PRINCESS ANNE, Md. – Ishaq Pitt, senior guard on the University of Maryland Eastern Shore men’s basketball team, was nominated this week for the 2015 Allstate NABC Good Works Team, a prestigious national award dedicated to honoring those student-athletes with a superior commitment to community service. Pitt was one of 158 Division I men’s basketball players nominated, along with 93 women’s basketball players, across the country.
The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) alongside Allstate Insurance Company announced the nominees on Wednesday, December 3. The voting panels will select two 10-member teams comprised of five student-athletes from the NCAA Division I and five student-athletes from NCAA Divisions II, III and NAIA. The final roster of 20 award recipients will be unveiled in February.
Pitt, a senior for the Hawks basketball team, has continually displayed leadership both on and off the court. In addition to excelling in the classroom as an accounting major, Pitt serves on the Student Government Association’s executive board as well as the Student Athletics Advisory Committee (SAAC). Pitt maintains a visible presence throughout Princess Anne, volunteering his time for local initiatives such as the Angel Tree program, UMES Cares Day at the Garland Hayward Youth Center and UMES Street Sweep. Pitt has also taken part in the Relay for Life campaign to benefit the American Cancer Society in nearby Wicomico County.
Pitt’s commitment to service has led to several prestigious awards, such as being recognized as the Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar of the Year. Pitt was also an Allstate NABC Good Works Team nominee last season, in addition to being named the University of Maryland Eastern Shore Male Scholar Athlete of the Year each of the past two seasons. Pitt has twice been named to the MEAC Commissioner’s All-Academic Team. The guard has qualified for the dean’s list in every single semester of his academic career at UMES.
“The accomplishments of student-athletes extend far beyond successes achieved on the court, and Allstate is proud to recognize this exceptional group of young men and women for the positive impact they are making in their communities,” said Pam Hollander, vice president of marketing for Allstate Insurance Company and a member of the 2015 NABC and WBCA Good Works Teams® selection panels. “Their stories of powerful and selfless acts, shared by SIDs and coaches across the nation, represent the best of collegiate student-athletes and serve as an inspiration to us all.”
For the third year, the Allstate NABC and WBCA Good Works Teams® help spotlight the off-the-court good works and service to others that often goes unnoticed and unrewarded. From creating organizations benefitting at-risk youth to volunteering overseas to help impoverished communities, there are countless remarkable stories of service among this year’s group of nominees. As full-time students and athletes, these players choose to dedicate their limited free time to improving the lives of those around them.
“The Allstate WBCA Good Works Team® is a prominent award that honors those student-athletes who serve the community,” said Danielle Donehew, executive director of the WBCA. “We celebrate the commitment these 93 nominees have made to their respective communities and we are grateful to Allstate for recognizing these individuals for their exceptional efforts.”
Members of the Allstate NABC Good Works Team® will be invited by Allstate, an official corporate partner of the NCAA, to the 2015 NABC Convention and 2015 NCAA Men’s Final Four® in Indianapolis, where they will participate in a community project benefitting the host city. Members of the Allstate WBCA Good Works Team® will be recognized during the 2015 WBCA Convention and at the 2015 NCAA Women’s Final Four® in Tampa Bay, and will also participate in a local community project. Allstate is an official corporate partner of the NABC, WBCA and NCAA.
"In this third year of the Allstate NABC Good Works Team® program, we had an overwhelming response with 158 nominations for 2015," said NABC Executive Director Jim Haney. "There are so many young men and women in college basketball today who make extraordinary and selfless contributions locally, nationally and globally. This is a tremendous opportunity to not only recognize the best of the best but honor all of these student-athletes for their achievements away from the court."
Former Duke University student-athlete, two-time NCAA champion and seven-time NBA All-Star Grant Hill will headline the Allstate NABC Good Works Team® voting panel, while WNBA basketball star Tamika Catchings, who played at the University of Tennessee, will serve on the Allstate WBCA Good Works Team® panel. In addition to Hollander, Hill and Catchings, the 2015 Allstate NABC and WBCA Good Works Teams® selection panel members include: former college basketball student-athletes Greg Anthony (UNLV), Mateen Cleaves (Michigan State) and Alana Beard (Duke); former head coaches Bobby Cremins (College of Charleston), Seth Greenberg (Virginia Tech), Marsha Sharp (Texas Tech) and Nell Fortner (Auburn); current college basketball coach Coquese Washington (Penn State); and media members Seth Davis (Sports Illustrated/CBS), Dana O’Neil (ESPN), Carolyn Peck (ESPN) and LaChina Robinson (ESPN/FOX).
Since 2008, Allstate has worked with the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) as sponsor of the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®, which shines a spotlight on the positive, off-the-field impact college football student-athletes have on their communities. Through an arrangement with the AFCA, NABC and WBCA, Allstate has been able to expand the Good Works Team® to also recognize college basketball student-athletes at all levels who donate their time and effort to make a difference off the court.
More information about the Allstate NABC Good Works Team® and the Allstate WBCA Good Works Team® is available at www.nabc.org and www.wbca.org.