Belleville East (Illinois) boys basketball player Jackson Muse named finalist for Jersey Mike's Naismith Courage Award

Muse showed incredible heroism off the court

Jackson Muse, a senior at Belleville East High School (Illinois), has been named a finalist for the Jersey Mike’s Naismith High School Basketball Courage Award. 

Muse, who showed incredible heroism off the court, was selected as one of 10 finalists after a nomination process that saw hundreds of entries from coaches, parents, and athletic directors across the country. The Atlanta Tipoff Club, which administers the Naismith Awards, celebrating high school and college basketball’s most prestigious national awards, will announce a female winner and a male winner on March 7.

The Jersey Mike’s Naismith High School Basketball Courage Award recognizes a high school basketball player who has consistently gone above and beyond throughout the basketball season and has demonstrated courage in their approach to their team, school, and community.

Earlier this season, Jackson witnessed a horrific traffic accident when he was driving home from basketball practice. On the scene, he exited his vehicle, tossed his keys to the car behind him, and raced across the four lanes of traffic to help the victims of the accident. All three people involved had ties to Belleville East High School, including one of his current basketball teammates. Jackson helped his teammate out of the vehicle, and away from the scene with only minor injuries. The driver in the other vehicle passed away from his injuries.

“Once again, as nominations came in, we learned of so many inspirational stories about courageous high school basketball student-athletes across the country who are role models for others,” said Eric Oberman, executive director of the Atlanta Tipoff Club. “We are thrilled to celebrate Jackson as one of our 10 finalists for the Jersey Mike’s Naismith High School Basketball Courage Award, as he exemplifies all this award stands for.”

For the two final winners, Jersey Mike’s will make a $2,000 donation to the players’ high school basketball programs in their honor and reward each overall winner with an additional $2,000 per student. Winners will be recognized at their school and through a video tribute shared across the Naismith Trophy and Jersey Mike’s websites and social media accounts.

“All of us at Jersey Mike’s are honored to participate in this award and recognize exceptional acts of courage,” said Rich Hope, chief marketing officer, Jersey Mike’s Franchise Systems, Inc. “Congratulations to the 10 finalists. You and your community should be proud of what you’ve been able to accomplish in the face of adversity.”

For more information about the winners, visit www.astudentabove.com.

ABOUT THE ATLANTA TIPOFF CLUB 

Founded during the 1956-57 season, the Atlanta Tipoff Club is committed to promoting the game of basketball and recognizing the outstanding accomplishments of those who make the game so exciting. The Atlanta Tipoff Club administers the Naismith Awards, the most prestigious national honors in all of college and high school basketball. Named in honor of Dr. James Naismith, inventor of the game of basketball, the family of Naismith Awards annually recognizes the most outstanding men’s and women’s college and high school basketball players and coaches. Other Naismith Awards are presented to the men’s and women’s college basketball defensive players of the year, as well as lifetime achievement awards to basketball officials and outstanding contributors to the game. UCLA’s Lew Alcindor received the first Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy in 1969, while the late Anne Donovan (Old Dominion) was the inaugural women’s recipient in 1983. Corporate partners of the Naismith Awards include Jersey Mike’s and Werner Ladder.

ABOUT JERSEY MIKE’S SUBS 

Jersey Mike’s Subs, with nearly 2,500 locations nationwide, serves authentic fresh sliced/fresh grilled subs on in-store freshly baked bread — the same recipe it started with in 1956. Passion for giving in Jersey Mike’s local communities is reflected in its mission statement “Giving…making a difference in someone’s life.” For more information, please visit jerseymikes.com or follow us on Facebook (facebook.com/jerseymikes), Instagram (instagram.com/jerseymikes), and Twitter (twitter.com/jerseymikes.com).