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Philadelphia, PA – Rob Dockery of the La Salle men’s basketball team earned Second Team All-Big 5 honors on Monday.
Dockery, who will return to 20th and Olney for the 2026-27 campaign, played in all 32 games for the Explorers during his redshirt sophomore season and led the team with 12.5 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game. He also shot 49.1% from the field and converted on 77.2% of his attempts from the free-throw line.
During A-10 play, Dockery led the league in free throws made (91) and free throw attempts (119). He ranked ninth in the A-10 with 15.4 points per game and fourth in the A-10 with 7.1 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game in league play.
He also recorded three double-doubles and registered 20 or more points in seven games, all against A-10 opponents.
In the first round of the A-10 tournament against St. Bonaventure, Dockery poured in a career-high 33 points and added 10 rebounds, while shooting a perfect 11-for-11 from the free-throw line.
Dockery’s 33 points were the second most by an Explorer in A-10 tournament history.
He also produced double-doubles with 26 points and 14 rebounds against Saint Joseph’s on Jan. 31, and finished with 19 points and a career-best 15 rebounds in a 59-46 home victory against Rhode Island on Feb. 21.
Dockery ended the season with a terrific six-game stretch, averaging 23.6 points and eight rebounds in nearly 34 minutes per game.
He was named Philadelphia Big 5 Player of the Week on March 9, following back-to-back 25-point performances in an 87-84 home win against Fordham (March 4) and in the regular-season finale at Saint Joseph’s (March 7).
Saint Joseph’s guard Derek Simpson was announced as the Philadelphia Big 5 Player of the Year, while Villanova’s Acaden Lewis was named the Rookie of the Year, and Saint Joseph’s head coach Steve Donahue was chosen as the Philadelphia Big 5 Coach of the Year.
The other major award winners on the men’s side include Aiden Tobiason from Temple as the Most Improved Player and Justice Ajogbor from Saint Joseph’s who garnered Big 5 Scholar-Athlete of the Year accolades for the second straight year.
Philadelphia Big 5 Men’s Basketball Award Winners
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Derek Simpson, Saint Joseph’s (Senior, Guard)
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Acaden Lewis, Villanova (Freshman, Guard)
COACH OF THE YEAR
Steve Donahue, Saint Joseph’s
MOST IMPROVED PLAYER
Aiden Tobiason, Temple (Sophomore, Guard)
SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Justice Ajogbor, Saint Joseph’s (Grad Student, Forward)
LEADING SCORER
Derrian Ford, Temple (Senior, Guard)– 18.1 points per game
LEADING FREE THROW SHOOTER
Derek Simpson, Saint Joseph’s (Senior, Guard)– 91.7 percent (99-108)
ALL-BIG 5 FIRST TEAM
Shane Blakeney, Drexel
Duke Brennan, Villanova
Derrian Ford, Temple
Tyler Perkins, Villanova
TJ Power, Penn
Derek Simpson, Saint Joseph’s
ALL-BIG 5 SECOND TEAM
Rob Dockery, La Salle
Jaden Glover-Toscano, Saint Joseph’s
Acaden Lewis, Villanova
Bryce Lindsay, Villanova
Ethan Roberts, Penn
Aiden Tobiason, Temple