Dobie High School senior basketball shooting guard Scott Talton Jr. has excelled on the court and in the classroom as his accomplishments landed him on the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches 2008 Academic All-State boys 5A team.

Scott was one of 35 high school basketball players selected for the team, and his father and basketball coach Scott Talton said he couldn’t be more proud.

“Scotty is very deserving of this honor because of his hard work, being conscientious and just being a great person,” said Talton. “It’s important for players to be recognized for their academics because it gives them more opportunities for college and life itself.”

To qualify for the honor, players must be graduating seniors with a GPA of 3.9 or higher, be members of either the first or second team all-district, and either receive a score of 1000 on the math and reading portions of the SAT or be in the top 10 percent of their graduating class. Scott has a GPA of 4.58, is a member of the first team all-district, earned a score of 1000 on the math and reading portions of the SAT and is in the top 10 percent of his class.

“I feel honored to have been selected for this team,” Scott said. “It takes a lot of effort to play sports and maintain good grades. I think it’s important for players to maintain good grades because the decisions that are made on the court pertain a lot to how they do in the classroom. Athletes who do well in class will do well on the court, too.”

Scott also made two all-tournament teams in his senior season, and he is also involved in Dobie’s baseball program and in the National Honor Society.

“The work he has done will last his entire lifetime, and my advice to him is to keep up the good work through college,” his father said. “I feel honored and am very proud of him as a player and as my son.”