2025-25 CSC Academic All-American Men’s Basketball Teams
SEWARD, Neb. – The accolades haven’t ceased pouring in for the Concordia University, Nebraska Men’s Basketball star duo of Noah Schutte and Tristan Smith. On Tuesday (April 15), College Sports Communicators recognized Schutte and Smith as 2024-25 NAIA Academic All-America Team selections. Smith landed on the first team while Schutte was named to the second team. Concordia is the lone NAIA men’s basketball program with two Academic All-America award winners this season. CSC also honored Schutte and Smith as Academic All-District award winners along with teammates Brad Bennett and Brooks Kissinger.
The 2024-25 Academic All-America® Men’s Basketball Teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the court and in the classroom. Student-athletes must achieve a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or higher in order to be nominated for this award. Nominees also had to meet specific requirements in terms of games played and games started during the 2024 season. The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA — for each gender.
A native of Elizabeth, Colo., Smith has pulled in an impressive list of accolades following his senior season on the hardwood. Smith was recently named an NAIA First Team All-American (first in first teamer in program history). He also swept GPAC Player of the Year and GPAC Defensive Player of the Year accolades. This past 2024-25 season, Smith averaged 20.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.7 blocks and 1.5 steals per game and was the conference leader in field goal percentage (.688). In 112 career collegiate games, Smith totaled 1,577 points, 755 rebounds, 247 assists, 135 blocks and 109 steals. Smith helped lead the program to national tournament appearances all four years and to a combined three GPAC championships. Additionally, Smith was included on watch lists for the Bevo Francis Award (top player in the nation outside of NCAA Division I) and Trevor Hudgins Award (finest overall career outside of NCAA Division I). Smith will earn his degree from Concordia in Exercise Science.
A four-time First Team All-GPAC honoree, Schutte concluded his Bulldog Basketball career as the program’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder. In 146 career games at Concordia, Schutte compiled 2,340 points, 948 rebounds, 268 assists and 97 steals while posting shooting percentages of 55.5 from the field, 40.8 from 3-pont range and 77.4 from the foul line. Schutte was tabbed an NAIA Third Team All-American in 2023-24 and an Honorable Mention All-American in 2022-23. The Laurel, Neb., native contributed to the same team success previously mentioned: four national tournaments and three GPAC championships. Over the five seasons Schutte played for the Bulldogs, the program won a combined 113 games. He was chosen to the 2022 NAIA National Championship All-Tournament team in leading the Bulldogs to the national quarterfinals. Schutte earned his degree from Concordia in Business Administration.