PULLMAN – Before Mahershala Ali was an Oscar-nominated star of the silver screen, he was Mahershala Gilmore – a 6-foot-3 guard on Ernie Kent’s Saint Mary’s basketball team.
Ali received his first Oscar nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance in Moonlight. The prolific actor also is also in box office hit Hidden Figures, in which he plays Colonel Jim Johnson, and has TV roles in House of Cards and Luke Cage.
Ali played for Kent from 1992-96 and averaged 7.0 points per game as a senior. Though that team finished just 12-15, Kent credits its seniors with laying the groundwork for the 1996-97 team that finished second in the Western Athletic Conference and made the NCAA tournament, losing to Tim Duncan and Wake Forest.