Mahershala Ali is now best known as the winner of the Best Supporting Actor award at the 2017 Oscars for his role in “Moonlight,” which also (eventually) took home Best Picture at the awards show.
Lesser known is that Ali was a college basketball player at Saint Mary’s from 1992-96, when he was known as Mahershala Gilmore. His coach? Current WSU coach Ernie Kent.
He didn’t exactly have great things to say about his time in Moraga, California, although he doesn’t mention Kent by name. From a 2011 profile by the college, in which the larger context is Ali describing why he doesn’t miss Saint Mary’s:
I went to SMC on a basketball scholarship.