DALLAS – Conference USA continues its commitment to excellence on the court and in the classroom as five student-athletes were selected to the 2022 C-USA Men’s Basketball All-Academic Team. Rice’s Max Fielder and UTSA’s Erik Czumbel lead the field as they both earned their second-straight honors.
 
2022 C-USA Men’s Basketball All-Academic Team
Austin Butler, Charlotte, Gr., 4.00, Workplace Competencies (CERT)
Isaiah Banks, FIU, Gr., 4.00, Master’s in Global Strategic Communications
*Max Fielder, Rice, Jr., 3.93, Mathematical Economic Analysis
Michael Ertel, UAB, Gr., 3.87, Master’s of Communication Management
*Erik Czumbel, UTSA, Jr., 3.96, Economics/Finance double major
(*Repeat Honoree – 2021)
 
Rice junior Max Fielder earned his second-straight C-USA All-Academic Team recognition as he boasts a 3.93 as a Mathematical Economic Analysis major. Fielder is one of three Owls that have started in every game this year and was named the 2022 Rice Scholar Athlete of the Year for Men’s Basketball. He’s averaging 10.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 30 games. Additionally he leads the team in FG percentage (58.6) and is third in C-USA in rebounding.
 
UTSA junior Erik Czumbel also found his name on the All-Academic Team for the second-straight year as he sits with a 3.96 GPA with a double major of Economics and Finance. The Verona, Italy native has seen action in all 31 games, while making 15 starts. He averages 4.6 ppg and 2.3 rpg while dishing out a team-high 83 assists to just 36 turnovers. During the school year, Czumbel gives his time to the San Antonio Food Bank Distribution, CANtoberfest food college, College Ready Program for Foster Youth and the Carroll Bell Elementary activity day for students. 
 
With an unblemished 4.00 GPA in Workplace Competencies (CERT), Charlotte’s Austin Butler puts in the work on and off the court for the 49ers. He is second on the team in scoring (12.5 ppg) and rebounding (5.8) while starting in all 30 games for Charlotte. He has reached double-figure scoring 22 times this season and surpassed 20 points twice while adding a pair of double doubles.
 
Isaiah Banks, a graduate student at FIU, holds a 4.00 GPA in his major of Master’s in Global Strategic Communications. Banks has started in 29 of 29 games played, averaging 5.8 points and 3.6 rebounds over 23.2 minutes in his last season with the Panthers. He earned his undergraduate degree in Recreation and Sports Management with a concentration in Recreational and Adaptive Therapy and is set to graduate with his Master’s degree this term.
 
Rounding out this year’s all-academic squad is UAB’s Michael Ertel, who has been key for the Blazers both on and off the court this season. The graduate student has a 3.87 as he pursues his Master’s of Communication Management. Ertel has seen action in 30 games and is averaging 9.5 points in 23.5 minutes per outing. He’s also dished out 46 assists on the year.  In his first year at UAB (2021), Ertel was named to the C-USA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll.