Siena’s Bisping Earns CoSIDA Academic All-District Distinction

LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. – Siena Basketball red-shirt senior forward Brett Bisping has been named a College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District I First Team selection. By virtue of his recognition, the Peoria, Illinois standout advances to the CoSIDA Academic All-America Team ballot, where First, Second and Third Team All-America honorees will be selected later this month.

The 2016-17 CoSIDA Academic All-District Men’s Basketball team recognizes the nation’s top student athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom. To be eligible, a student athlete must hold at least a 3.30 cumulative grade point average, have reached sophomore standing academically, be a starter of important reserve, and have played in at least 50% of their team’s games.

One of just seven District I First Team honorees, Bisping has been the consummate student athlete throughout his four-plus years donning the Green and Gold. Recently named one of just 30 Division I candidates nationally for the prestigious Senior CLASS Award, he leads the MAAC and ranks 27th nationally averaging 7.0 defensive rebounds per game. A Preseason First Team All-MAAC and College Sports Madness Preseason All-Mid Major Second Team selection, he also stands second in the MAAC in rebounding (9.4), and seventh in steals (1.3), while tallying eight double-doubles and recording four 20-point performances.

Academically, Bisping recorded a perfect 4.0 GPA during his first graduate semester last fall. He achieved a 3.42 cumulative GPA as an undergraduate, while double majoring in both finance and economics.

For his illustrious career, Bisping ranks fifth in program history in rebounding (929) and 13th in scoring (1,425). He was Siena College’s 2015-16 Male Student Athlete of the Year, a unanimous First Team All-MAAC selection, and a MAAC All-Tournament Team and NABC District I First Team honoree. Bisping was also previously named the 2014 College Basketball Invitational Most Valuable Player after leading Siena to the program’s first Division I National Postseason Tournament Championship.

Bisping was named to the NABC Honors Court in 2014-15, and last year was selected as one of just 10 student athletes nationally for the Division I-AAA-ADA Scholar Athlete Team. He has been named to both the MAAC All-Academic Team and Academic Honor Roll in each year of eligibility, and also earned Siena College Deans’ List acclaim three times as an undergraduate. A two-time team captain, Bisping was also previously selected as a nominee for the 2015 NABC Allstate Good Works Team.

Bisping and the Saints return to action Saturday for a 7 p.m. tip in Poughkeepsie against MAAC rival Marist.