Rafael Maia

Height:
6-9
Class:
Fifth Year
Hometown:
Sao Paulo, Brazil
High School:
Maine Central Institute

THE STORYLINE
Veteran big man who played his first three seasons at Brown... Three-time Ivy League rebounding leader... Averaged 10.0 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game while starting all 80 games during his first three seasons of play... Transferred to Pitt after graduating from Brown with a degree in business entrepreneurship and organizations... Was ruled ineligible by the NCAA as a freshman... Uses size and strength to carve out space on the interior... Strong hands and an excellent motor also allow him to excel on the glass... Possesses a solid offensive repertoire, including spot up shooting range out to the three-point line... Has also gained valuable game experience competing for the Brazilian National Team... Team captain on Brazil's U-16, U-17 and U-18 teams... Suffered a right thumb injury in early September that sidelined him until the beginning of October... Was still able to work on his conditioning during the recovery process... Injury to his right thumb also allowed him to further develop his left hand... Size, strength and experience will allow his production to translate to the ACC level... Intelligent on and off the court... Two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District and Academic All-Ivy League selection... Expected to solidify Pitt's center rotation ... Unselfishness and willingness to do the dirty work have allowed him to make a seamless transition into the program

2014-15 (Brown): Earned CoSIDA Academic All-District and Academic All-Ivy honors... Named honorable mention All-Ivy League after averaging 9.9 points and 8.7 rebounds per game... Led the Ivy League in rebounding (8.7 rpg.) for the third consecutive season... Also led the conference in field goal percentage (.538) and offensive rebounds (3.3 orpg.), while ranking tied for fourth in defensive rebounds (5.4 drpg.) and tied for 18th in scoring (9.9 ppg.)... The only player in Ivy League to average a double-double (11.4 ppg., 10.0 rpg.) in conference play... Recorded a team-high seven double-doubles and had 10 double-figure rebounding games... Scored 10 or more points 17 times... Closed out the year with 11 points and 10 rebounds at Harvard, 3/7... Recorded 19 points and 16 rebounds at Darmouth, 3/6... Went 6-of-7 from the field and 7-of-13 from the foul line... Had 15 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals in a win over Penn, 2/27... Tallied 16 points and 16 rebounds at Princeton, 2/13... Grabbed seven offensive rebounds in the contest... Posted a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds (six offensive) in a home win over Dartmouth, 2/7... Went 5-of-6 from the field and scored 18 points to go along with nine rebounds and two assists at Yale, 1/24... Scored 16 points and grabbed 12 rebounds vs. Yale, 1/17... Went 7-of-11 from the field and added three steals in the contest... Finished with 15 points, five rebounds and three assists at New Hampshire, 1/8... Went 6-of-8 from the field in a win over Sacred Heart, 12/28... Closed with 13 points, nine rebounds and three steals... Recorded 12 points, 16 rebounds, four assists and three steals in a win over Johnson & Wales, 11/30... Posted 11 points and five rebounds in a win over Prairie View A&M... Went 4-of-5 from the field and 3-of-4 from the foul line in the game... Scored 13 points and added six rebounds against Illinois, 11/24... Had 10 points and six rebounds at Indiana State, 11/22... Tallied 12 points and eight rebounds vs. Northwestern, 11/17... Opened the season with 13 points and seven rebounds in a win over St. Peter's, 11/14 ... Went 8-of-10 from the free throw line in the contest

2013-14 (Brown): CoSIDA Academic All-District selection ... Also an Academic All-Ivy honoree... Started 22 games... Missed seven games due to injury... Averaged 9.5 points and a league-high 8.1 rebounds per game... Also ranked seventh in the Ivy League in field goal percentage (.478)... Posted nine games with double-figure rebounding, including a season high 14 rebounds vs. UMass-Lowell... Also registered five double-doubles... Grabbed 10 rebounds and added six points, three assists and three steals at Penn, 2/28... Had 13 points and five rebounds against Princeton, 2/14... Recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds at Dartmouth, 2/8... Had a season-high 18 points to go along with 12 rebounds (six offensive) vs. Columbia, 2/1... Was 5-of-9 from the field, including 2-of-2 from three-point range in the contest... Went 7-of-13 from the field and finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds at Yale, 1/18... Grabbed 11 rebounds and scored seven points against Rhode Island, 1/2... Collected 10 points, 10 rebounds and three steals at Niagara, 12/29... Scored 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting at American, 12/7... Tallied 13 points, 10 rebounds and three assists vs. Central Connecticut State, 11/30... Went 5-of-6 from the field and 3-of-4 from the foul line... Had 16 points and eight rebounds (five offensive) against Bryant, 1/27... Grabbed a season-high 14 rebounds at UMass-Lowell, 11/19... Recorded 16 points and eight rebounds at Sacred Heart, 11/16... Opened the season with 14 points and nine rebounds against Binghamton, 11/10

2012-13 (Brown): Two-time Ivy League Rookie of the Week selection... Led the league in rebounding (7.5 rpg.) and offensive rebounds (3.5 orpg.), while also ranking 10th in scoring (10.5 ppg.)... Scored in double figures 13 times with three 20+ point games... Grabbed 10 or more rebounds in six games... Registered three double-doubles... Had 12 points, 14 rebounds and two steals against Penn, 3/8... Scored a career high 22 points, while pulling down 13 rebounds against Cornell, 3/1... Went 9-of-14 from the field and also added four assists and two steals... Collected 13 rebounds vs. Dartmouth, 2/23... Had 19 points and nine rebounds at Princeton, 2/8... Went 10-of-11 from the field to score 21 points at Dartmouth, 2/1... Scored 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field in both games with Yale, 1/19 and 1/26... Grabbed a season high 15 rebounds to go along with eight points at Rhode Island, 1/4... Finished with 11 rebounds vs. Providence, 12/28... Posted eight points and six rebounds at No. 22 Notre Dame, 12/8... Had 19 points and 15 rebounds (seven offensive) against Sacred Heart, 11/29... Went 5-of-6 from the field and finished with 11 points, nine rebounds and three assists in a win over St. Francis, 11/24... Had 12 points and nine rebounds against Bryant, 11/21... Netted 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting at Maine, 11/17... Also had eight rebounds (six offensive) and three steals in the contest... Went 6-of-8 from the field and scored 14 points at Central Connecticut State, 11/15

2011-12: Missed the season after being ruled ineligible by the NCAA International Basketball... Played for Brazil in the 2013 World University Games in Russia ... Also practiced with the national team in preparation for the 2015 World Championship in South Korea ... Suffered a hamstring injury and was unable to compete in the tournament... Team captain of Brazil's National Team for three years -- U-16, U-17, U-18... Won a bronze medal with the U-16 team at the FIBA Americas... Also played at the Nike Global Summit... Played for Club Paulistano, the Brazil National Champions in 2007 and 2008... The club also won Sao Paulo State Champion in 2009

HIGH SCHOOL: Averaged a double-double with 15.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game to earn All-New England honors as a senior at MCI... Led MCI to the NEPSAC Prep School Championship with wins over Brewster Academy and New Hampton

PERSONAL: Born Rafael Donatti Alves Maia October 4, 1991 in Mogi das Cruzes, Brazil... Son of Andre' Maria Alves Maia and Sandra Regina Donatti Alves Maia... Both parents are engineers... Has a brother, Andre' Maria Alves Maia Filho, who was an accomplished club basketball player in Brazil... Can play five musical instruments... Enjoys playing the bass, the guitar and the piano, and watching movies and TV shows... Enrolled in the Katz Graduate School of Business... A customer insights major