WILMINGTON, N.C. ? For the second straight year, the UNC Wilmington men's basketball program has received a Public Recognition Award from the NCAA's Academic Performance Program for placing among the top 10 percent nationally for its work in the classroom.

      The NCAA honored Division I teams Wednesday with public recognition awards for their latest multi-year Academic Progress Rate scores. The teams recorded multi-year APR scores in the top 10 percent of all squads in their respective sports.

      The public recognition awards are part of the broad Division I academic reform effort. UNCW's program was one of just 36 schools from the 330 basketball-playing NCAA Division I institutions recognized.

      “We're very pleased to receive this honor again,” said Head Men's Basketball Coach Benny Moss. “It shows that we're truly committed to the term student-athlete. We care about the young men in our program, and how they excel on the court and in the classroom.”

      The APR provides a real-time look at a team's academic success each semester by tracking the academic progress of each student-athlete. The APR includes eligibility, retention, and graduation in the calculation and provides a clear picture of the academic culture in each sport. High-performing teams receiving awards posted APR scores ranging from 976 to a perfect 1,000.

      Wednesday's report represents multi-year rates based on the scores from the 2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08 academic years.

      “We're proud of our men's basketball team for its efforts in the classroom,” said Kelly Mehrtens, UNCW's athletic director. “I think this shows our student-athletes have their priorities in order. I commend Coach Moss, his staff and the players for this most-deserving award.”

      Multi-year APR scores for all Division I sports teams, including the teams receiving public recognition awards, will be announced May 6. The announcement also will include immediate and historical penalties for low-performing teams.