Alex Poythress know what it means to be a Wildcat on and off the court.
As the senior forward gets set for his final game at Rupp Arena on Senior Day this Saturday, Poythress is poised to finish his UK career as one of the most successful Wildcats on and off the court. In addition to being part of two Final Four teams and a national runner-up, Alex can also add Academic All-American to his list of achievements.
What an honor, for such a tremendous representative of our program. Congrats, @AlexTheGreat22! You make us proud. pic.twitter.com/pB6VTmgNbv
— Kentucky Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) March 3, 2016
Poythress becomes the first Wildcat to take home the honor since Mark Pope in 1995. He is also the 12th different UK player to earn Academic All-American honors in program history, joining Louie Dampier, Larry Conley, Dan Issel, Mike Pratt and Kyle Macy.
The Clarksville (TN) native graduated in just three years with a degree in business marketing. He earned a 3.517 undergrad GPA and is now pursuing a master’s of science in kinesiology and health promotion with an emphasis on sport leadership. He finished his first semester of grad school with a 4.0 GPA.
The 6-9 big man has appeared on the SEC Academic Honor Roll during every year of college. He is also a three-time Arthur Ashe, Jr., Sports Scholar and has been named to the Athletic Director’s honor roll three times, which honors the student-athlete with the highest GPA of his team. He was named a semifinalist for the Ashe award again in 2016, which honors students of color who exemplify the standards set by tennis great Arthur Ashe, Jr.
Congratulations are in order for Alex on a very successful college career.