CHICAGO – UIC men's basketball senior forward Filip Škobalj has been selected to receive the Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association (DI-AAA ADA) Postgraduate Scholarship, in addition to making the organization's Scholar-Athlete Team for the second year in a row, it was announced Wednesday. Škobalj is the first UIC basketball student-athlete to receive the $5,000 I-AAA ADA Postgraduate Scholarship in its 24-year history, and the first Flames' player to be chosen as a I-AAA ADA Scholar-Athlete, let alone earn that honor in back-to-back seasons.
 
A three-time Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete First Team and two-time College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District selection, Škobalj (last name pronounced SHKO-ball) will graduate from UIC this weekend with a 4.0 grade-point average and a bachelor's degree in management and international business. On the court, he averaged 8.5 points and 2.9 rebounds per game while starting all 31 games this season, ranking fourth in the MVC with a .405 three-point percentage. He also scored in double figures 10 times this year, including a season-best 20 points in a Feb. 1 matchup against Indiana State. For his career, Škobalj finished eighth in UIC history with 227 made three-pointers, seventh in three-point attempts (582) and just outside the top 10 in the program's record book with a .391 three-point percentage.
 
Basketball players from all Division I-AAA ADA member institutions are eligible for these prestigious annual awards. Each of the nominees is required to maintain a minimum grade-point average of 3.20 (4.00 scale) in undergraduate study and have been a starter or important reserve with legitimate athletics credentials. Nominees must have participated in at least 50 percent of the team's games listed on the nomination form. To be eligible for nomination to the Scholar-Athlete Team, individuals must have reached junior academic standing at their respective institution (ineligible athletics transfers are not eligible), while Postgraduate Scholarship nominees must be graduating seniors with a declared intention to pursue postgraduate studies.
 
For more information on UIC men's basketball, fans are encouraged to visit UICFlames.com, or follow the Flames on social media through X (@UIC_MBB and @UICFlames) and Instagram (@uic_mbb and @uicflames).
 
About Division I-AAA ADA: Now in its 24th year, the Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association's mission is to enhance initiatives common to its Division I-AAA membership (the 98 Division I institutions that do not sponsor football), in particular, aspects related to their flagship basketball programs. For more information on the Division I-AAA ADA, please visit www.div1aaa-ada.com. The Division I-AAA ADA is administered by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), which is in its 60th year. For more information on NACDA and the 19 professional associations that fall under its umbrella, please visit www.nacda.com.