NEW ORLEANS – After leading the conference in rebounding and ranking second in scoring, University of South Alabama junior Augustine Rubit is the 2012-13 Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year, the league announced Wednesday.

Rubit is the first Jaguar to earn SBC Player of the Year honors since Jeff Hodge in 1989. This is Rubit’s second player of the year honor of the season, earning recognition from CollegeInsider.com on Tuesday.

“This is great news and it is certainly well deserved,” USA interim head coach Jeff Price said. “He’s worked extremely hard to get where he’s at. I think he’s improved over last year and is continuing to improve throughout this season and I think he has better days ahead of him as well.”

The Houston, Texas native averaged 18.9 points and 10.8 rebounds per game and racked up 16 double-doubles. His rebounding average and double-double total currently rank sixth in the nation.

Rubit also becomes the first USA player to earn back-to-back First Team All-Sun Belt honors since Demetric Bennett in 2008, and the sixth in school history to be named to three straight All-SBC teams, and first since 1989.

His efforts on the floor have helped the Jaguars to a 17-11 overall record and a 14-6 mark in league play. The 14 SBC wins are the program’s most since 2007-08.

In 28 games Rubit has recorded 20 or more points 13 times, including a career-best 34 vs. Louisiana at Lafayette on Feb. 14, one of three 30-point performances this season. He went 11 of 16 from the floor that game and converted a career-high 12 times at the free throw line in 16 attempts.

One of the nation’s top players in getting to the charity stripe, Rubit is third in Division I in free throws made and attempted per game and has already set a new school record for free throws made in a season with 177. He has hit 10 or more at the line five times and has been perfect on at least seven attempts on five occasions, including a 12-for-12 performance at Arkansas State.

In addition to his record-setting efforts at the free throw line, he scored his 1,000th point this season and currently sits in ninth place at South Alabama in career scoring with 1,337 points. He has moved up to the No. 2 spot in career rebounds with 878, a number that also ranks 10th in Sun Belt history.

Rubit’s current total of 302 rebounds in 2012-13 is currently fourth in USA’s single-season history, as is his average of 10.8 per game.

All 16 double-doubles have come in his last 25 games, including a run of six in a row in December and January. He has totaled 11 double-doubles against league teams.

South Alabama earned the No. 3 seed in this week’s Sun Belt Tournament and will play the winner of No. 6 Western Kentucky and No. 11 Louisiana at Monroe Saturday night at 8:30 p.m.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

—USA—

Player of the Year
Augustine Rubit, South Alabama
 
Defensive Player of the Year
Bruce Massey, Middle Tennessee
 
Freshman of the Year
Shawn Long, Louisiana-Lafayette
 
Coach of the Year
Kermit Davis, Middle Tennessee
 
First Team All-Sun Belt Conference
Greg Gantt (Florida Atlantic, Sr., Guard)
Tymell Murphy (FIU, Jr., Forward)
Elfrid Payton (Louisiana-Lafayette, So., Guard)
Marcos Knight (Middle Tennessee, Sr., Guard)
Augustine Rubit (South Alabama, Jr., Forward)
 
Second Team All-Sun Belt Conference
Brandon Peterson (Arkansas State, Sr., Forward)
Stefan Moody (Florida Atlantic, Fr., Guard)
Shawn Long (Louisiana-Lafayette, Fr., Forward)
Tony Mitchell (North Texas, So., Forward)
T.J. Price (WKU, So., Guard)
 
Third Team All-Sun Belt Conference
Will Neighbour (UALR, Jr., Forward)
Trey Finn (Arkansas State, Sr., Guard)
Raymond Cintron (Middle Tennessee, Sr., Guard)
Bruce Massey (Middle Tennessee, Sr., Guard)
George Fant (WKU, So., Forward)