to the Men’s College Basketball All-America Team for his performance in the 2014-2015 season.
Head Men’s Basketball Coach Troy Brown praised Greenberg, saying: “I can’t think of a more deserving student-athlete than Grant. He works hard in the classroom and comes to practice ready to improve. He’s a leader on and off the court, and he’s critical to our team’s success.”
Greenberg’s success extends to the classroom—balancing the demands of practice and travel while maintaining a 3.56 GPA as a sport management major. Jim Zimmerman, sport management program director, had this to say about Greenberg: “His classwork is done with attention to detail, and his work on the court is second to none. If there is one student in the NAIA that exemplifies your core values of Integrity, Respect, Responsibility, Servant Leadership, and Sportsmanship, it’s Grant Greenberg.”
Greenberg was selected by the NAIA Council of Faculty Athletics Representatives from a field that included nominees from numerous NAIA member institutions. Both the male and female recipient will receive a $1,000 scholarship award from Daktronics.
Article Provided By: John Schultz, University of Saint Mary Vice President for Admissions and Marketing
