Malcolm Brogdon

Classroom

In August 2015 Malcolm Brogdon graduated with a degree in history. He has earned recognition as an ACC Honor Roll and UVa Athletic Honor Roll member at various times throughout the course of his undergraduate career. Brogdon is also one of 47 UVa students living “on the Lawn,” which is a prestigious honor awarded to only the most elite students at UVa after a rigorous selection process to identify students with “distinction earned by their unselfish service to the university and achievement in their respective fields of activity and academics.”

Perhaps the most significant academic area to highlight is Brogdon’s participation with the Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. While maintaining a busy lifestyle as a student-athlete, Brogdon has successfully worked toward completing a master’s degree in leadership and public policy. He began the program while completing his undergraduate degree last year and will complete his MPP degree in May 2016. This full-time graduate program has included an internship and advanced-level courses with his peer graduate students to prepare him for the world outside of basketball, developing his skills as a community leader.

Character

Brogdon’s leadership and character are the most identifiable traits that have evolved throughout his college athletic experience. Those two traits connect through all aspects of his life as a student, athlete and member of the UVa community. As a student he has intentionally chosen an academic path specifically geared toward training him to become a leader. As an athlete his work ethic is unparalleled. He recovered from a devastating injury that caused him to miss a year of competition to show his teammates how to overcome obstacles. His unflappable demeanor in competition has led to consecutive 30-win seasons, including numerous examples in which his play has been crucial in key moments. He has been chosen as a captain and team representative multiple times. Off the court, Brogdon’s character also has shown in his example to give back to others, volunteering locally, back home in Georgia and by taking mission trips to South Africa, Malawi and Ghana. 

The most practical example of his character however, was his choice to remain at U.Va in 2015-16. Malcolm had the opportunity to pursue a professional career in the NBA, but decided to return to complete his his master’s degree and further cement his legacy by pursuing an unprecedented third consecutive ACC championship. This commitment is a daily example of what is right about college athletics - to his teammates, peer UVa students, and the community at large.

Community

Brogdon has dedicated much of his free time to improving his community and the lives of others. He has volunteered as a reader and mentor to fifth-grade students at Broadus Elementary School in Charlottesville and served as a mentor at the Charlottesville Boys and Girls Club. He helped build a house for Habitat for Humanity and has visited patients at local hospitals and children at elementary schools. In addition, he represents the Virginia Men’s Basketball program at most community functions.

Brogdon has served as a mentor in both the W.E.B. DuBois Society and Norcross (Ga.) Elementary schools and was also a counselor at the East Lake YMCA summer camp in his hometown of Atlanta. He has made two separate mission trips to South Africa and Malawi and also spent time in Ghana. The trips laid the groundwork for his career as a dual-degree student in the Batten School. Brogdon also was named to the 2015 NABC All-State Good Works Team, which pays tribute to college basketball players at all levels for their impressive commitment to giving back to their communities and positively impacting the lives of those around them. During his trip to the 2015 NCAA Final Four, Brogdon and the other recipients volunteered at the Special Olympics of Indiana and participated in a Fan Fest.

Competition

Brogdon ranks 11th all-time in scoring at UVA with 1,713 points. He is the first player to earn ACC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season. Brogdon was named first-team All-American by Sporting News, second-team All-American by USA Today and Sports Illustrated and also USBWA District 3 Player of the Year. Brogdon was a John Wooden Award All-American last season and he earned second-team All-America honors from four media outlets in 2014-15. He was a consensus Preseason All-American in 2015-16. The two-time All-ACC First-Team honoree has led Virginia in scoring in each of the last two seasons and ranks 39th on the Cavaliers’ all-time scoring list with 1,134 points. Brogdon has led Virginia to back-to-back 30-win seasons and ACC regular-season championships the past two seasons. The Cavaliers captured their first ACC Tournament championship since 1976 in 2014 as Brogdon led Virginia with 23 points against Duke in the final. Brogdon has guided Virginia to three NCAA Tournament appearances during his career. While he missed the 2012-13 season with a foot injury, Virginia has averaged more than 27 wins per season with Brogdon in the lineup. Brogdon has averaged 11.5 points and 4.2 rebounds during his UVa career, and an impressive 86.5 percent career foul shooter. He has ranked among the ACC leaders in scoring, assist-to-turnover ratio and free throw percentage during the past two seasons. Internationally, Brogdon helped Team USA to a bronze medal at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto.