Click here to read the entire Senior CLASS Award release
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Setting the bar high both on the court as a fifth-year co-captain and off the court academically, graduating Cum Laude last March with a 3.62 grade point average in Finance, Santa Clara forward Marc Trasolini has been named as one of 30 candidates nationally for the Senior CLASS Award, one of the most prestigious awards in college basketball.
"Looking at the list of 30 candidates, I feel blessed to be included in such a prestigious group of young men," said Trasolini. "My parents always taught me to be as well-rounded as possible. This award really captures that idea. While sitting out last year with an injury was extremely tough for me, there have been many opportunities that have come out of it, whether it's graduate school or getting an additional year of personal and physical maturity at Santa Clara. I feel like I am in a great position and I am ready to have a terrific final year with my four fellow seniors."
Trasolini also praised Bronco head coach Kerry Keating and his staff for standing by him in the last 14 months. "I am very grateful to have had the support of Coach Keating throughout the past year," added Trasolini. "When I was injured last year and throughout my rehab, he really instilled the confidence in me to believe and come back even stronger this season. I am ready to have the best year this school has seen in a long time."
Trasolini is in his third quarter of work on his MBA in Santa Clara's Leavey School of Business.
Trasolini is returning for his fifth season on the court after sitting out last season after tearing his ACL in Sept., 2011 on the team's foreign tour to Canada. Trasolini averaged 12.8 ppg, 0.9 bpg and 6.1 rpg in 26.4 mpg during his junior year (2010-11), helping lead the team to the post-season CIT title. Trasolini enters this season at No. 24 on the all-time points scored list with 1,100 points and is No. 4 with 122 career blocks.
Bronco head coach Kerry Keating had this to say on Trasolini's nomination form for the Senior CLASS Award. "Marc exemplifies character in a student-athlete. Having suffered a season-ending injury in front of his family and in his hometown of Vancouver on Santa Clara's foreign tour entering his senior season (Sept., 2011), knowing he would be finished with his course work a full quarter early, it would have been easy to take the path of least resistance. Earning a 3.62 GPA in Finance offered him plenty of opportunities to begin a fruitful career in the business sector in the city or country of his choosing. Instead, he immediately turned his attention to surgery, rehab, and a pursuit of an MBA in the available time he had to take the fifth year and play this season. As a repeat All-West Coast Conference performer, he has established himself as one of the best players in the WCC, and this conflict in suffering the injury showed he is also one of the best persons as well. He had surgery the following week and promptly turned himself into a coach for what would have been a successful senior season. On a team with no seniors and going through growing pains and struggles, Marc stayed the course, grew even more positive with his developing leadership role, and has returned this season even better than before. Character counts, and Marc exudes that. His teammates trust him, his classmates follow him, and his coaches love him. On our annual trip to the Great America park to spend the day with Courageous Kids (kids with cancer) Marc has been front and center each year. At 6-9 240, he is easily visible, but the kids feel his heart when he spends time with them because he is a good person, not because he is a basketball player and tall. Marc has been a fixture at our annual summer camp and relishes his role as teacher and role model, and has developed a comfort in being easily noticeable but has more so developed strength in being a role model and good citizen. I strongly recommend Marc for the Senior Class Award!"
To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition. The complete list of candidates follows this release.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School ®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
The 2012-13 candidate classes include seven men's players who were recognized by the College Sports Information Directors of America as 2012 Capital One Academic All-Americans. Five men were Associated Press All-Americans. Twenty men's candidates have cumulative grade point averages above 3.0. The men's Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2013 NCAA Final Four® in Atlanta April 6 and 8. 2013.
The candidate classes will be narrowed to 10 men's finalists midway through the regular season, and those names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one men's finalist who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition.