Georges Niang is frequently listed among the nation’s best college basketball players for good reason.
What’s sometimes overlooked is how much the versatile and high-scoring senior from Methuen, Mass., has become a fixture in the ISU and Ames community.
Tuesday, Niang’s contributions off the court shared the spotlight, too, as he was named one of 30 candidates for the 2015-16 Senior Class Award.
Read ISU Athletics Communications’ full release on Niang’s latest honor on cyclones.com and below:
AMES – Iowa State senior Georges Niang has been named one of 30 candidates for the prestigious 2015-16 Senior CLASS Award in collegiate basketball. 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.
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.
Niang’s impact in the Ames community and on Iowa State University cannot be understated. A valued member of the Iowa State men’s basketball team, the Methuen, Massachusetts, native, is an All-American player as well as an academic All-Big 12 student in the classroom.
But his greatest impact may just be in the community. He’s participated in speaking engagements in the area, participated in ISU blood drives and visited local hospitals as well as a number of other community service opportunities.
The candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists in February, and those 10 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 male candidate who best exemplify excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition.
The Senior CLASS Award winners will be announced during the 2016 NCAA Men’s Final Four.
Men’s Basketball Candidates
Ryan Arcidiacono, Villanova
Craig Bradshaw, Belmont
Malcolm Brogdon, Virginia
John Brown, High Point
Kyle Collinsworth, BYU
Rapheal Davis, Purdue
Perry Ellis, Kansas
Obi Emegano, Oral Roberts
Phil Forte, Oklahoma State
Chris Fowler, Central Michigan
Mike Gessell, Iowa
Shaq Goodwin, Memphis
Buddy Hield, Oklahoma
Peter Hooley, Albany
Amile Jefferson, Duke
Cedric Kuakumensah, Brown
Egidijus Mockevicius, Evansville
Nic Moore, SMU
Georges Niang, Iowa State
Ethan O’Day, Vermont
Marcus Paige, North Carolina
Alex Poythress, Kentucky
James Robinson, Pittsburgh
Justin Sears, Yale
Shavon Shields, Nebraska
Denzel Valentine, Michigan State
Fred VanVleet, Wichita State
Thomas Walkup, Stephen F. Austin
Jameel Warney, Stony Brook
Kyle Wiltjer, Gonzaga
