MOBILE, Ala. — South Alabama senior Augustine Rubit has been named the Sun Belt Conference Men’s Basketball Preseason Player of the Year for the 2013-14 season, and the Jaguars were picked to finish second in the league in the conference’s preseason poll.
Rubit, a forward from Houston, Texas, receives the preseason honor for the second consecutive year. He was named the Sun Belt Player of the Year at the end of last season and was placed on the preseason All-Sun Belt first team. Junior Mychal Ammons joined him on the preseason all-conference squad as a third-team selection.
Rubit’s Credentials
Rubit led the Sun Belt in rebounding for the third consecutive season last year, averaging 10.5 boards per game. He finished second in the conference in scoring with a career-best 19.4 points per game and recorded 16 double-doubles.
He also set a South Alabama single-season record with 198 made free throws. Rubit enters his senior season 42 rebounds shy of becoming the program’s career leader in rebounds.
Ammons Earns First All-Conference Nod
The preseason selection is the first All-Sun Belt recognition for Ammons. He was South Alabama’s second-leading scorer and third-leading rebounder last season, and he led the team in 3-point accuracy by making 39.4 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc.
Preseason Poll
Western Kentucky was selected to win the conference with 91 points and five first-place votes. South Alabama was second with 78 points and two first-place votes.
The full preseason order of finish, with first-place votes in parentheses:
- 1. Western Kentucky, 91 (5)
- 2. South Alabama, 78 (2)
- 3. Arkansas State, 74
- 4. Georgia State, 73 (2)
- 4. Louisiana-Lafayette, 73 (1)
- 6. Arkansas-Little Rock, 48
- 7. Texas-Arlington, 36
- 8. Texas State, 34
- 9. Troy, 26
- 10. Louisiana-Monroe, 17
Television Schedule
The conference also released its television package for the season. South Alabama has six games scheduled for television, with the possibility of two more being added during the season.
The Jaguars’ road opener at Texas on Nov. 12 will air on the Longhorn Network. The Nov. 30 trip to Middle Tennessee, a former Sun Belt opponent, will be shown on CSS, and Root Sports will carry South Alabama’s game against Gonzaga on Dec. 14.
Three South Alabama conference games will be televised on the Sun Belt Network, including one at home. The Jaguars’ Jan. 18 home game against Louisiana-Monroe at the Mitchell Center will tip off at 7:30 p.m., moved from the originally announced 4:05 p.m. start.
South Alabama’s other Sun Belt Network appearances are Jan. 11 at Arkansas State, with a 7 p.m. tip, and March 2 at Louisiana-Lafayette, with a 3 p.m. tip.
The Sun Belt Network is a partnership with Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast (CSS) and Cox Sports Television (CST). Network games are available in 13 states across the Southeast and are often carried on ESPN3.com and ESPN GamePlan outside the CSS and CST coverage areas.
