UTC's Jean-Baptiste Earns Top Student-Athlete Award
Thursday, April 30, 2020
-Chattanooga Mocs guard David Jean-Baptiste had a strong campaign on the court but is just as stellar off it. The redshirt junior earned one of the three top campus awards decided by the university’s executive leadership team. He’s the first student-athlete to claim the special honor.
Jean-Baptiste claimed the Blue Award alongside fellow student leaders Stan Settles (Chancellor Award) and Katherine Bolton (Gold Award). Per the school release, the Blue and Gold Awards are presented to students who have displayed excellence in academics and involvement, service and dedication to the university.
The Miami native is a leader on the court and in the campus community.
He’s a member of Omega Psi Phi and active in the Student Government Association and currently holds the Kelley-Maise Scholarship. The multiple Athletic Director’s Honor Roll student also merited the Dean’s List during his career.
A look back at his past is what drives him forward as a campus leader.
“Watching my upbringing and seeing how much help I had growing up; for me, the best way to pay it forward was to pass that along to fellow peers and those coming up behind me,” Jean-Baptiste shared. “My impact on campus came from seeing an athlete's presence is needed today.
“I just tried to fill that void and help out.”
Jean-Baptiste was third on the squad in scoring at a career-best 12.9 points per game eclipsing career highs for nearly every statistical category. He’s 75 points shy of 1,000 with one season of eligibility remaining.
The fact that he’s the first student-athlete recognized with such a prestigious honor caught him by surprise.
“Wow, I didn't realize that,” Jean-Baptiste reflected. “It means everything I'm doing off the court is not going unnoticed. I think how passionate I am about the Chattanooga community is not going unnoticed.
“It’s definitely great to see.”