Conference

Brooklyn, NY -- A pair of LIU Brooklyn men's basketball players have been recognized by the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association and the National Invitation Tournament as among the best in the local area. Junior Julian Boyd was named to the All-Met First Team while classmate Jamal Olasewere garnered All-Met Second Team accolades. The pair will be honored at the annual MBWA All-Met Basketball Awards Dinner on April 26 in Tarrytown, N.Y.

Boyd added another postseason accolade to his growing list of accomplishments, which most recently featured an honorable mention recognition on the Associated Press All-America team. Boyd was also named Northeast Conference Player of the Year and earned a spot on the Lou Henson All-America Team after helping guide the Blackbirds to their second straight Northeast Conference championship and NCAA Tournament appearance.

Boyd, a finalist for the Lou Henson Mid-Major Player of the Year Award, averaged 17.4 points per game to place fourth in the NEC. His 9.3 rebounds per game were second in the league and rank 33rd in the country. The San Antonio native averaged 17.9 points and 9.8 rebounds in conference contests. Boyd reached double figures in scoring on 31 occasions and topped the 20-point mark 11 times, including a season-high 29 against Saint Peter's on Dec. 17.

Boyd collected double-digit rebounds 14 times on his way to 14 double-doubles. The 6-foot-7 forward led the Blackbirds in rebounding 21 times and became the first LIU player in 23 years to grab 20 boards in a game when the swept a career-high 20 off the glass to go along with 21 points at Fairleigh Dickinson on Feb. 23. A two-time NEC Player of the Week, Boyd scored his 1,000th career point against Fairleigh Dickinson on Jan. 12. He shot 55.7 percent from the floor, which ranks sixth in the league and 23rd in the nation. The 2009 NEC Rookie of the Year was also named to the All-NEC First Team for the second straight year. In addition, Boyd earned his second consecutive spot on the National Association of Basketball Coaches All-District 18 First Team. He was also named to the All-Met First Team last season.

Olasewere makes his second appearance on an All-Met team after earning third team honors last year. Like Boyd, he turned in another superb season and was named to the All-NEC First Team while also garnering a spot on the all-tournament team. He averaged 16.9 points to rank seventh in the NEC. The 6-7 forward also averaged 7.5 boards (fifth in the league), including a career-high 32-point performance against St. Francis (N.Y.) on Feb. 12. Olasewere snared a season-high 14 rebounds at Lafayette on Dec. 5.

Olasewere averaged 19.3 points and 8.3 rebounds in conference play and scored his 1,000th career point during a 20-point effort against Mount St. Mary's on Jan. 19. The Silver Spring, Md., native recorded nine double-doubles and shot a team-high 57.1 percent from the field to rank fourth in the NEC and 17th in the nation.

The Blackbirds went 25-9, compiling 25 or more wins in back-to-back seasons for the first time in 70 years. LIU was 16-2 in NEC play for the second straight season, matching a program record for league wins. The two-year winning percentage of .889 was a conference record. The Blackbirds have won 27 straight games at home, which stands as the second-longest active streak in the nation behind Kentucky (52 games).