Mahershala Ali played Division I basketball at St. Mary's
Mahershala Ali had a memorable Sunday. Besides winning his second Best Supporting Actor Oscar in three years, he also starred on True Detective, which ended its season on Sunday.
Before he started winning Oscars, Ali, who is from Oakland, California, played Division I college basketball at St. Mary's on a basketball scholarship. From the 1992-93 through the 1995-96 seasons, Ali played in 97 games with the Gaels.
Before Mahershala Ali was an Academy Award-winning actor, he was known as Hershal Gilmore, a 6-foot-4 guard for @saintmaryshoops. #Oscars2019 pic.twitter.com/InwGLWHG8h
— NCAA (@NCAA) February 24, 2019
At 6-foot-4 and then going by Hershal Gilmore, Ali scored a total of 348 points in his four seasons. He was most productive his senior season, when he averaged 7 points per game along with 1.8 rebounds and 0.9 assists. St. Mary's went 12-15 that season. When Ali played, St. Mary's had its best season his junior year, when it finished 18-10.
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Current Washington State and longtime Oregon head coach Ernie Kent led the Gaels all four seasons of Ali's career. Kent and the Gaels would later make the 1997 NCAA tournament the year after Ali's career ended.
As Ali later shared in a story with St. Mary's, Ali took part in in the play Spunk as a senior and became an apprentice at the California Shakespeare Festival. He then later enrolled at New York University's graduate acting program.
Ali won his first Oscar at the 2017 ceremony, winning for his role in Best Picture winner Moonlight. His second Oscar win in Best Supporting Actor also came in the Best Picture winner: Green Book.
Ali is one of eight to win Best Supporting Actor at least twice.
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