BROOKLYN, N.Y. - The Long Island University men's basketball team will honor basketball hall of famer and New York Knicks legend Bernard King on Thursday night in a halftime ceremony as the Sharks (12-8, 6-1 NEC) meet the Le Moyne College Dolphins (11-10, 6-2 NEC) in a pivotal NEC matchup. Opening tipoff at the Steinberg Wellness Center for the second annual New York Knicks Alumni Night is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Tickets are available for purchase at $12 for adults, $8 for seniors and military personnel, and $7 for kids 12 and under.
King, a Brooklyn native and 2010 honorary LIU alumnus who was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013, played 14 NBA seasons including four with the Knicks. He was a four-time all-NBA selection, a four-time NBA all-star, and the 1984-85 NBA scoring champion, averaging 32.9 points per game.
LIU and head coach Rod Strickland, a 17-year NBA player and former Knicks standout, in conjunction with LIU's Roc Nation School of Music, Sports, and Entertainment, will commemorate King's contributions to the game and community.
Last season at the inaugural New York Knicks Night, the men's basketball program bestowed the honor upon fellow Knicks legend Walt "Clyde" Frazier.
LIU enters Thursday night's game atop the NEC standings, with a .5 game lead over Le Moyne in second place. Television coverage will be available digitally on NEC Front Row, with Mike Murabito and Hevynne Bristow on the call.
Radio coverage will be available on the LIU Sharks Audio Network via the Varsity Network App, featuring the "Voice of the Sharks" Phil Constantino and Jim "Mojo" Morrison.
Quick Facts:
-DOLPHIN HISTORY: Thursday's meeting between LIU and Le Moyne will be the 7th all-time meeting between the two programs, with each team holding three wins. The Dolphins won the previous matchup 83-77 at home on Jan. 19.
-LAST TIME OUT: Jamal Fuller and Greg Gordon each scored a game-high 20 points in Friday's 66-63 road win at Stonehill. LIU overcame a six-point deficit with under 4 minutes remaining in the game to defeat the Skyhawks and reach 6-1 in the NEC.
-STRONG START: With its win over FDU on Jan. 17, LIU opened NEC play with a 5-0 mark for the second consecutive season, and the fifth time in program history. This season's team joins the 2024-25, 2011-12, 2009-10, and 1996-97 teams in recording 5-0 or better starts to NEC play.
-NEC HONORS: Jamal Fuller became the third Shark to be named NEC Player of the Week on Jan. 6, joining Malachi Davis and Greg Gordon. This is the first time LIU has had three student-athletes named POTW in the same season since 2019-20 (Ty Flowers, Jermaine Jackson Jr., Raiquan Clark). Several Sharks have earned Prime Performer awards (Gordon, 6x; Davis, 5x; Fuller, 6x; Mason Porter-Brown, 1x).
-OFFENSIVE LEADERS: Through 20 games, the Sharks rank 2nd in the NEC with 74.6 ppg. Three Sharks sit in the top 10 of the NEC in points per game; Jamal Fuller (16.1 ppg, 4th), Malachi Davis (15.5 ppg, 5th), and Greg Gordon (15 ppg, 6th)
-NEC RANKS: The Sharks sit 2nd the NEC in team field goal percentage with a 47% mark, with Greg Gordon (55.5%, 2nd in NEC), Jamal Fuller (52.8%, 3rd) and Malachi Davis (43%, 8th) all in the top 10 of individual field goal percentage.
-NEC PRESEASON POLL: LIU was unanimously picked to finish first out of 10 teams by the conference's head coaches.
-2 SHARKS RECEIVE PRESEASON ALL-NEC HONORS: Redshirt senior guard Malachi Davis and graduate student guard/forward Jamal Fuller were named NEC Preseason All-Conference selections. Both received All-NEC honors last winter. Both were All-NEC selections last season (Davis, 1st Team; Fuller, 2nd Team).
