Doumbia, Mason earn NJCAA All-American honors at Arizona Western

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) — It’s been a historic year for Arizona Western basketball, with both the men’s and women’s programs producing NJCAA Division I Second Team All-Americans.

For the Lady Matadors, sophomore guard Mable Doumbia capped off a dominant season by doing it all.

Doumbia led the team in nearly every major category — averaging 16 points, 8.7 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 0.6 blocks per game — while recording 11 double-doubles across 29 games. She also delivered some of the season’s biggest performances, including a 38-point outing in a win over Central Arizona and a 32-point game just days later against Cochise College.

Her impact went far beyond the stat sheet.

“She took on the leadership role this year and never really looked back,” head coach Chelsea Dewey said. “Her willingness to win was untouchable.”

Doumbia stepped into that leadership position as the team’s only returning player, helping guide a roster that featured 11 new players from eight different countries. Fluent in three languages, she even embraced the role of team translator — becoming a key voice both on and off the court.

“She was my quarterback of this group,” Dewey said. “She leaned into that role and became a really strong leader for us.”

Doumbia also helped lead Arizona Western to the national tournament, where she nearly posted a triple-double with 11 points, 15 rebounds, and 9 assists in the opening round. She finishes her career as the first player in program history to appear in the national tournament in back-to-back seasons.

On the men’s side, Marsai Mason earned his All-American nod after a breakout year of his own.

Nicknamed “The Dominator” by his coaches, Mason nearly averaged a double-double — putting up 16.7 points and 9.9 rebounds per game while leading the Matadors in both categories.

“We’ve been really blessed… I think it’s five years in a row now we’ve had an All-American,” head coach Kyle Isaacs said. “Marsai did a great job coming in and taking his game to another level.”

In 29 games, Mason recorded 16 double-doubles and delivered a career-best performance with 38 points and 19 rebounds in a win over Central Arizona.

“Marsai came in and fit in right away,” Isaacs said. “Once he got into shape, it was domination.”

The nickname stuck — a reflection of his presence in practice and games alike.

“We worked with him one-on-one a lot, and he would just dominate everyone,” Isaacs added.