AUSTIN, Texas – For the second time in as many years, Corban University men's basketball standout Joel Johnson has been named a First-Team Academic All-American. The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) announced the Google Cloud Academic All-America teams on Thursday, with Johnson landing among a list of six First-Team honorees for his elite performance both on the court and in the classroom.  

Johnson joins former Warrior men's soccer standout Kellen Luey as the only back-to-back CoSIDA First-Team Academic All-Americans in school history.

"Joel epitomizes what it means to be a student-athlete," said head coach Mitch Freeman. "His success on the court and in the classroom is a testament to his hard work and commitment. I have been extremely blessed to coach him, even if it was for only one year. Thank you Joel!"  

The CoSIDA Academic All-America plaudit is an honor given to student-athletes who excel not only on the court at a very high level, but also in the classroom. The CoSIDA organization has now been honoring the nation's best student-athletes with these awards since 1952.

In the final year of his undergraduate academic career, Johnson earned a 4.00 GPA as a Health Science major. In addition to his rigorous studies, Johnson capped off his Corban athletic career with a tremendous senior campaign, averaging 11.4 points per game and 6.1 rebounds per game, both of which ranked second on the team leaderboard.

One of the nation's most efficient scorers, the big man from Tigard, Ore. ranked second in the NAIA in field goal percentage, shooting at an incredible .679 mark from the floor in 2018-19. His .679 clip will fall at No. 4 in Corban's single-season records, with the marks from Johnson's freshman, sophomore, and junior campaigns holding the top-three spots in the rankings. The 6'9" post will conclude his collegiate career as one of the top centers to ever don the Navy and Gold.

CLICK HERE for a complete look at the CoSIDA Academic All-America men's basketball teams.