Men's Basketball Weekly Honors - Jan. 4
Rob Washburn
CAA MEN'S BASKETBALL WEEKLY REPORT - JAN. 4 (PDF format)
PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Quincy Ford • Northeastern
Sr., F, 6-8, 225 - St. Petersburg, Fla./Gibbs
Ford averaged 21.0 points and 10.0 rebounds as Northeastern went 2-1 on the road last week. The senior forward recorded a career-high 30 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists in an 86-69 win at Elon and followed with team-highs of 18 points and 14 boards in a 65-63 triumph at UNCW. He also had 15 points and 8 rebounds in a 72-66 setback at ACC foe N.C. State. Ford shot 46.5% from the floor and added six steals and four blocks.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Juan’ya Green • Hofstra
Sr., G, 6-2, 195 - Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Carroll
Green led Hofstra to a 3-0 week by averaging 19.0 points, 8.0 assists and 5.3 rebounds. The senior guard had a team-high 19 points and a career-best 11 assists in a 90-80 win over Delaware and followed with 16 points and 7 assists in a 90-58 victory at Towson. He also scored a team-high 22 points as the Pride beat Sacred Heart. For the week, he shot 51.7% from the floor.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK:
Jarrell Brantley • College of Charleston
Fr., F, 6-7, 245 - Columbia, S.C./Notre Dame Prep
Brantley averaged 22.5 points and 7.5 rebounds as College of Charleston split a pair of CAA road games last week. The freshman scored a career-high 29 points on 13-of-14 FG shooting in a 65-62 win at JMU and contributed 16 points and 8 boards in a 78-70 loss at William & Mary. Brantley, who leads all CAA freshmen in scoring and rebounding this season, shot a sizzling 84% (21-of-25) from the floor last week.
CONFERENCE NOTES:
ROAD TEAMS GO 6-4 IN CAA ACTION: Road teams went 6-4 as CAA play opened last week.
Northeastern picked up road victories at Elon and UNCW and moved atop the standings at 2-0 along with
Hofstra, which defeated Delaware and Towson by scoring 90 points in back-to-back CAA games for the first time since 2006. Signaling what should be a very competitve league race, there are six teams currently at 1-1. Road teams having success in CAA action continues a trend from last year when home teams were just 47-43. The CAA will play a Thursday/Saturday conference schedule this season, with a handful of games moving one day for television.
CAA EXCELS IN NON-CONFERENCE PLAY: The CAA turned in one of the strongest non-conference performances in conference history with the 10 squads putting together a 75-44 overall record. Making the numbers more impressive is the fact that less than half of those games were at home. CAA teams were dominant (47-8) at home and had 21 victories in true road contests, which is the 3rd-most among all conferences.
FOUR CAA TEAMS AMONG TOP 90 IN LATEST RPI: Four CAA teams are ranked among the top 90 in the latest RPI report released by
Collegiate Basketball News (rpiratings.com) on Jan. 4.
College of Charleston leads all CAA squads at #51, followed by
Northeastern at #59,
William & Mary at #66 and
Hofstra at #86. The CAA is ranked #9 among the nation’s 32 Division I conferences,
which is its highest ranking ever at this point in the season, and is one of nine conferences with four teams among the top 86 of the RPI.
THREE-POINT SUCCESS: Several CAA teams are among the nation’s best at scoring from the 3-point line and defending it.
Elon (10.5 pg/9th),
James Madison (9.9 pg/23rd) and
Hofstra (9.7 pg/26th) are among Division I leaders in 3’s per game while Hofstra (39.7%/23rd), JMU (39.3%/28th) and Northeastern (38.6%/39th) are ranked in 3-point FG%. Defensively,
William & Mary is 7th in 3-point FG percentage defense (27.3%). Individually, Hofstra’s
Brian Bernardi (3.29 pg/17th), Elon’s
Tanner Samson (3.27 pg/18th) and W&M’s
Daniel Dixon (3.0/35th) are among Division I leaders in treys per game, while Bernardi (48.4%/8th) and Northeastern’s
David Walker (45.2%/29th) are ranked in 3-point FG%.
CLEANING THE GLASS: Nine of the CAA’s 10 teams are out-rebounding their opponents for the season as of Jan. 4. Towson has a league-best +6.8 rebound margin, followed by James Madison (+5.2 rpg) and Delaware (+4.7 rpg).
UNCW RANKS FIFTH IN TURNOVER MARGIN: UNCW ranks fifth nationally in turnover margin (+6.0 tpg) through games of Jan. 3. The Seahawks are forcing 17.4 turnovers per game, which ranks 13th in Division I, while committing 11.4. UNCW is also 10th nationally with 9.5 steals per game.
W&M’S TARPEY AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS IN STEALS: W&M senior
Terry Tarpey ranks 7th nationally in steals (2.7 spg) through games of Jan. 3. In scoring, CofC’s
Canyon Barry is 35th (19.7 ppg) and Northeastern’s
David Walker is 48th (19.1 ppg). Hofstra’s
Juan’ya Green (6.6 apg) is 13th in assists and Elon’s Luke Eddy is 36th (5.6 apg). Hofstra’s
Brian Bernardi is 5th in FT percentage (92.3%). Delaware’s
Marvin King-Davis is 16th in double-doubles (7). Hofstra’s
Rokas Gustys ranks 40th in rebounding (9.3 rpg).
TWO CAA TEAMS RANKED IN MID-MAJOR POLL: A pair of CAA teams were ranked in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll released on Dec. 28.
James Madison moved up two spots to #19 and
College of Charleston rose to #22.
Northeastern, Hofstra, William & Mary, Elon and
UNCW were among other teams receiving votes in the poll. The CAA was one of seven conferences with multiple teams in the top 25. A new poll will be released later Monday night.
GREEN AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS IN CAREER POINTS, ASSISTS: Hofstra senior guard
Juan’ya Green ranks third among all active Division I players in career points (1,950), second in career assists (622) and fifth in career steals (196) through games of Jan. 3. He trails only Evansville’s D.J. Balentine (2,089) and High Point’s John Brown (1,964) in points and Texas A&M’s Anthony Collins (630) in assists.
CAA COACHES TELECONFERENCE BEGINS ON JAN. 5: The first CAA coaches teleconference will take place on Tuesday, January 5 and will continue each Tuesday morning throughout the regular season. All 10 coaches will participate on the call beginning at 10 a.m. and a complete schedule and call-in information can be found on Page 5 of this release. The teleconference will be streamed live on CAASports.com and the calls will also be archived on the website.
CAA PARTNERS WITH HSRN: The CAA has partnered with the Heritage Sports Radio Network (HSRN) to have 11 regular-season men’s basketball games as well as the opening round, quarterfinals and semifinals of the CAA Men’s Basketball Championship broadcast nationally on SiriusXM radio. Thursday’s UNCW/Towson game will air on Sirius 145/XM 201 and Saturday’s Northeastern/W&M game will be on Sirius 146 and XM 203.
College of Charleston
• Split a pair of CAA road games last week, beating JMU (65-62) but losing to W&M (78-70). Have won seven of their last nine.
• Jerrell Brantley scored a career-high 29 points on 13-of-14 FG shooting with 7 rebounds at JMU and followed with 16 points and 8 boards at W&M. He tops all CAA freshmen in scoring and rebounding.
• Freshman Marquise Pointer scored a career-high 23 points at W&M and hit the game-winning layup with 28 seconds left at JMU. He’s averaging 14.6 ppg in his last 5 games.
• Canyon Barry had 11 points in 18 minutes at W&M before suffering a shoulder injury. He’s tallied double digits in 11 of 13 games and has seven 20+-point efforts.
• Cameron Johnson hit 5-of-8 treys and scored 19 points at JMU. He has tallied double digits nine times this season.
• Guard Payton Hulsey is averaging 9.7 rebounds over his past three contests. He also leads CofC with 44 assists for the season.
Delaware
• Suffered losses to Buffalo (99-79), Hofstra (90-80) and JMU (73-63) last week.
• Marvin King-Davis posted double-doubles at Buffalo (19pts/10reb) and Hofstra (19pts/11reb). He leads the CAA with 7 double-doubles and ranks 2nd with 8.8 rpg.
• Anthony Mosley averaged 16.3 ppg and 8.7 rpg last week. He scored a career-high 20 points at Hofstra and recorded his first double-double vs. JMU with 16 points and a career-best 11 rebounds.
• Cazmon Hayes contributed a team-high 17 points and 8 rebounds vs. JMU and 16 points at Hofstra. He’s scored double figures in seven straight games.
• Kory Holden had 13 points and 6 assists vs. UB and HU. He’s 6th in the CAA in scoring (16.6 ppg) and 4th in assists (4.3 apg).
• Devonne Pinkard, who suffered a broken foot on Nov. 24, returned to action vs. JMU.
• Each of UD’s last six opponents had made at least 11 three-pointers.
Drexel
• Dropped road games at Iona (77-70), UNCW (75-63) and Elon (83-78) last week.
• Rodney Williams posted his 2nd double-double of the year at UNCW with 15 points and a career-high 15 boards and followed with a career-best 19 points at Elon.
• Tavon Allen hit 4-of-5 treys and scored 19 points at Elon and has tallied double digits in 11 of 13 games. He had 16 points at Iona and went over 1,000 points for his career.
• Terrell Allen had 10 points and 4 steals at Iona, 11 points at UNCW and 8 points and 4 steals at Elon. He ranks second in the CAA in steals (2.1 spg) and 9th in assists (3.0 apg).
• Sophomore Rashann London chipped in 13 points at UNCW and has scored double figures in eight of 13 contests.
• Sammy Mojica tied a career-high with 20 points at Iona and added 14 at Elon. He has six double-digit efforts in the past 10 games.
• Ahmad Fields returned to action at UNCW after missing 10 games due to an injury.
Elon
• Went 1-2 last week, falling to #15 Duke (105-66) and Northeastern (86-79) before defeating Drexel, 83-78.
• Tanner Samson averaged 15.3 ppg last week, highlighted by 17 points at Duke and a team-high 19 vs. Drexel, which was his 10th straight double-digit effort. He made 8 treys last week and is Elon’s career 3-point leader with 291, including 49 this season.
• Freshman Steven Santa Ana hit 4-of-6 threes and scored a season-high 18 points vs. Drexel. It was his fourth double-digit effort in the past five games.
• Luke Eddy tied his career-high with 27 points vs. NU. He dished out 7 assists vs. Drexel and is 2nd in the CAA with 5.6 apg
• Christian Hairston scored 11 points vs. NU and is averaging 12.4 ppg and 7.0 rpg over his last nine games.
• Elon was 11-of-23 from 3-point range vs. Drexel, which was its ninth game with 10 or more threes this season.
Hofstra
• Went 3-0 last week with wins over Sacred Heart (80-73), Delaware (90-80) and Towson (90-58). Off to 2nd-best start at Div. I level.
• Juan’ya Green averaged 19.0 ppg, 8.0 apg and 5.3 rpg last week. He posted his 2nd double-double (19 pts/11 ast) of the year vs. UD, had a team-high 22 points and 6 assists vs. SHU and 16 points at Towson.
• Rokas Gustys averaged 13.0 ppg and 10.0 rpg last week, including his 4th double-double (17 pts/10 reb) vs. SHU. He tops the CAA in rebounding (9.3 rpg) and has grabbed 10+ boards eight times.
• Brian Bernardi hit four treys in all three games last week and averaged 17.0 ppg. He has made a team-high 46 threes on 48.4% shooting for the year.
• Ameen Tanksley averaged 15.0 ppg in the two CAA games. He’s reached double digits in 13 of 14 contests.
• Denton Koon averaged 16.0 ppg and 7.5 rpg in the two CAA contests. He’s scored double figures 10 times this season.
James Madison
• Split CAA games last week, losing 65-62 to CofC before winning 73-63 at Delaware. Have won 9 of their last 10 overall.
• Ron Curry hit 5-of-7 treys and scored a team-high 23 points vs. CofC and had 17 second-half points at UD. He’s reached double digits in seven straight games.
• Dimitrije Cabarkapa tallied 16 points in 22 minutes off the bench vs. CofC. He’s made at least one 3-pointer in 23 straight games.
• Jackson Kent posted his 1st career double-double with a season-high 19 points and 10 rebounds at UD.
• Winston Grays came off the bench to score a season-high 13 points at UD. He drained 3-of-5 from 3-point range.
• JMU beat Delaware 44-37 on the glass and is 10-0 when out-rebounding opponents.
• The Dukes have held six of their last nine foes to under 36% FG shooting.
UNCW
• Won 2-of-3 at home last week, beating Campbell (106-83) and Drexel (75-63) before a 65-63 setback to Northeastern.
• Chris Flemmings averaged 17.3 ppg and 7.3 rpg last week. He posted his first double-double (18 pts/career-high 12 reb) vs. CU and scored a team-high 17 points vs. DU and NU. He’s reached double figures in 10 of the past 11 contests.
• Freshman C.J. Bryce scored a career-high 24 points vs. Campbell and followed with 14 points vs. Drexel. He’s averaging 13.5 ppg over his last six games.
• Craig Ponder added 10 points vs. NU and is 60 points shy of 1,000 for his career.
• Jordon Talley averaged 11.0 points and 5.7 assists in the three games last week.
• Denzel Ingram has scored double digits in five straight games and is averaging 11.8 ppg over that stretch.
• UNCW is ranked among the nation’s best in TO margin, TO’s forced and steals.
Northeastern
• Went 2-1 on the road last week, defeating Elon (86-79) and UNCW (65-63) after losing at NC State (72-66). Off to their best overall start since 2008-09.
• Quincy Ford averaged 21.0 ppg and 10.0 rpg last week. He had a career-high 30 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists at Elon and 18 points and 14 boards at UNCW. He’s scored double figures in all 15 games and is among the CAA’s top four in scoring and rebounding.
• David Walker posted his first career double-double at Elon with 26 points and a career-best 12 rebounds. He’s scored double digits in 12 of the past 13 games.
• Jeremy Miller had 15 points and 8 rebounds at UNCW and converted a game-winning layup with 0.8 seconds remaining.
• Caleb Donnelly hit 4-of-6 threes and scored 12 points in his first career start at NCSU.
• NU has hit 41 treys in the past four games.
• Freshman Donnell Gresham, Jr. averaged 7.0 ppg in his first three games last week.
Towson
• Rallied for a 76-69 victory at W&M, but fell 90-58 to Hofstra last week. Have won 9 of their last 11 games.
• William Adala Moto averaged 16.0 ppg and 6.0 rpg last week while shooting 55.6% from the floor. He’s scored double figures in 10 straight games.
• Mike Morsell had team-highs of 18 points and 8 rebounds at W&M and added 12 points vs. Hofstra. He’s averaging 15.0 ppg over his past four contests.
• Walter Foster posted his team-best 3rd double-double (10 pts/10 reb) vs. Hofstra. He’s scored double figures in five of his past seven games.
• Byron Hawkins scored 13 points at W&M. He’s reached double digits in 10 of his last 12 games and tops TU with 14.3 ppg.
• The Tigers out-rebounded W&M 38-32 and are a CAA-best +6.8 in rebound margin.
• Towson had held seven straight foes to less than 70 points before Hofstra scored 90.
William & Mary
• Went 2-1 at home last week, beating Central Michigan (88-84) and CofC (78-70) but losing to Towson (76-69).
• Omar Prewitt averaged 21.0 ppg and 8.3 rpg last week and eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for his career. He had a season-high 23 points vs. CMU and topped it with 26 against CofC for his 15th straight double-digit game.
• David Cohn scored a career-best 16 points vs. TU and averaged 5.0 assists for the week.
• Daniel Dixon averaged 13.7 ppg last week and has scored double digits in 6 straight games. He leads the team with 39 treys.
• Terry Tarpey ranks third in the CAA in rebounding and first in steals and blocks. He became the first player in W&M history with over 100 steals and 100 blocks in a career.
• Sean Sheldon tallied 14 points on 7-of-10 FG shooting against Towson and blocked a career-high 5 shots in the CofC win.
• W&M leads the CAA in FG percentage defense (40%) and 3-point FG% defense (27.3%).