Cohen becomes Mountain Hawks’ fifth Senior CLASS Award candidate in last four years
1/20/2020 2:51:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – An impressive all-around student-athlete, Lehigh men's basketball's Jordan Cohen has been named a candidate for the prestigious Senior CLASS Award, as announced late last week. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. Cohen is one of just two Patriot League student-athletes among the 30 nation-wide candidates.
Lehigh is the only men's basketball program in the nation to have at least one candidate in each of the last four years. The Mountain Hawks' five honorees in that span are also No. 1 nationally.
Cohen follows former Lehigh men's basketball standouts Lance Tejada (2018-19), Kahron Ross (2017-18), Tim Kempton (2016-17) and Austin Price (2016-17), who were all named candidates. Prior to that, C.J. McCollum and Gabe Knutson were named candidates in 2012-13 and Marquis Hall in 2009-10. Hall, McCollum and Kempton all went on to be named finalists.
Cohen has enjoyed stellar success in the classroom at a world-renowned institution, owning a cumulative GPA of 3.68 in the College of Business and Economics as a finance major. Lehigh is currently 53rd nationally in the U.S. News and World Report top national universities. Cohen entered his senior campaign with a perfect 4.0 GPA in his major, which included courses such as Statistical Methods, Corporate Finance Policy, Security Analysis and Portfolio Management. He has been named to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll following every year, and was named to the Dean's List (for a semester GPA over 3.6) in four of his first six collegiate semesters. Cohen has also garnered the Faculty Athletics Council Award and was named the team's Scholar-Athlete of the Year following all three of his seasons so far. As a junior, Cohen was named to the Google Cloud Academic All-District team, Lehigh men's basketball's first honoree since 2009. In back-to-back years, Cohen was one of five individuals named to the Academic All-Patriot League team.
Cohen has developed into a leader as well, serving as a two-time team captain. He was voted captain as a junior last year and again this season, and has been as an integral liaison between the players and coaching staff. Cohen has also displayed leadership beyond his basketball team, serving as a Student-Athlete Mentor (SAM) from December, 2016 to December, 2018. In that role, he mentored incoming freshman student-athletes during their transition to college, practicing communication skills and public speaking by often addressing several hundred student-athletes at once. Cohen is also a member of Leadership Legacies, which is part of Lehigh Athletics' Flight 45 leadership programming. With Leadership Legacies, Cohen has exercised leadership techniques amongst select student-athletes and team captains, also effectively communicating with coaches, trainers and faculty support. Cohen and the Mountain Hawks have participated in The Program as well, a leadership development and team building program run by military personnel. Cohen was named MVP in 2017 for his commitment, leadership and communication.
In the community, Cohen is at the forefront of Lehigh men's basketball's service initiatives, which includes the NABC Stay in to Win program. On multiple occasions during his time at Lehigh, the Mountain Hawks have visited local schools to connect with youngsters, sharing their personal stories and educating them on the importance of school. Cohen and the Mountain Hawks have already taken part in two school visits this fall and visited an Allentown middle school in January. Every holiday season, Cohen and the Mountain Hawks take part in Adopt-A-Family when every Lehigh Athletics program provides a holiday for a local underprivileged family they are assigned. The process includes shopping for gifts, wrapping them and delivering them in early December, providing an unforgettable holiday season. The event typically raises around $10,000.
On the court, Cohen made his presence felt from day one, but broke out as a junior. Cohen finished third on the Mountain Hawks in scoring, averaging 13.6 points per game, to earn third team All-Patriot League honors. He also averaged a career-high 3.9 rebounds and posted a career-high 113 assists and 42 steals. He finished seventh in the Patriot League in assists per game (3.6) and tied for fifth in steals per contest (1.4). Cohen finished the year second in the Patriot League in 3-point percentage (47.5, 47-of-99), which would have been top five nationally if he had enough attempts to qualify. Cohen enjoyed a stellar two-game stretch during Patriot League play, scoring a career-high 32 points against Boston University then one game later, following with 33 points in a thrilling overtime win at Lafayette. Cohen took over down the stretch against the Leopards, scoring 21 of Lehigh's final 30 points, all in an eight-minute stretch of game action. One game later, he scored 18 points on nine field goal attempts at Army West Point, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:28 remaining that gave the Mountain Hawks the lead for good. As a senior, Cohen leads the Mountain Hawks in scoring (career-high 15.1 points per game), eclipsing 20 points on five occasions. Cohen scored his 1,000th career point at No. 9/12 Auburn on Dec. 21.
The Senior CLASS Award candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists in February, and those names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one male candidate and one female candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four C's of community, classroom, character and competition. The Senior CLASS Award winners will be announced during the 2020 NCAA Men's Final Four® this spring.
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Lehigh is the only men's basketball program in the nation to have at least one candidate in each of the last four years. The Mountain Hawks' five honorees in that span are also No. 1 nationally.
Cohen follows former Lehigh men's basketball standouts Lance Tejada (2018-19), Kahron Ross (2017-18), Tim Kempton (2016-17) and Austin Price (2016-17), who were all named candidates. Prior to that, C.J. McCollum and Gabe Knutson were named candidates in 2012-13 and Marquis Hall in 2009-10. Hall, McCollum and Kempton all went on to be named finalists.
Cohen has enjoyed stellar success in the classroom at a world-renowned institution, owning a cumulative GPA of 3.68 in the College of Business and Economics as a finance major. Lehigh is currently 53rd nationally in the U.S. News and World Report top national universities. Cohen entered his senior campaign with a perfect 4.0 GPA in his major, which included courses such as Statistical Methods, Corporate Finance Policy, Security Analysis and Portfolio Management. He has been named to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll following every year, and was named to the Dean's List (for a semester GPA over 3.6) in four of his first six collegiate semesters. Cohen has also garnered the Faculty Athletics Council Award and was named the team's Scholar-Athlete of the Year following all three of his seasons so far. As a junior, Cohen was named to the Google Cloud Academic All-District team, Lehigh men's basketball's first honoree since 2009. In back-to-back years, Cohen was one of five individuals named to the Academic All-Patriot League team.
Cohen has developed into a leader as well, serving as a two-time team captain. He was voted captain as a junior last year and again this season, and has been as an integral liaison between the players and coaching staff. Cohen has also displayed leadership beyond his basketball team, serving as a Student-Athlete Mentor (SAM) from December, 2016 to December, 2018. In that role, he mentored incoming freshman student-athletes during their transition to college, practicing communication skills and public speaking by often addressing several hundred student-athletes at once. Cohen is also a member of Leadership Legacies, which is part of Lehigh Athletics' Flight 45 leadership programming. With Leadership Legacies, Cohen has exercised leadership techniques amongst select student-athletes and team captains, also effectively communicating with coaches, trainers and faculty support. Cohen and the Mountain Hawks have participated in The Program as well, a leadership development and team building program run by military personnel. Cohen was named MVP in 2017 for his commitment, leadership and communication.
In the community, Cohen is at the forefront of Lehigh men's basketball's service initiatives, which includes the NABC Stay in to Win program. On multiple occasions during his time at Lehigh, the Mountain Hawks have visited local schools to connect with youngsters, sharing their personal stories and educating them on the importance of school. Cohen and the Mountain Hawks have already taken part in two school visits this fall and visited an Allentown middle school in January. Every holiday season, Cohen and the Mountain Hawks take part in Adopt-A-Family when every Lehigh Athletics program provides a holiday for a local underprivileged family they are assigned. The process includes shopping for gifts, wrapping them and delivering them in early December, providing an unforgettable holiday season. The event typically raises around $10,000.
On the court, Cohen made his presence felt from day one, but broke out as a junior. Cohen finished third on the Mountain Hawks in scoring, averaging 13.6 points per game, to earn third team All-Patriot League honors. He also averaged a career-high 3.9 rebounds and posted a career-high 113 assists and 42 steals. He finished seventh in the Patriot League in assists per game (3.6) and tied for fifth in steals per contest (1.4). Cohen finished the year second in the Patriot League in 3-point percentage (47.5, 47-of-99), which would have been top five nationally if he had enough attempts to qualify. Cohen enjoyed a stellar two-game stretch during Patriot League play, scoring a career-high 32 points against Boston University then one game later, following with 33 points in a thrilling overtime win at Lafayette. Cohen took over down the stretch against the Leopards, scoring 21 of Lehigh's final 30 points, all in an eight-minute stretch of game action. One game later, he scored 18 points on nine field goal attempts at Army West Point, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:28 remaining that gave the Mountain Hawks the lead for good. As a senior, Cohen leads the Mountain Hawks in scoring (career-high 15.1 points per game), eclipsing 20 points on five occasions. Cohen scored his 1,000th career point at No. 9/12 Auburn on Dec. 21.
The Senior CLASS Award candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists in February, and those names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one male candidate and one female candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four C's of community, classroom, character and competition. The Senior CLASS Award winners will be announced during the 2020 NCAA Men's Final Four® this spring.
Like Lehigh Men's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
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