Men's Basketball Weekly Honors - Jan. 8
Rob Washburn
CAA MEN'S BASKETBALL WEEKLY RELEASE - JAN. 8 (PDF format)
CAA MEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Nathan Knight • William & Mary
So., F, 6-10, 235 - Syracuse, N.Y./Nottingham
Knight averaged 20.0 points and 12.0 rebounds as William & Mary went 3-0 on the road in CAA play last week. The sophomore forward recorded double-doubles in all three contests with 16 points and 12 boards at JMU, 25 points and 11 caroms at Delaware and 19 points and 13 rebounds at Drexel. He shot 63.9% from the floor and 80% at the free throw line. Knight is averaging 22.8 ppg and 11.8 rpg in CAA play as the Tribe has matched their best conference start (4-0) in school history.
CAA MEN'S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK:
Matt Lewis • James Madison
Fr., G, 6-5, 180 - Arlington, Va./Bishop O’Connell
Lewis averaged 13.7 ppg and 4.0 rpg in James Madison’s three conference games last week. The freshman guard tallied double digits in each contest with 13 points vs. William & Mary, 14 points and five rebounds at Hofstra and 14 points, a team-high six rebounds and two steals in his first career start at Northeastern. For the week, he was 7-of-13 (53.8%) from 3-point range.
CONFERENCE NOTES:
W&M OFF TO BEST CAA START EVER: William & Mary won three straight road games in a six-day period last week to claim sole possession of first place in the CAA standings at 4-0. The start matches the 1997-98 Tribe squad for the best conference start in school history. The Tribe’s three CAA road wins is nearly as many as the rest of the league combined (four). W&M, which is 6-0 this season at Kaplan Arena, opens a three-game homestand this week against James Madison and Towson.
THREE TEAMS IN TOP 78 OF RPI: Three CAA teams are ranked in the top 78 of the latest NCAA RPI through games of Jan. 7. William & Mary leads the way at #55, Elon follows at #67 and Towson is ranked #78. The CAA is one of only 10 conferences (American, ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Mountain West, Pac 12, SEC, West Coast) with three teams ranked in the top 78. The CAA is ranked 12th out of the nation’s 32 Division I conferences.
LIGHTING UP THE SCOREBOARD: Offenses have taken center stage in the early portion of conference play. Through the first 20 league games, the winning team has scored at least 80 points in 14 of them. Six squads are averaging 77.5 ppg or more in CAA action. Shooting percentages have been impressive as well. Seven teams are shooting better than 47.5% from the floor, six are hitting at least 37.5% from 3-point range, and four squads are shooting better than 80% from the free throw line in conference play.
TOPPING THE 1,000-POINT MARK: Five CAA players eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for their careers last week. Hofstra’s Rokas Gustys and UNCW’s Jordon Talley reached the milestone last Friday. Three players hit the 1,000-point mark in the same game on Sunday as Elon’s Dmitri Thompson and Tyler Seibring and Hofstra’s Justin Wright-Foreman hit 1,000 in the contest between the Phoenix and Pride.
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE: CAA teams are a combined 52-15 at home this season and also have 12 victories on neutral courts. Four of the league’s 10 teams (Charleston, Elon, Towson and William & Mary) are unbeaten on their home floors this season.
YOUTH MOVEMENT: Young players are making a big impact in the CAA. There are seven sophomores, one freshman and only two seniors among the CAA’s top 16 in scoring through games of Jan. 7. There are also just three seniors among the CAA’s top 10 in rebounding.
UNCW’S CACOK LEADS NATION IN REBOUNDING: UNCW junior Devontae Cacok leads the nation in rebounding (13.0 rpg) and Hofstra’s Rokas Gustys ranks 6th (11.6 rpg) through games of Jan. 7. Cacok has grabbed at least 10 rebounds in 13 of 16 games and is also 2nd in the nation with 12 double-doubles. Several other CAA players are among the nation’s top 20 statisically. W&M’s David Cohn ranks 13th in assists (6.8 apg). Drexel’s Austin Williams is 19th (2.8 bpg) in blocked shots. W&M’s Connor Burchfield is 2nd in 3-point FG percentage (54.5%) while teammate Matt Milon is 4th (52.7%).
WRIGHT-FOREMAN EXTENDS SCORING STREAK: Hofstra junior Justin Wright-Foreman, who leads the CAA and ranks third in the nation in scoring with 25.4 ppg, extended his double-digit scoring streak to 38 games with his career-best 39-point effort against Elon on Sunday. The streak is the fifth-longest active streak in the nation. Wright-Foreman has scored 20 or more points 13 times this season and has topped the 30-point mark four times.
W&M AMONG NATION’S BEST OFFENSIVE TEAMS: William & Mary can make a strong case as the top shooting team in the nation. The Tribe ranks among the top three in the nation in field goal percentage (52.1%/3rd), 3-point FG percentage (46.2%/1st) and free throw percentage (80.4%/2nd), and is 12th in scoring (87.1 ppg).
HOFSTRA’S GUSTYS MOVES TO 2ND ON CAA’S CAREER REBOUNDS LIST: Hofstra senior Rokas Gustys has moved into 2nd place on the CAA’s career rebounds list after grabbing a season-high 23 boards vs. Elon on Sunday. With 1,119 rebounds, Gustys trails only Navy Hall of Famer David Robinson (1,314) on the CAA’s career caroms chart. He ranks second among all active Division I players in rebounds behind Seton Hall’s Angel Delgado.
College of Charleston (11-5, 2-2 in CAA)
• Defeated Delaware (93-78) at home, but lost road games at Drexel (87-82/ot) and Towson (73-62) last week.
• Jarrell Brantley averaged 20.3 ppg last week, including a season-high 26 points vs. UD and his first double-double (20 pts/10 reb) at Drexel. Brantley is averaging 21.3 ppg and 6.8 rpg in CAA play.
• Joe Chealey hit 4-of-6 threes and scored a game-high 29 points vs UD and followed with 22 points at Drexel. It was his 6th 20-point outing of the season. He ranks 5th in the CAA in scoring and 3rd in assists.
• Marquise Pointer tied his season-high with 14 points off the bench vs. both Delaware and Drexel. He was 11-of-19 from the floor over the two games.
• Grant Riller tallied 18 points vs. UD and Towson. He’s scored double figures in 9 of his last 10 games and is averaging 16.1 ppg.
• CofC ranks 2nd in the CAA in scoring defense (66.0 ppg) and 3rd in FG% defense (42.3%).
Delaware (9-8, 2-2 in CAA)
• Rolled past UNCW (96-76) after dropping games to Charleston (93-78) and W&M (90-65) last week.
• Ryan Daly averaged 22.0 ppg last week, including a season-high 27 points vs. UNCW and 21 vs. W&M. He’s hit double digits in 15 straight games and has 7 20-point efforts. Daly ranks in the top 15 in the CAA in scoring, rebounds, assists and steals.
• Ryan Allen averaged 14.7 ppg last week, including 23 in the UNCW win. He’s tallied double figures in 10 of the past 12 games and tops CAA rookies in scoring (13.8 ppg).
• Eric Carter scored a career-high 23 points at CofC and added 13 points vs. UNCW. He’s 5th in the CAA in rebounding (8.6 rpg).
• UD shot a season-best 58.6 from the floor with a season-high 11 treys vs. UNCW and 56% against CofC.
• Freshman Kevin Anderson, who averaged 13.7 ppg and 4.9 rpg, will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury.
Drexel (7-10, 1-3 in CAA)
• Knocked off CofC, 87-82 in OT, for their first CAA victory, but suffered setbacks to UNCW (107-87) and W&M (85-63) last week.
• Kurk Lee scored a team-high 22 points on 8-of-12 FG shooting against both UNCW and CofC. He has seven double-digit efforts in the last nine games and has five 20-point outings this season. He’s 13th in the CAA in scoring and 5th in assists.
• Alihan Demir scored a career-high 20 points vs CofC, 16 at UNCW and 14 vs. W&M. He’s averaging 14.9 ppg over his past 7 games.
• Troy Harper scored a season-high 21 points at UNCW and added 14 vs. CofC. He set a school record by making 35 straight free throws and is shooting 86.8% for the year.
• Austin Williams posted his 5th double-double (10 pts/13 reb) vs. CofC. He’s 6th in the CAA in FG%, 3rd in rebounds (8.9 rpg) and 1st in blocked shots (2.8 bpg).
• Leading scorer Tramaine Isabell (18.6 ppg) returned to action and chipped in 14 points off the bench vs. CofC and W&M.
Elon (11-6, 3-1 in CAA)
• Off to its best start (3-1) as a CAA member after wins over Towson (75-72) and Hofstra (89-76) and a loss at Northeastern (72-60).
• Tyler Seibring averaged 18.3 ppg and 5.7 rpg while shooting 66% last week, including a team-high 22 points at HU. He went over the 1,000-point mark for his career.
• Dmitri Thompson scored a team-high 19 points at NU, 18 at Hofstra and 15 points vs. TU, including four in the final 27 seconds. He went over 1,000 points for his career.
• Steven Santa Ana scored 15 of his team-high 17 points in the second half vs. TU. He was 4-of-6 from three in the final 20 minutes.
• Brian Dawkins had 18 points and a team-high 8 rebounds in the win at Hofstra.
• Elon is 6-0 at home for the first time since 1990-91 in its final year at Alumni Gym.
• Elon made 13 threes at Hofstra, which was its 11th game with 10+ treys.
• Elon shot over 54% from the floor in the 2nd half of all three games last week.
Hofstra (9-7, 2-2 in CAA)
• Went 2-1 last week with wins over Northeastern (71-70) and JMU (87-81/ot) before falling 89-76 to Elon.
• Justin Wright-Foreman averaged 30.7 ppg last week, including a career-high 39 points vs. Elon, 27 at NU and 26 vs. JMU. He’s tallied 20+ points in 13 games, topped 30 points four times and ranks 3rd in Div. I in scoring with 25.4 ppg. His 38-game double-digit scoring streak ranks 5th nationally.
• Rokas Gustys posted double-doubles vs. NU (15 pts/13 reb) and JMU (12 pts/18 reb) and had a season-high 23 rebounds vs. Elon. He’s 2nd on the CAA’s career rebounds list and has 10+ boards in 11 games. He went over 1,000 career points vs. JMU.
• Eli Pemberton, who scored 19 points vs. Elon, is among the CAA’s top 20 in scoring and rebounding.
• Freshman Jalen Ray hit 5-of-9 treys and scored a career-best 18 points vs. JMU.
• Hofstra has had seven games decided by 3 points or less and another in OT. The Pride is 6-2 in those contests.
James Madison (4-13, 0-4 in CAA)
• Fell to William & Mary (84-76), Hofstra (87-81/OT) and Northeastern (80-67) last week.
• Stuckey Mosley tied a JMU record with 9 threes and scored a career-high 37 points at HU. He’s 2nd in the CAA in scoring (19.8 ppg) and has reached double digits in 10 straight games. He also made a career-high 6 steals at HU and is averaging 1.7 spg.
• Matt Lewis averaged 13.7 ppg and 4.0 rpg last week, including 14 points at Hofstra and NU. He ranks third among all CAA freshmen in scoring with 10.6 ppg.
• Darius Banks scored a team-best 16 points on 5-of-8 FG shooting at Northeastern.
• DeVelle Phillips averaged 11.0 ppg and 7.0 rpg over the three games last week.
• JMU leads the CAA in steals (8.2 spg) and has had six games with 10 or more thefts.
• Ten of JMU’s last 12 games have been decided by 10 points or less.
• Dwight Wilson is averaging 6.8 ppg in CAA play after scoring 7 total points prior to that.
UNCW (4-12, 1-3 in CAA)
• Rolled past Drexel, 107-87, at home but dropped CAA road games at Towson (89-71) and Delaware (96-76) last week.
• Devontae Cacok posted double-doubles vs. Drexel (23 pts/16 reb), Towson (15 pts/10 reb) and Delaware (18 pts/11reb) and ranks 2nd nationally with 12. He leads the nation in rebounding (13.0 rpg), ranks 5th in the CAA in scoring and is 1st in FG%.
• Jordon Talley averaged 18.0 ppg and 5.3 apg last week, including a team-high 24 points and 6 assists vs. Drexel. He’s 8th in the CAA in scoring and 2nd in assists. He’s reached double figures in 14 of the last 15 games and went over 1,000 points for his career.
• Ty Taylor averaged 16.3 ppg last week, topped by 17-point outings against Drexel and Delaware.
• Freshman Jeff Gary was 4-for-4 and scored 11 points in 19 minutes vs. Drexel. It was his third career game in double digits.
• UNCW leads the CAA in rebound margin (+5.5 rpg) for the season.
Northeastern (10-6, 3-1 in CAA)
• Went 2-1 at home last week, losing 71-70 to Hofstra before beating Elon (72-60) and JMU (80-67). NU is 7-1 at home this season.
• Shawn Occeus averaged 15.7 ppg last week, including a team-high 20 points vs. HU and 18 vs. JMU. He leads the CAA in steals (1.9 spg) and made 5 thefts against the Pride.
• Vasa Pusica hit 4-of-6 threes and had a team-high 20 points vs. Elon and dished out a career-high 9 assists vs. JMU. He’s reached double digits in 11 of the last 12 games and has six 20-point outings. He ranks 10th in the CAA in scoring and 4th in assists.
• Jeremy Miller scored a season-high 12 points vs. Hofstra.
• Maxime Boursiquot scored 13 points vs. JMU and 10 against Elon. He was 9-of-12 from the floor and 4-of-5 from three over those two games.
• NU hit a season-high 14 threes vs. JMU, 12 against Hofstra and 11 vs. Elon. NU is averaging 11.3 treys per game in CAA play.
Towson (12-5, 2-2 in CAA)
• Went 2-1 last week, losing 75-72 at Elon before posting home victories over UNCW (89-71) and Charleston (73-62).
• Zane Martin averaged 18.3 ppg last week, including a career-high 27 points and 5 assists at Elon and a team-high 16 points vs. CofC. He’s had nine 20-point outings and has hit double digits in 11 straight games. He’s 4th in the CAA with 18.2 ppg.
• Mike Morsell hit 4-of-6 threes and scored a season-best 24 points against UNCW. He also averaged 6.3 rebounds last week.
• Eddie Keith II averaged 10.3 ppg last week and scored double digits in all three games.
• Justin Gorham posted his first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds vs. UNCW. He 13th in the CAA with 5.5 rpg.
• Brian Starr scored 12 points in both wins last week and was a combined 5-for-6 from 3-point range over the two games.
• Towson leads the CAA in FG% defense (39.8%), scoring defense (65.9 ppg) and 3-point FG% defense (30.2%) and is 2nd in rebound margin (+5.1 rpg).
William & Mary (11-4, 4-0 in CAA)
• Tied their best CAA start in school history at 4-0 after road wins at JMU (84-76), Delaware (90-65) and Drexel (85-63).
• Nathan Knight averaged 20.0 ppg and 12.0 rpg with double-doubles at JMU (16 pts/12 reb), UD (25 pts/11 reb) and DU (19 pts/13 reb). He’s among the top 6 in the CAA in scoring, rebounding, FG% and blocks.
• Matt Milon hit 6-of-8 threes and scored 22 points at UD and had a team-best 19 points and a career-high 12 rebounds for a double-double at JMU. He’s 1st in the CAA in 3’s per game (3.2) and 2nd in 3-point FG% (52.7%).
• David Cohn averaged 18.7 ppg and 5.3 apg last week, including a career-high tying 26 points and 6 assists at Drexel. He leads the CAA with 6.8 apg and ranks 2nd on W&M’s career assists list (385).
• Connor Burchfield tops the CAA in 3’s per game (3.2) and 3-pt FG% (54.5%).
• Justin Pierce averaged 11.3 ppg in the three games. He’s 4th in the CAA with 8.7 rpg.
• W&M leads the CAA in scoring (87.1 ppg), FG% (52.1%), FT% (80.4%), 3-point FG% (46.2%) and 3-pointers per game (11.4).