Kentucky senior forward Nate Sestina was named to the Southeastern Conference Community Service Team on Thursday, the league announced.
The honor recognizes accomplishments of SEC athletes beyond the basketball court. This is the 22nd year for the SEC Community Service Team for both men’s and women’s basketball.
Sestina is averaging 5.6 points and 3.7 rebounds for the Wildcats this season while shooting 40.4 percent from three-point range.
The following is from the SEC Press Release for the 2020 SEC Community Service Team
Throughout his collegiate career, Sestina has been a mainstay in the community. In his first year at Kentucky, he’s already participated in packing lunches, distributing to a local school and playing backyard games with a local elementary school as a part of God’s Pantry. He was a part of serving Thanksgiving dinner to the Salvation Army and participated in a Samaritan’s Feet project. Sestina is known to visit local elementary schools and read to the students. He’s also been a part of the campus clothing swap, in which he helped collect new and gently used clothing items to donate to Central Kentucky’s YMCA. He’s also the men’s basketball representative on the Student Athletic Advisory Committee. His service didn’t begin at Kentucky, and he was also known for serving others during his four-year career at Bucknell. One of his favorite projects while at Bucknell involved coordinating and executing a local marathon with other student-athletes. Sestina is also active at home while he is visiting family during his breaks from college. He can often be found offering motivational talks to the football and basketball teams at his former high school and reads at the local elementary school. Sestina also volunteers at his church, where he packs and organizes donations and distributes the items to families. During the holiday season, he joins his family in singing carols and helping decorate at The Manor, a local assisted living facility.
Joining Sestina on the Community Service Team are Herbert Jones (Alabama), Adrio Bailey (Arkansas), Austin Wiley (Auburn), Anthony Duruji (Florida), Rayshaun Hammonds (Georgia), Marshall Graves (LSU), Francho Miller (Ole Miss), Abdul Ado (Mississippi State), Reed Nikko (Missouri), Nathan Nelson (South Carolina), John Fulkerson (Tennessee), Wendell Mitchell (Texas A&M) and Isaiah Rice (Vanderbilt).
