Beard, Ramirez named NAIA Scholar-Athletes for men's basketball

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The men's basketball program at Shawnee State had two individuals recognized on the NAIA Scholar-Athlete list for men's basketball -- as graduate students Tre Beard and Elkin Ramirez were each named as NAIA Scholar-Athlete honorees in a release that was put out by NAIA national officials Wednesday afternoon.

Beard, who graduated with his bachelor's degree in business in December 2024, made the list through his 3.58 GPA that the Chillicothe High School alum obtained. It's simply another honor in the bag of what will end up being one of the best men's basketball careers in Shawnee State history, as Beard has already accomplished the following:

• 1,194 career points (11th in Shawnee State men's basketball program history)
• 232 career three-point field goals (second in Shawnee State men's basketball program history)
• 88 percent free throw percentage (second in Shawnee State men's basketball program history)
• 92.4 percent free throw percentage in 2024-25 (all-time leading mark in a single-season currently)
• 50.3 percent three-point field goal percentage in 2023-24 (third all-time in Shawnee State men's basketball in a single-season currently)
• Only player in Shawnee State men's basketball history to accumulate NAIA National Tournament victories in two separate seasons
• Only player in Shawnee State men's basketball history to be a part of five consecutive winning seasons (2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25)

As for Ramirez, the fellow graduate student, who currently holds a 3.5 as an MBA major himself, has also enjoyed a strong college career overall. A player who shot 44.1 percent from the field and 39.5 percent from three-point range during Shawnee State's 21-10 finish and its run to the second round of the NAIA National Tournament during the 2023-24 season, Ramirez has helped Shawnee State go 36-22 in his two seasons at SSU alongside head coach Michael Hunter.

Along with the above, freshman wing Preston Saia also holds a GPA above 3.5 -- having accumulated a perfect 4.0 GPA to this point in time -- while junior transfer Chris Tackett holds a 3.5 GPA in business management. Saia and Tackett will be eligible for honors beginning with the 2025-26 campaign -- as to be eligible for NAIA Scholar-Athlete honors, a student-athlete must hold a GPA of 3.5 or above, be of sophomore or greater academic standing and have attended their current institution for at least one calendar year at the time of nomination.