Valaitis Earns Academic Award
(Houghton,
N.Y.)—The Basketball Coaches Association of New York (BCANY) has
named Rimgaudas
Valaitis, a 6-5 senior forward for the Houghton College men’s
basketball team, as a Scholar Athlete. The association
awards the honor to players who have earned a grade point
average (GPA) of 3.2 or higher at the end of the first semester
of their senior year.
“Rimgus has been a great leader for our team in many
ways, not the least of which is by his example of commitment to
excellence in the classroom,” said Brad Zarges, head coach of
the Highlanders. Valaitis—a business administration major from
Silute, Lithuania—has a GPA of 3.436.
“Rim will be heading back to his native nation of
Lithuania to enter the world of international banking,” said
Zarges, “I am sure he will be an instant success, using the same
character traits and work ethic that have helped him achieve in
the classroom.”
Valaitis spent the first two years of his college career
at Jamestown Community College (Olean campus). After
transferring to Houghton for his junior year, he led the
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics’ Division II
in three-point shooting percentage, hitting 56 percent of his
shots from beyond the arc. He averaged 5.8 points and 2.4
rebounds per game that year.
In 2007-08, his senior year, Valaitis came back from an
illness he suffered over the summer to average 5.6 points and
2.8 rebounds per game. He was second on the team in three-point
shooting as Houghton went 7-19 for the season.
