Mercer Basketball Honored by NABC

KANSAS CITY, Kan. – The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) honored Victor Bafutto, Djordje Dimitrijevic and Mitch Prendergast by naming them to the organization's honors court Wednesday afternoon. The men's basketball program was presented with a Team Academic Excellence Award.

The trio of honorees give Mercer 26 student-athletes on the NABC's Honor Court, which debuted following the 2006-07 season. In order to be named to the Honor Court, the student-athlete must be a junior or senior academically. The athlete must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.2 and completed at least one year at their institution. Additionally, at least one coach on the staff must be a full-time NABC member.

Bafutto, a civil engineering major from Brasilia, Brazil, made four starts and played in 31 games during the 2019-20 season. He averaged 3.6 points and 2.5 rebounds per game, pouring in a career-high 14 points against Georgia State (Dec. 8). 20 days later, he posted his first career double-double with 13 points and a career-high 12 rebounds in a defeat of Milligan (Dec. 28).

Dimitrijevic led the Bears in scoring during his senior season, contributing 16.4 points per contest. The Grdelica, Serbia native reached double figures on 25 occasions and eclipsed the 20-point mark on 10 occasions, including an impressive 34-point showing early in Southern Conference play. He finished fourth in the SoCon in scoring (16.8 ppg), assists per game (3.7) and free throw percentage (.848). He earned was named the league's Player of the Week on Jan. 21 and received postseason recognition from the conference's media (first team) and coaches (second team). The NABC named him a second team selection.

Off the court, he received praise from the Collegiate Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) for his work in the classroom. After earning All-District IV honors, he was voted a Second Team Academic All-American by the country's sports information directors. Dimitrijevic graduated with a degree in computer science.

Prendergast is pursuing his degree in entrepreneurship. The Dallas, Texas product saw time in 12 games and made three starts. His most productive outing came in a Dec. 28 win over Milligan when he contributed 13 points in 20 minutes and caught fire from behind the arc, hitting three three-pointers. For the year, he connected on 12-of-30 attempts from the floor. Nine of those 12 makes came from three-point land.

Academically, Gary's Bears received the Team Academic Excellence Award for the fifth time since the award was created following the 2012-13 campaign. In order to be eligible for recognition, a team must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better.

"I'm proud of our team for receiving recognition from the NABC," stated Gary. "This group was fully dedicated to their studies throughout the year and gave their best effort both on the court and in the classroom."

About the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC)
Located in Kansas City, Missouri, the NABC was founded in 1927 by Phog Allen, the legendary basketball coach at the University of Kansas. Allen, a student of James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, organized coaches into this collective group to serve as Guardians of the Game. The NABC currently has nearly 5,000 members consisting primarily of university and college men's basketball coaches. All members of the NABC are expected to uphold the core values of being a Guardian of the Game by bringing attention to the positive aspects of the sport of basketball and the role coaches play in the academic and athletic lives of today's student-athletes. The four core values of being a Guardian of the Game are advocacy, leadership, service and education. For additional information about the NABC, its programs and membership, go to www.nabc.com.

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Players Mentioned

Victor Bafutto

Djordje Dimitrijevic

Mitch Prendergast

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