Men’s Basketball’s Luka Garza Tuesday, September 3, 2019 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. (Brian Ray/hawkeyesports.com)

INDIANAPOLIS – National Player of the Year Luka Garza of the University of Iowa has been selected as the 2021 Senior CLASS Award winner in NCAA Division I men’s basketball.

The award, chosen by a nationwide vote of Division I men’s basketball coaches, national basketball media and fans, is given annually to the most outstanding senior student-athlete in men’s basketball.

Garza is the third student-athlete from Iowa to win the Senior CLASS Award: Megan Gustafson (2019) and Samantha Logic (2015).

An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. 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: classroom, community, character and competition.

“The University of Iowa has prepared me for the real world both on and off the court,” said Garza. “I am forever grateful to the countless teachers, advisors, tutors, and classmates that have helped me balance the life of a Division I student-athlete with the rigorous curriculum in the Tippie College of Business. I will use all the knowledge that I accumulated at the University of Iowa to help me in my future endeavors.”