TOWSON, Md. – Towson University men's basketball standouts Arnuad William Adala Moto and John Davis participated in Towson's annual commencement ceremony last week.
 
For Towson head men's basketball coach Pat Skerry that's the best part of his job. While the Tigers have won 95 games over the last five years, produced three 20-win seasons and advanced to the conference semifinals twice, seeing his student-athletes receive their degrees is the biggest thrill for Skerry, who has a 100 percent graduation rate.
 
That makes it 19-for-19 in men's basketball graduates since Skerry has been in charge at Towson. Coupled with its recent perfect four-year Academic Progress Rate (APR) score and public recognition from the NCAA for posting scores in the top 10 percent of their sport, Skerry and the Tigers are accomplishing plenty on and off the court.
 
In addition to the athletic and academic success, the Tigers also made an impact in the community this year. The Tigers ranked first nationally in Division I men's team sports for their community service activities in the 2017 NCAA Team Works Helper Helper Community Service Competition.
 
As always, Skerry beamed with pride as he posed for photos and cracked jokes with Adala-Moto and Davis last week. The pair were among 77 Towson student-athletes who participated in commencement last week. Adala Moto, who earned a bachelor of science degree in economics last spring, is currently working toward achieving a postgraduate certificate in interactive marketing. Davis received his bachelor of science degree in communication studies.

TU athletics continues to have one of the top Division I athletic programs in the state of Maryland regarding graduation rates. According to an October 2016 report, Towson University has a student-athlete graduation rate of 71 percent — the highest for any Division I public institution in Maryland.

To go along with those statewide numbers, Towson University is ranked in the top five percent nationally in African-American male student-athlete graduation, rate according to the Federal Graduation Rate compiled by the United States Department of Education. These rankings go along with student-athletes having higher graduation rates and grade point averages than the rest of the Towson University general population.

Both Adala-Moto and Davis earned All-Colonial Athletic Association recognition for their sterling performances on the court during their career. As part of the winningest four-year run in Towson's Division I era, Davis has experienced more Division I wins than any player in school history with 77.

"This is the proudest day for our staff when you talk about student-athletes," Skerry said. "I am excited for both players. They were incredible leaders, respected by everybody, passionate about the game, cohesive, dedicated and most importantly, great people. I have no doubt that they will do some terrific things in the future and make a difference in the world. You know Towson has prepared them well for the next chapters of their lives. They really symbolize what we hope a program stands for as good people, good students and good players."