INDIANAPOLIS – The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) and Allstate Insurance Company today announced Cullen Neal as a nominee for the 2016 Allstate NABC and WBCA Good Works Teams®.
This distinguished award shines a spotlight on a select group of student-athletes who have shown dedication to community service and altruism in their communities.
The nomination is due to Neal’s standout performance as a student-athlete and representative of Lobo Basketball. In just over two years at New Mexico, Neal has logged hours of volunteer work with summer camps, reading sessions in elementary school classrooms and participating in the Heart Gallery’s “Lobo Thon” to support children in adoption and foster care. He has also been involved with basketball clinics for Native American youth from throughout the state of New Mexico, speaking to youth basketball teams, work with Special Olympics and visits to the UNM Children’s Hospital. He has worked in several events that have benefited the UNM Cancer Center, the Ronald McDonald House and the Wounded Warrior Project. The latter being a special initiative as his younger brother continues his career and education in the University of New Mexico’s Army ROTC program.
Neal is the perfect example of a student-athlete putting academics on the forefront. Neal finished last year with the highest grade point average on the team (3.77 cumulative) and has already earned Academic All-Conference and Scholar-Athlete honors from the Mountain West Conference. He earned both as a freshman, and just the Scholar-Athlete award as a sophomore due to his injury-shortened season which prevented him from reaching the minimum games played requirement for Academic All-MW distinction. He is on pace to become the Mountain West’s first-ever five-time MW Scholar-Athlete in the sport of men’s basketball.
In its fourth year, the Allstate NABC and WBCA Good Works Teams® recognize players at all levels of college basketball who have made outstanding contributions in the areas of volunteerism and civic involvement. From establishing nonprofits that provide youth with the necessary tools to become leaders of tomorrow, to raising awareness around pertinent issues that could save lives, these student-athletes exhibit impeccable leadership skills both on and off the court.
The final 2016 Allstate Good Works Teams will be announced on Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016.