Gfeller earns nomination for national service award

Winning the Allan Nielsen Award for the player who best represents Grizzly Basketball three times in three years says a lot about the kind of a person Brandon Gfeller is.

It says he's the kind of person that maintains a 3.57 GPA as an accounting major who is headed for grad school to earn his masters of accountancy.

It says he's the kind of person that surprises sick kids in the hospital and takes the time to read The Great Monte Mystery to local elementary students.

It says he's the kind of person who has volunteered over 24 hours of his time during the past year to community and charitable organizations in addition to the demands of being a D-I student-athlete.

It also says he's the kind of person the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) would nominate for a place on the 2017 Allstate NABC Good Works Team, recognizing student-athletes at all levels of college basketball whose charitable involvement and altruistic acts stand out amongst all other student-athletes participating in the sport.

"Kids like Brandon go unnoticed probably too frequently," says Montana head coach Travis DeCuire. "On the court and off the court, he represents us in the classroom, in the community, and he's the hardest worker on the floor. When a young man like that has a chance to be recognized nationally, it's a big deal."

Gfeller is one of only four student-athletes in the Big Sky Conference and one of 111 NCAA D-I student-athletes to earn a nomination to the Good Works Team.

Criteria for the nomination include: being on track to graduate, having outstanding character and demonstrating performance in the classroom, and being actively involved in, and committed to, working with charitable organizations or service groups on or off-campus and displaying extraordinary devotion to a personal cause in their lives.

Gfeller is also a three-time member of the Big Sky All-Academic Team and one of UM's most prolific three-point shooters in school history.

In the 2015-16 season, he named the Big Sky Player of the Week after sinking eight three-pointers in a game and is shooting 44 percent from behind the arch this season.

"I think the best way to describe him is selfless," adds DeCuire. "He's one of the few kids that spends their summers doing internships and giving up their time at schools and still find time to work on their game. He's a special person, and we're fortunate to have him in our program."

Athletic departments and sports information directors across the country nominated this group of student-athletes for the prestigious honor.

A voting panel headlined by former Duke University star, two-time NCAA champion, and seven-time NBA All-Star Grant Hill will select 10 finalists from the list of 111 D-I nominees and five student-athletes from Divisions II, III, and the NAIA.

The final roster of 20 award recipients will be unveiled in February.

University of Montana Athletics

Gfeller earns nomination for national service award

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