RELEASE DATE: 9/27/04

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: FORMER MANSFIELD STANDOUT OMARI PEARSON SIGNS WITH TOP PROFESSIONAL LEAGUE IN ARGENTINA

MANSFIELD -- Former Mansfield University basketball standout, Omari Pearson, recently signed to play professional basketball with Gimnasia Esgrima Comodoro Rivadavia of Liga A in Argentina .  

Lig A is the highest level professional basketball league in basketball mad Argentina .

Pearson was a three-year letter winner at UNLV before transferring to Mansfield this past season.  He led the PSAC in scoring this season averaging 19.7 points per game.

The 6-9 forward also ranked second in the conference in rebounding (11.3 rpg) while ranking sixth in free throw shooting percentage (82.1%) and seventh in field goal shooting percentage (54.7%). He led the PSAC in double-doubles with 16 on the season and scored in double figures in all 26 games he appeared in.

Pearson capped off his outstanding season by being named to the 2004 Daktronics NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball All-America Team.  He became the first player in Mountaineer history to make the Daktronics All-America Team. 

Pearson is the only player from the PSAC to be named to Daktronics All-America honors, allowing him to become one of just 15 players nationwide to be named to the All-America team.

Pearson played in the NBA summer league in Minneapolis  for the Philadelphia 76ers this summer.