CORVALLIS, Ore. – Two Cascade Collegiate Conference student-athletes were named to the 2020-21 Academic All-America® NAIA Men’s Basketball Team, recognized by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and announced Tuesday.
The NAIA Academic All-America® program is being financially supported by the NAIA national governance structure to assist CoSIDA with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2020-21 NAIA Academic All-America® teams’ program.
Lewis-Clark State College’s Hodges Bailey and Eastern Oregon University’s Max McCullough grabbed first-team honors, with McCullough picking up the recognition for the second time.
Bailey, a native of Centrailia, Wash., graduated with a 3.96 GPA and a degree in business administration. He was the most dangerous Warrior from behind the three-point line this season, with a team-leading .487 three-point field goal percentage. The mark ranked 21st in the NAIA and is the seventh-best in program history. Bailey was voted First-Team All-Cascade Conference, the Cascade Conference Defender of the Year and was named to the NAIA All-National Tournament Team.
At the national tournament, Bailey helped LC State to its first-ever appearance in a national title game. He led all players in three-pointers made with 13. He shot .542 from behind the arc in the four games.
McCullough, a native of Post Falls, Idaho, graduated with his bachelor’s degree in business administration with an emphasis in marketing and management. He finished his undergraduate career with a cumulative GPA of 3.81 and while working toward his MBA, he boasts a 3.94 GPA.
On the court, McCullough has been one of the top players, not only for the Mountaineers, but in the Cascade Collegiate Conference and NAIA. He currently is the program leader in career points scored with 2,061 and is the only player in EOU history to eclipse 2,000 career points. During the 2020-21 spring campaign, McCullough was named the CCC Player of the Spring Season and garnered first team All-Spring CCC honors. He was third in the league in scoring at 21.1 points per game and averaged 5.2 rebounds per game this year. He led the conference in total assists with 104 and tallied 32 steals.
To be nominated, a student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.30 cumulative GPA. The award considers an athlete's performance in their sport, as well as in the classroom.
For more information on the Academic All-America® program, go to
https://academicallamerica.com/.