Jibri Blount

Jibri Blount (born October 21, 1996) is an American college basketball player for the North Carolina Central Eagles of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC).

Jibri Blount

No. 2 – North Carolina Central Eagles
Position	Power forward
League	Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
Personal information
Born	(1996-10-21) October 21, 1996 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight	230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
High school	Linsly School (Wheeling, West Virginia) St. Vincent–St. Mary (Akron, Ohio)
College	Cleveland State (2015–2017) North Carolina Central (2018–2020)
Career highlights and awards
MEAC Player of the Year (2020) First-team All-MEAC (2020)

Early life and high school career

Blount was raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and attended Linsly School for two years. He transferred to St. Vincent–St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio, where he was coached by Dru Joyce II. In September 2014, Blount committed to Cleveland State.[1] As a senior, Blount was a second team all-district and All-Ohio honoree after averaging 16.0 points and 11.0 rebounds per game, leading the team to a 16–1 record.[2]

College career

As a freshman at Cleveland State, Blount averaged 5.7 points per game.[3] After his sophomore season, Blount decided to transfer to North Carolina Central and sat out the 2017–18 season as a redshirt.[4] As a junior, Blount averaged 10.1 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.[5] Blount scored 33 points, which matched his career high, and grabbed 10 rebounds on January 25, 2020, helping North Carolina Central to a 72–45 victory over Delaware State.[6] On February 10, Blount scored 20 points, including the game-winning basket with 2.2 seconds left, and pulled down nine rebounds in a 58–57 win against Morgan State.[7] He was named Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) player of the week five times. At the conclusion of the regular season, Blount earned MEAC Player of the Year honors.[8] He averaged 19.1 points and 9.3 rebounds per game and led the MEAC in steals.[9]

Career statistics

Legend

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field goal percentage	3P%	3-point field goal percentage	FT%	Free throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

College

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2015–16	Cleveland State	29	5	16.7	.492	.500	.620	3.1	.5	.9	.4	5.7
2016–17	Cleveland State	30	10	15.0	.410	.289	.667	2.2	.5	.7	.2	3.8
2017–18	North Carolina Central	Redshirt
2018–19	North Carolina Central	24	0	21.9	.492	.288	.736	4.4	1.6	1.0	.4	10.1
2019–20	North Carolina Central	31	31	36.8	.525	.319	.712	9.3	1.6	2.1	.6	19.1
Career		114	46	22.8	.498	.307	.696	4.8	1.1	1.2	.4	9.8

Personal life

Blount's father is Mel Blount, an NFL Hall of Fame inductee who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers. When Jibri was in third grade, he brought two of his father's championship rings to class without telling him.[10] His older brother Akil was signed by the Miami Dolphins in 2016, and younger brother Khalid plays football for Duquesne.[11]

References

1. "St. V-M senior Jibri Blount commits to Cleveland State for basketball". Akron Beacon-Journal. September 22, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
2. Loede, Matt (November 17, 2015). "CSU Vikings Men's Hoops Home Opener Tonight Vs Malone". NeoSportsInsiders. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
3. Pluto, Terry (May 9, 2017). "Cleveland State basketball coach Dennis Felton adding coaches, players -- Terry Pluto (photos)". Cleveland Plain-Dealer. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
4. Pope IV, Jonas (June 28, 2017). "NCCU Eagles restock men's basketball roster". The News & Observer. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
5. Hefferman, Todd (October 30, 2019). "Saluki Basketball 5@5". The Southern Illinoisan. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
6. "Blount scores 33, NC Central drubs Delaware State 72-45". ESPN. Associated Press. January 25, 2020. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
7. "Blount scores 20 to carry NC Central past Morgan St. 58-57". ESPN. Associated Press. February 10, 2020. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
8. "MEAC announces Player of the Year and postseason awards" (Press release). HBCU Gameday. March 6, 2020. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
9. Crawford, Kirkland (March 16, 2020). "The 2020 NCAA tournament that could have been: South region". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
10. Medcalf, Myron (February 5, 2020). "North Carolina Central and college basketball's long, unseen road". ESPN. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
11. Bostick, Dani (May 1, 2016). "Akil Blount signs with Miami Dolphins, not the Pittsburgh Steelers". Steelers Wire. Retrieved March 6, 2020.

External links

• North Carolina Central Eagles bio