Michael Megafu Garners CoSIDA Academic All-America® Honors
AUSTIN, Texas — Highlighting an outstanding four-year career on the hardwood, senior Michael Megafu has named to the 2015-16 Academic All-America® Division III men's basketball second team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America.
"Michael is a very special young man and the entire SJC community is very proud of him," commented Jack P. Calareso, PhD., president of St. Joseph's College. "He is an exemplary student, a talented athlete and a person who demonstrates our core values every day"
Megafu becomes just the second SJC Brooklyn student-athlete to receive Academic All-America® distinction after being named to the Academic All-District™ first team two weeks ago. As a second-team Academic All-America® selection, he is among the top ten student-athletes from over 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.
"I'm grateful for my teammates, God, my parents, my friends and family. It's an amazing accomplishment and I'm just grateful I was given the opportunity to be on this team and given that award," remarked Megafu on the selection. "I was shocked. Honestly I didn't really expect it. There's a lot of student-athletes out there in Division III, there's a lot of schools. So to be chosen, it's humbling."
"Michael embodies the term student-athlete and this is a testament to his dedication on and off the court," commented Alex Winnicker, interim director of athletics and recreation. "The Academic All-America program is one of the highest academic accolades in all of collegiate athletics."
Megafu helped lead the Bears to runner-up honors in their first season in the Skyline Conference. Also named to the All-Skyline Second Team last week, the 6-foot-2 forward averaged 15.8 points a game this season and was ranked second in the league in rebounding (10.1 per game) and double-doubles (12) and was third in blocks (1.8 per game).
Concluding an impressive four-year career on Saturday leading the Bears to 67 victories and four straight winning seasons, the Jamaica, N.Y. native averaged an SJC-record 33.4 minutes a game, accumulating 1,614 points (5th all-time SJC), 1,110 rebounds (2nd all-time SJC), 134 blocks (2nd all-time SJC) and 161 steals (4th all-time SJC). Megafu recorded a double-double in more than half of his 107 games played—starting in all-but-one of them—leading all active Division III men's basketball players with 58 career double-doubles (2nd all-time SJC).
"While I am grateful for all of Mike's accomplishments on the court, I am most proud of who he is off the court," remarked Joseph Cocozello, head men's basketball coach. "His academics have always taken precedence over basketball as evidenced by his extraordinary achievement in the classroom."
Off the court, the Nazareth Regional H.S. product is prepping for a future medical career with a biology major and chemistry minor, all while earning dean's list honors in all seven semesters at St. Joseph's and compiling a 3.83 grade point average. Megafu is also a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) executive board.
"I always try to be the best. It really comes from my parents," Megafu attributing his success both on and off the court. "They're immigrants from Africa and they've always wanted to live that American dream. Me being born here, it's a blessing, and it's been my responsibility to give back to them by working hard and doing the little things."
"He certainly models the term student-athlete!" concluded Cocozello. "But as great a career as he's had both on the court and in the classroom, he's an even better person than he is a student or athlete!"