WASHINGTON, D.C. – Four Ramblers combined for six Atlantic 10 All-Conference Awards, the league office announced Tuesday morning.
Des Watson,
Braden Norris,
Philip Alston, and
Miles Rubin take home honors for the 2023-24 season.
Watson was tabbed to the Second Team, while Norris and Alston were named to the Third Team. Rubin earned All-Defensive and All-Rookie nods, and Norris also claimed All-Academic accolades.
Watson has been a leader in scoring for the Ramblers all season long. Overall, he averages 13.0 points per game, and in conference play, Watson averages 14.2 ppg ranking 17
th in the league. Watson has 20 double-figure scoring games this season, including four 20-point performances.
On three occasions, the junior guard dropped a career-high 24 points. The first high came in the home opener vs. Eastern Illinois. He did it again in the A-10 opener at Saint Louis, and the final time in a ranked win over No. 21 Dayton. Watson recorded another 20 against Saint Louis on Jan. 30.
Watson also ranks in conference play top-25 in rebounding (T17th/5.4 rpg), three-point percentage (T13th/.411), three-point field goals per game (T13th/2.1), assists per game (17
th/2.1), assist to turnover ratio (16
th/1.4), and steals per game (T21st/1.1).
Norris is averaging 9.1 points per game on 45.2 percent from the field and 43.6 percent from three-point range. He is fifth in A-10 play shooting 43.8 percent from deep. Norris also ranks in three-pointers made per game (12
th/2.2).
The Hilliard, Ohio native has 14 double-digit scoring efforts this season, highlighted by a season-high 20 points in a win over Boston College. Norris also has a 19-point, 11 assist double-double vs. No. 21 Dayton. He is taking a five-game streak into the tournament with at least 10 points scored.
Overall this season, Norris is averaging 4.9 assists per game. He is at 4.7 in league play. Norris has 153 total assists this year, ranking 55
th in the country. He tallied his 500
th career assist at Loyola last game vs. La Salle.
In addition to his work on the court, Norris excels in the classroom. With a 3.466 GPA, Norris is working towards his master's in marketing. He is the lone Rambler on the All-Academic squad.
Alston is averaging 12.4 points per game on 44.9 percent from the field this season. He's scored at least 10 points in 17 games this season, four of which were 20-point performances. He also strung together a seven game-double figure scoring streak in league play, spanning Feb. 7 through March 1.
Alston dropped 25 points vs. Goshen and 27 vs. South Florida in back-to-back games this year. The 27-point outing is a single-game high this season for the Ramblers. Alston recorded 23 in a win over UMass, and notched a 21 point, 10 rebound double-double at Rhode Island.
The senior forward is third on the team with 19 blocks. In league play, Alston is averaging 0.7 blocks per game, ranking 18
th on the leaderboards. He's also third on the team with 4.4 rebounds per game.
In his freshman campaign, Rubin has made an impact starting 28 games over 31 appearances. Rubin is averaging 5.9 points per game on 66.9 percent from the field. He also leads the team in rebounds per game (4.6) and blocks per game (2.3).
Rubin scored a career-high 13 points vs. Central Michigan and again at Davidson. They were two of his six double-figure scoring efforts. Rubin recorded his first career double-double at VCU with 11 points and 11 boards.
At the rim, Rubin is one of the top shot blockers in the country. He's first in block percentage, stopping 14.3 percent of two-point attempts against him. His 72 blocks this season ranks 11
th in the NCAA, while his 2.3 average ranks 12
th. Against La Salle, Rubin tallied six blocks to surpass the single-season block record that held since the 1984-85 season. It also tied sixth on the single-game records list and helped secure an A-10 Rookie of the Week nod.
The quartet of Ramblers honored head to Brooklyn with the rest of the Loyola Chicago squad this week for the Atlantic 10 Tournament. Loyola will play in the quarterfinals Thursday.
