GREENSBORO, N.C.–Pitt guard Cameron Wright (Cleveland, Ohio/Benedictine H.S.) has been named the recipient of the 2014 Skip Prosser Award, emblematic of the top scholar-athlete in men’s basketball, ACC Commissioner John Swofford announced March 13. Wright wasl presented with the award prior to Pitt’s first-ever ACC Tournament game against Wake Forest at the Greensboro Coliseum.
The junior business-marketing major from Cleveland, Ohio, gives Pitt a recipient of the prestigious award in its inaugural season in the ACC. The award was created in 2007 to honor the memory of George Edward “Skip” Prosser, who compiled a 291-146 career record in 14 seasons as a head coach, including a 126-68 mark in his six years with Wake Forest. The 2003 ACC Coach of the Year, Prosser won 20-plus games and led the Demon Deacons to the NCAA Tournament in each of his first four seasons in Winston-Salem. Every Wake Forest senior he coached graduated, and the Deacons placed nine players on the annual All-ACC Academic Basketball Team during his tenure.
In order to be nominated for the award, a student-athlete must be an upperclassman with a grade-point average of 3.0 or better – both in his career and in the previous two semesters. Sixty percent of the award is based on academic achievement and 40 percent on athletic accomplishments.
Recently named to the All-ACC Men’s Basketball Academic Team, Wright is a four-time recipient of the University of Pittsburgh’s Scholar-Athlete Award, and a two-time recipient of the school’s Academic Excellence Award. He is also a past winner of the University of Pittsburgh-Jaron Brown Pursuit of Excellence Award and was selected to the Big East All-Academic team on three occasions.
Wright has played a key role in the Panthers’ 23-8 season that included 11 ACC regular-season wins. While starting all 31 games this season, Wright has averaged 10.8 points while shooting just over 47 percent from the floor. He has also pulled down 3.4 rebounds per game and ranks third on the team in assists with 2.7 per game. He has reached double figure scoring in 18 games.
Wright is Pitt’s fourth all-time conference scholar-athlete award winner in men’s basketball. Other award winners include Joey David (1984-85), Darren Morningstar (1991-92) and Aaron Gray (2006-07). He is the second player to earn a men’s basketball top scholar-athlete award since Jamie Dixon became head coach in 2003. Earlier this year, it was announced that Pitt led the league with four All-ACC Academic Team selections.
Clemson guard Cliff Hammonds (2008), Miami guard Jack McClinton (2009), Virginia center Jerome Meyinsse (2010) and North Carolina center Tyler Zeller (2011 and 2012) and Duke’s Mason Plumlee (2013) are past Skip Prosser Award recipients.
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