MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Thanks to his conference-leading 10.6 rebounds per night to go along with his nearly 15 points per night, Florida Memorial University junior center
Mubashar Ali was named to the Sun Conference's all-conference First Team, it was announced Thursday night.
Ali was among the 10 players selected to the conference's first team. St. Thomas University, Keiser University, and Sun Conference regular season champion Southeastern University all had two players selected to the first team, while Ave Maria University and Warner University each had one.
The 10 Sun Conference (NAIA) coaches were polled to build the all-conference teams, as well as selecting the conference's Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year, Coach of the Year, and Champion of Character award winner.
While Ali's well-deserved selection is to be celebrated, some FMU fans may wonder why Lions forward
Quvondo Johnson or neither guards
Kaleb Darrett or
Jordan Martin weren't given consideration – at least for the second team.
In Johnson's and Darrett's case, despite them both putting up all-conference-worthy numbers, both players missed large chunks of the season with a combination of injuries and eligibility issues. For Martin, a senior that was fourth in the Sun Conference in three-point percentage, fifth in three-pointers made per game, and 10th in overall scoring, his absence is not as palatable.
Still, Ali's resume as a first-teamer was rock solid.
Aside from leading the conference in total rebounding, he also topped the Sun Conference in field goal percentage (.553) and fifth in blocks. The 7-footer from Helsinki, Finland had 11 straight games scoring 14 points or more and even turned in a 33-point, 13-rebound performance in the Lions' November matchup with Florida National University.
CARRERA NAMED RECEIVES SUN CONFERENCE ALL-ACADEMIC HONORS
The Sun Conference also announced its all-academic honorees Thursday, which included Florida Memorial University guard
Kase Carrera.
Carrera was one of 12 players conference-wide that achieved at least a 3.5 GPA while also competing throughout the season.
