AMHERST, N.Y. -- Four players from Daemen University men's basketball have been named to the 2025-26 National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Honors Court, recognizing their academic achievements during the past academic year. It marks the 13th consecutive year that Daemen has had at least one player named to the NABC Honors Court. 

To be considered for the NABC Honors Court, student-athletes must have reached junior or senior academic standing and hold a cumulative GPA of at least 3.2. Honorees must have also matriculated at least one year at their current institution, be a member of an NCAA Division I, II or III, or NAIA Division I or II program whose head coaches is an NABC member. Over 2,300 players earned spots on the NABC Honors Court in 2025-26.

"College basketball student-athletes do incredible things on the court, but their achievements in the classroom are equally worthy of celebration," said NABC Executive Director Craig Robinson. "Education is one of the NABC's core values, and the hundreds of programs and thousands of athletes represented on these awards reinforce the commitment to academic success that exists across all levels of our sport."

Jackson Kulik, redshirt junior, guard, Webster, N.Y. -- Appearing in 27 games and scoring in nine over his redshirt junior campaign, Kulik totaled 30 points on the season, scoring a season-high 8 points in 12 minutes against Alaska Anchorage on Nov. 2 after going 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. Kulik added six points against Molloy on Dec. 7 after banking 2-of-2 triples. He pulled down a season-high five rebounds as well as two assists against UDC on Jan. 9. A sports management major, Kulik has maintained a 3.34 GPA. 

Josh Haskell, redshirt junior, forward, West Seneca, N.Y. -- Haskell played in four games this season before an injury sidelined him for the rest of the year, tallying three points in one minute of play courtesy of a triple against Mercy on Dec. 12. Majoring in sports management, Haskell has maintained a 3.49 cumulative GPA. 

Phil Nwugwo, redshirt junior, forward, Rochester, N.Y. -- Stepping into a pivotal role in his redshirt junior season, Nwugwo averaged 8.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game while averaging 21 minutes of game time each night. Appearing in all 35 games for the Wildcats this season, Nwugwo started 11 games while Benjamin Bill (Hamburg, N.Y.) was sidelined with an injury, and from there, the redshirt junior blossomed into a gritty player. Having just two double-digit games before he became a key part of the Wildcat offense on Dec. 12, Nwugwo averaged 13.8 points per game over the 11 games that he started. He posted a season-high 18 points against D'Youville on Jan. 24 after going 8-of-11 from the field. A menace for defenses in the paint, Nwugwo shot 61.9 percent from the field this season, banking 120 of 194 shots. Nwugwo earned Academic All-District for the first time in his career. A Health Sciences major, Nwugwo has maintained a 3.58 cumulative GPA. 

Zach Philipkoski, junior, guard, New Hartford, N.Y. -- In his third season with the Wildcats, Philipkoski earned All-American honors from both the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and Division II Commissioners Conference Association (D2CCA) as well as becoming the second player in program history to be named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) NCAA Division II Academic All-America Team. Philipkoski also was named the 2026 East Coast Conference Player of the Year, NABC First Team All-District, D2CCA First Team All-East Region, East Region Tournament Most Outstanding Player, ECC All-Tournament Team, and was named the ECC Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Philipkoski led the Wildcats with 17.8 points per game while shooting 51.2 percent from the field and 41.9 percent beyond the arc. He ranked fourth in the ECC in points (17.8), seventh in rebounds (7.1) and assists (3.8), and eighth in steals (1.5). He led the team with 623 total points, marking the first 600+ point season for a Daemen player since Sischo's 665 in 2021-22. He finished the 2025-26 campaign with 213 field goals, moving himself into 10th all-time in the Daemen record books for single-season field goals. His 91 triples ranks third all-time. Philipkoski also set the single-season program record for free throw percentage (.876). He became just the fourth player in program history to total at least 500 points and 250 rebounds in a season, as well as becoming the eighth player in program history with at least 1,000 points, 400 rebounds and 200 assists. Majoring in Business Administration, Philipkoski has maintained a 3.86 cumulative GPA.