Former Catalina Foothills standout Sam Beskind of Stanford named Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of Year

Former Catalina Foothills guard Sam Beskind of Stanford was named the Pac-12's Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

Beskind, a former walk-on who earned a scholarship to Stanford and is playing a reserve role this season, had a 3.9 grade-point average as a undergraduate and a 3.6 as a graduate student in management science and engineering.

An Arizona Wildcats fan growing up in Tucson, Beskind also has been active in civic activities, working with the National Association of Basketball Coaches, and helped plan a "Democracy Day" on the Stanford campus on Election Day last fall.

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He also created a volunteer matching form to help match those in need with those who could donate food, supplies and toiletries to help during the pandemic. 

On the court, Beskind has played spot minutes and started four games for the Cardinal, being counted on for energy and defense. He's averaging 0.4 points and 0.6 rebounds while averaging 6.3 minutes a game.

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The former Catalina Foothills High School standout is "the gold standard," Stanford coach Jerod Haase says. "He’s what’s right about college basketball."