Three MCLA Men’s Basketball Players Earn CSC Academic All-District Honors

NORTH ADAMS, Mass.— Graduate student forward Jaxen Potter (Ballston Spa, NY), junior guard Kamau Franks (Converse, TX), and sophomore guard Frank Field (Adams, MA) have earned All-District recognition by the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-American program.

This was the second CSC Academic All-American program designation for Potter and the first for Franks and Field. They join 13 student-athletes who earned the honor this fall and two women's basketball players who earned the honor this winter, and follow 30 athletes from the 2023-24 & 2024-25 school years. Prior to 2023, no MCLA athlete had been honored by CSC since 2019, when softball outfielder Kaitlyn Berghela was named to the Academic All-American Division III third team.

Potter returned to the court this year after missing the entire 2024-25 season with an injury during pre-season training. The big man was one of, if not the first, players off the bench for the Trailblazers this season, but did start four of the 24 games he appeared in. Potter posted season-highs in points and rebounds when he scored 12 points and corralled 11 rebounds in MCLA's 86-83 win over eventual MASCAC champ Westfield State. He also played his best ball when the pressure was on, scoring eight points, pulling down five boards, and dishing out four assists in the Trailblazers 76-73 win over Salem State in the MASCAC Quarterfinals. Potter is a four-year member of the men's basketball program, graduated this past spring with a degree in business, and is currently working toward his MBA.

Franks transferred into the Trailblazer Basketball program after spending two seasons at Fitchburg State University and stepped right into a starting role, starting 21 of his 23 appearances. The shooting guard crossed the double-digit threshold 12 times, posting a season high of 14 points four times. The Texas product pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds in the Trailblazers game at VTSU-Lyndon on January 2^nd. This was his first year at MCLA, and he is majoring in health sciences.

Field is another Trailblazer who returned to the court after missing the 2024-25 season due to an injury. The sharp shooting guard started in 24 of MCLA's 25 games and was third on the team in points, averaging 11.9 per game. The local product posted three double-doubles over the course of the season, including a 22-point, 11-rebound showing in the Trailblazers 83-82 win over NEC on December 6th, and an 18-point, 10-rebound game in the 86-76 win over Bridgewater State on February 11th. He is a two-year member of the program and is an undeclared major.

Per the College Sports Communicators (previously known as COSIDA) website, the Academic All-American is a title reserved for college student-athletes who perform at an elite level in their chosen sport and in the classroom. The all-time list of 44,000+ Academic All-Americans includes major sports stars and some of the world's most accomplished individuals in medicine, business, science, and the arts. Established in 1952 and selected by College Sports Communicators, Academic All-America is the longest-running and premier award for athletic and academic success across championship college sports at all NCAA levels, the NAIA, two-year colleges, and Canadian institutions. Teams are announced year-round and amplified by CSC member colleges, universities, and conferences on a wide local, regional, national, and even international scope.

To be eligible for consideration, student-athletes must demonstrate the best traits of a student-athlete, both on and off the playing field. Among the requirements are:

• Outstanding student-athletes are nominated for Academic All-District® recognition by communications directors and must have a minimum 3.50 GPA and meet high athletic standards. (over 30,000 nominations annually)
• A select group of student-athletes advances to the national ballot, where CSC members vote on Academic All-America teams. (approximately 2,000 selections annually)
• An Academic All-American Team Member of the Year is selected in each sport and division. (66 recipients)
• An Overall Academic All-American of the Year is selected as the top student-athlete across all sports in each NCAA and NAIA division. (4 recipients)

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