Faried breaks NCAA rebounds mark

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Yes, Morehead State’s Kenneth Faried knows all about Tim Duncan. And it made this accomplishment all the more special for him.

Faried snapped Duncan’s modern-era Division I career rebounding mark with 12 boards in the Eagles’ 71-65 victory against Indiana State on Saturday.

The 6-foot-8 senior, who also scored 17 points in Morehead State’s ninth consecutive victory, now has 1,576 rebounds, six more than Duncan collected at Wake Forest from 1994-97.

“He was a great college player. He’s a great NBA player, all the MVPs, all the All-Star appearances,” Faried told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. “I really can’t explain how excited I am about it.”

The NCAA’s modern era began after 1973, when freshman were permitted to play.

Faried broke Duncan’s record with an offensive rebound and received a standing ovation from the crowd of 5,370 at Indiana State’s Hulman Center. But he didn’t realize until later why he heard the cheers on the road.

“I was just worrying about winning the game,” he said.

Faried is averaging a team-high 17.5 points and 14.2 rebounds this season, a big reason why Morehead State (21-8) is in the hunt for the Ohio Valley Conference title.

“I’m just so proud of Kenneth and what he’s done,” coach Donnie Tyndall said. “I just think he’s going to have a very lengthy NBA career and I look forward to watching him grow.”