Junior forward Gari Blackett has been named the CSI Male Student-Athlete of the Month for December 2007. The 6-foot-3 product out of Brooklyn College Academy in Brooklyn, NY, has paced the CSI Men's Basketball team through its 5-5 season start, culminating in an All-Tournament honor for his play in the 5th Annual Tournament of Heroes which ended on Saturday, December 30.
Blackett's month of December started with a bang. On December 5, in CSI's CUNYAC-debut against NYC College of Technology, Blackett scattered a career-high 21 rebounds, the 8th highest total in CSI men's basketball single game history. Two nights later, he recorded his first 20-point performance, notching 20 markers and 11 rebounds against Brooklyn College. This past weekend, Blackett earned All-Tournament honors, by posting a total of 21 points and 32 rebounds against Rivier College and Nazareth College, respectively.
So far this season, Blackett, who finished last year ranked 32nd in the nation (NCAA Division III) in rebounding, is averaging 13.0 rebounds per game, up from 12.3 a year ago. He is also second on the squad with a 13.2 points per game average. He has recorded seven double-doubles this season, and his 65.4% shooting from the floor this season is tops on the team.
