Hernandez Receives Liston Award

Editor: The following is part of a press release from mbuspartans.com.

(St. Louis, MO) – For the second consecutive year, Missouri Baptist University senior Pablo Hernandez  has been named the Emil S. Liston Award winner for the American Midwest Conference.

The prestigious Emil S. Liston Award annually recognizes one male and one female basketball student-athlete of at least junior status, who excels in all three areas of athletic achievement, academic excellence and character. As a winner at the conference level, Hernandez will now represent the AMC on the ballot for the NAIA’s National Emil S. Liston Award, which will be announced by the NAIA in September.

Heading into his senior season, Hernandez maintains a cumulative 3.60 grade-point average as a Physical Education major. On the hardwood, the 6-7 forward has become one of the top players in the AMC. Named All-AMC Second Team, Hernandez averaged 12.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game and ranked among the top 30 in the NAIA in field goal percentage (0.532).

Here’s what others are saying about Pablo:

Brad Cygan, Former MBU Assistant AD of Media & Communications:
“The one thing that always stood out to me was how people gravitated towards Pablo. He is a fan favorite not only for how hard he plays, but just as much for the sportsmanship that he displays.”

Brett Stillman, Area Representative, St. Louis Fellowship of Christian Athletes:
“On the NAIA website, the Emil S. Liston Award is named after a man who was a “prime mover” and I believe that Pablo exemplifies that characteristic by being a prime mover on his team, in the classroom and on his campus. I engaged Pablo twice a month to lead a discussion on spiritual growth and character qualities in accordance with the program’s core values of Energy, Discipline and Growth.” 

Lowell Pitzer, Faculty Athletics Representative & Assistant Professor – Education Division:
“Pablo displays loyalty, dependability, maturity and is an example specifically to his basketball teammates. His friendly, outgoing personality displayed toward others reveals that he is genuine in all of his relationships. Pablo portrays a disposition and a refreshing fervor for excellence in academics and in the sport of basketball.”

Matt Brock, Head Men’s Basketball Coach:
“This year, Pablo continued to mature into a team leader. He mentored younger teammates and guided them in the tough transition to college basketball and life. On the court, he became one of the premier forwards in our conference drawing more double-teams than any player in the league. As a team captain, he helped us build our culture of hard work and daily improvement.