KANSAS CITY, Mo. (July 15, 2026) – The NABC has announced the recipients of the 2025-26 NABC Honors Court, representing achievement in the classroom by men's college basketball teams and individual players. Four members of The University of Texas Permian Basin men's basketball team secured spots on the NABC Honors Court. Earning the recognition was Bryceson Burns, Kyle McElroy, Sharrod Taylor and Tash Lunday. Burns and Taylor both finished their second and final season in a Falcon uniform, while McElroy and Lunday played their lone seasons as Falcons.

The NABC Honors Court includes junior, senior and graduate student men's basketball players who finished the 2025-26 year with a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher. The NABC's academic awards are presented annually to teams and athletes from all levels of college basketball. Over 2,300 players earned spots on the NABC Honors Court for 2025-26.

A finance major, Bryceson Burns led the team with 27 blocks; ranked second on the team in assists per game (2.7 apg), total steals (34) and made 3-pointers (41); was third in made field goals (117), 3-point field goal percentage (35.7) and free throw percentage (73.4); and was fourth in points per game (12.8 ppg), field goal percentage (44.8) and made free throws (58). He scored in double figures in 20 games. He ranked 21st in the LSC in total points, was seventh in total blocks, was 11th in minutes per game, was 18th in made 3-pointers, and was 23rd in both total assists and total steals, showcasing his well-rounded game. He shot 6-for-10 from three while scoring a career-high 25 points in a 115-108 double-overtime win at Cameron (Jan. 10). He was named to the Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 Lone Star Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll, and in addition to making the honor roll in each of his four semesters as a Falcon, and was named to the NABC Honors Court in each of his two years in a UTPB uniform.

A computer science major, Kyle McElroy was a team captain and defensive specialist who despite scoring just 3.3 points per game, was first on the team in field goal percentage (53.6 percent) and was second in total rebounds (148), defensive rebounds (102) and blocks (10). He ranked top-20 in the LSC in offensive rebounds (46), and was top-30 in both defensive rebounds and total rebounds. He was named to the 2025-26 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District® Team and was also named to the Fall 2025 Lone Star Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll.

A communication major, Sharrod Taylor was named Honorable Mention All-LSC, ranked second on the team in scoring (16.3 ppg), and led the team with 4.0 assists per game, 71 made 3-pointers and 35 steals. He was also second on the team in made field goals (123), made free throws (74) and 3-point field goal percentage (38.0). He reached double-digit scoring in 18 games, including each of the final 15 games of the season, and had seven 20-point games and two 30-point games. He drained at least three 3-pointers in 15 games, including each of the final 10 games of the year, and made five or more 3-pointers six times. He was named UTPB's Men's Student-Athlete of the Month for January and was named the Lone Star Conference's Offensive Player of the Week after scoring 35 points, the third most points in a single game in the LSC this season, in a 100-95 overtime road win over Texas A&M International on Thursday, January 22. In addition, his 12 assists vs. UT Dallas (Jan. 17) were the second-most in the LSC this season. In all for the LSC, Taylor ranked eighth in points per game and was fifth in assists per game and 14th in steals per game. He was also first in the conference in made threes per game (3.0) and was second in 3-point field goal percentage and fifth in made 3-pointers. He led the LSC with 26 field goal attempts and 18 3-point field goals attempts in one game vs. Midwestern State (Feb. 19) during UTPB's final week at home. He attempted at least 19 field goals in a game four times, attempted at least 13 3-pointers in a game four times, scored at least 28 points in four games, and dished out at least eight assists in four games as well. In addition, his 14 free throw attempts (12-14) against TAMIU where the most free throw attempts by any Falcon this season. He was named to the Fall 2025 Lone Star Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll.

A kinesiology Master's student, Tash Lunday was a team captain who was named to the 2025-26 LSC Preseason Players to Watch list before earning Third-Team All-LSC honors. He led the Falcons in points (17.0 ppg), total rebounds (8.3 rpg), defensive rebounds (5.0 drpg), offensive rebounds (3.3 orpg), made field goals (149), made free throws (157), free throw percentage (84.4) and 3-point field goal percentage (42.3). He recorded eight double-doubles on the season, including season-highs of 29 points and 17 rebounds (T4th most in the LSC during regular season) in a 103-93 double-overtime, neutral-site win vs. MSU Denver (Nov. 29). In all, he scored over 20 points nine times and recorded five 20-point double-doubles. He made at least 10 free throws in a game six times and had four games in which he pulled down at least 13 rebounds. He was fifth in the LSC in total points and third in total rebounds. He was also second in the conference in made free throws and was fifth in free throw percentage, ninth in field goal percentage, and 10th in made field goals. He would also be named UTPB's Men's Student-Athlete of the Month for December. Academically, he was named to the 2025-26 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District® Team and was also named to both the Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 Lone Star Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll with a 4.0 GPA for both semesters.