Purdue Guard Sasha Stefanovic Named 2021-22 Senior CLASS Award Candidate
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue guard Sasha Stefanovic was among 60 NCAA men's and women's basketball student-athletes to be named candidates to the 2021-22 Senior Class Award on Tuesday afternoon, as someone who excels on and off the court.
Candidate Announcement:
— Senior CLASS Award (@SnrCLASSAward) December 7, 2021
Congratulations to the 60 senior-student athletes (30 men & 30 women) who were named candidates for the 2021-22 Senior CLASS Award in men's & women's basketball!
Check out the full list of candidates below:https://t.co/CpQgNmlelL pic.twitter.com/HPR0orCuyS
To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in community, classroom, character and competition.
Former Iowa star Luka Garza was the recipient of the 2020-21 Senior CLASS Award.
Stefanovic has represented Purdue by graduating with a degree in finance last spring, and he is enrolled in graduate school in the Human Resource Management program. During his time with the Boilermakers, Stefanovic has been named an Big Ten All- Academic Team honoree.
The 6-foot-5 guard from Crown Point, Indiana, is averaging 12.3 points, 4.5 assists and 2.3 rebounds per game this season while shooting 46% from 3-point range. He recorded career-highs with 23 points and eight assists in a 93-84 victory over then-No. 18 North Carolina on Nov. 20.
Stefanovic has run youth camps in his hometown with proceeds going to charity, has been a fixture in elementary school visits and has been a part of a team-wide Holiday Shopping Spree for underprivileged families in the area.
CLASS is an acronym that stands 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 men’s and women’s candidates will be narrowed to two fields of ten finalists later in the 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 then select one male candidate and one female candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four C’s of community, classroom, character and competition.
The Senior CLASS Award winners will be announced during the 2022 NCAA Men’s Final Four and NCAA Women’s Final Four this spring.
Women's Basketball 2021-22 Senior CLASS Award Candidates
Big Ten student-athletes are bolded.
- Shakira Austin, Ole Miss
- Katie Benzan, Maryland
- Grace Berger, Indiana
- Conley Chinn, Belmont
- Elissa Cunane, NC State
- Andra Espinoza-Hunter, Seton Hall
- Dru Gylten, Utah
- Gabi Haack, Bradley
- Sara Hamson, BYU
- Lauren Heard, TCU
- Lexi Held, DePaul
- Destanni Henderson, South Carolina
- Naz Hillmon, Michigan
- Rhyne Howard, Kentucky
- Lexie Hull, Stanford
- Tylee Irwin, South Dakota State
- Morgan Jones, Florida State
- Dorka Juhasz, UConn
- Lotta-Maj Lahtinen, Georgia Tech
- Jordan Lewis, Baylor
- Sonya Morris, DePaul
- Olivia Nelson-Ododa, UConn
- Ali Patberg, Indiana
- Aisha Sheppard, Virginia Tech
- NaLyssa Smith, Baylor
- Sam Thomas, Arizona
- Lauren Van Kleunen, Marquette
- Abby Wahl, Eastern Illinois
- Mavee Williams, IUPUI
- Christyn Williams, UConn
Men's Basketball 2021-22 Senior CLASS Award Candidates
Big Ten student-athletes are bolded.
- Alex Barcello, BYU
- Evan Battey, Colorado
- Jules Bernard, UCLA
- Buddy Boeheim, Syracuse
- Eli Brooks, Michigan
- Garrison Brooks, Mississippi
- Brad Davison, Wisconsin
- Anthony Duruji, Florida
- Trent Frazier, Illinois
- John Fulkerson, Tennessee
- Jacob Gilyard, Richmond
- Tanner Groves, Oklahoma
- Tate Hall, Loyola Chicago
- Ron Harper Jr., Rutgers
- John Harrar, Penn State
- Ryan Hawkins, Creighton
- ShanQuan Hemphill, Drake
- Myles Johnson, UCLA
- Jarkel Joiner, Ole Miss
- Gavin Kensmil, Stephen F. Austin
- Isaac Likekele, Oklahoma State
- Kameron McGusty, Miami
- Alex Morales, Wagner
- Justyn Mutts, Virginia Tech
- Austin Phyfe, Northern Iowa
- D'Shawn Schwartz, George Mason
- Eli Scott, Loyola Marymount
- Sasha Stefanovic, Purdue
- Hunter Tyson, Clemson
- Lucas Williamson, Loyola Chicago
Stories Related to Purdue Basketball
- SASHA LIVE! PODCAST: Monday, Dec. 6 was the first day ever that Purdue's men's basketball team was ranked No. 1 in the country. Purdue guard Sasha Stefanovic said coach Matt Painter congratulated them at the start of practice and said ''he even he thinks it's a cool honor. But then we went right to watching film and seeing what we need to work on.'' CLICK HERE
- HANDLING EXPECTATIONS: Purdue has all the pieces to make a national title run this season, and since the bitter end to last season, those goals and lofty expectations have been in place. After getting off to a great 8-0 start, the Boilermakers are now ranked No. 1 in the country, a first in school history. But it's just a start, and they know it. CLICK HERE
- BOILERS RANKED NO. 1: For the first time ever, the Purdue Boilermakers are ranked No. 1 in the country in this week's Associated Press top-25 poll. CLICK HERE
- BOILERS TOP IOWA: Even though Purdue let most of a big second-half lead slip away, the Boilermakers hung on to beat Iowa 77-70 on Friday night in their Big Ten regular season opener. CLICK HERE
- SURVIVING IOWA PRESS: Purdue struggled with Iowa's full-court pressure down the stretch, turning the ball over too much and allowing the Hawkeyes to get back in the game. An issue to be concerned with? CLICK HERE
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D.J. Fezler is a staff writer for BoilermakersCountry.com. Hailing from The Region, he is from Cedar Lake in Northwest Indiana and has spent the last two years covering Purdue football and basketball.