The thrill of competing in the Elite Eight round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament is still in the air at UVA. For Malcolm Brogdon (College ’15, Batten ’16), the memories are all good. As he told the postgame press back in March, “You start to remember all the good times you’ve had and you start to realize just how much you’ve enjoyed your experience and your college career. Now we can smell the roses. We can enjoy what we’ve established.” Brogdon will always savor the memories as he considers the exciting future ahead of him in the NBA.

Brogdon made an unforgettable impression on the court during his accomplished career with the Virginia men’s basketball team. The fifth-year guard from Atlanta, Georgia, was a unanimous selection as a First-Team All-American for the 2015–2016 season. He averaged 18.2 points per game in his final season and solidified his legacy as the most successful free-throw shooter in the history of the team at 87.6 percent.

Brogdon made further men’s basketball history in 2016 by being named ACC Defensive Player of the Year for back-to-back seasons in 2014–2015 and 2015–2016, as well as ACC Player of the Year in 2015–2016—making him the first player ever to be named both for the same season.

However, his accomplishments at UVA were hardly limited to athletics; the student portion of his student-athlete resume is also brimming with achievements. Along with earning a bachelor of arts degree in history and an accelerated master’s degree from the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, Brogdon was honored for his service and volunteerism with the Allstate NABC Good Works Team award in 2014–2015. Brogdon also was selected to live on the Range, considered an honor for UVA graduate students, based on his record of achievement and leadership.

He served as a mentor with the Boys & Girls Club of Central Virginia and volunteered as a reader and mentor to fifth-grade students at Broadus Wood Elementary School in Albemarle County. As a child, he travelled on mission trips to South Africa, Malawi, and Ghana, which inspired him to pursue a long-term goal to create a non-governmental organization (NGO) to alleviate poverty and hunger in developing nations.

In recognition of his leadership, sportsmanship, and academic achievement, Brogdon was awarded the esteemed 2015–2016 Peele Rakowski Endowed Scholarship. Brogdon said of the honor, “It has been a sign to me that people are always watching how you conduct yourself in different situations and that when you carry yourself with dignity, class, and treat others the right way, it doesn’t go unnoticed.”

Now in Milwaukee, playing for the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks, one thing is sure: the future looks bright for this Virginia men’s basketball star. His legacy of scholarship and service stands as a model for future Virginia student-athletes.