Men's Basketball Weekly Honors - Feb. 5
Rob Washburn
CAA MEN'S BASKETBALL WEEKLY REPORT - FEB. 5 (PDF format)
CAA MEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Joe Chealey • College of Charleston
Sr., G, 6-4, 190 - Orlando, Fla./Apopka
Chealey averaged 21.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals in Charleston’s road wins at Northeastern and Hofstra that vaulted the Cougars into first place. The senior guard scored a team-high 23 points with 6 rebounds at NU and followed with 19 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists at Hofstra, including a key 3-pointer with 35 seconds left. For the week, Chealey shot 52% from the floor and pushed his double-digit scoring streak to 13 games.
CAA MEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Tyler Seibring • Elon
Jr., F, 6-9, 225 - Normal, Ill./Normal Community
Seibring averaged 26.0 points and 8.0 rebounds in Elon’s 1-1 week. The junior forward scored a season-high 28 points with 8 rebounds in a 99-92 loss at William & Mary and followed with a team-high 24 points and 8 boards in a win over Delaware. For the week, Seibring shot 67.9% (19-28) from the floor, 88.9% (8-9) from 3-point range and was 6-of-6 at the FT line. He’s averaging 18.8 in CAA play and shooting a league-best 52.1% from three.
CAA MEN'S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK:
Ryan Allen • Delaware
Fr., G, 6-2, 195 - Bowie, Md./DeMatha Catholic
Allen averaged 24.0 points and 4.0 rebounds in Delaware’s two games last week. The freshman guard hit 5-of-7 threes and scored a team-high 22 points vs. Towson and followed with a career-best 26 points at Elon. Allen has scored double figures in nine straight games and has made at least one 3-pointer in 22 consecutive contests.
CONFERENCE NOTES:
CHARLESTON MOVES ATOP CAA STANDINGS: Charleston took over sole possession of first place in the CAA at 9-3 after extending its winning streak to six with road victories at Northeastern and Hofstra last week. The Cougars hold a one-game lead over Northeastern and William & Mary, which travels to CofC on Thursday. Hofstra is fourth at 7-5. The CAA is one of four conferences as of Feb. 5 in which all teams have at least three losses.
AUTISM AWARENESS WEEK: All 10 CAA schools will take part in NCAA Autism Awareness and Acceptance Weekend, which is being held February 8-11. Towson head coach Pat Skerry and USF assistant coach Tom Herrion created “Austism Speaks Coaches Powering Forward” to raise awareness of autism in 2014, and the program has expanded across the nation. Last year, nearly 4,000 college basketball coaches and broadcasters wore the blue puzzle piece lapel pins.
CAA GAMES MEAN CLOSE GAMES: Conference play has brought plenty of down-to-the-wire finishes. Nine of the league’s 10 teams have had at least one conference game go into overtime, with UNCW having four and James Madison playing in three. Of the 60 CAA games played thus far, nine have gone to overtime and 21 others have been decided by six points or less. Twelve of the last 15 CAA games have had margins of seven points or less.
SIX TEAMS IN TOP 129 OF RPI: Six CAA teams are ranked in the top 129 of the latest NCAA RPI through games of Feb. 4. Charleston leads the way at #74, followed by Northeastern at #85 William & Mary at #103, Hofstra at #109, Towson at #122 and Elon at #129. The CAA is one of only 9 conferences (American, ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Missouri Valley, Pac 12, and SEC) with six teams ranked in the top 129. The CAA is ranked 13th out of the nation’s 32 Division I conferences.
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE: Home teams are 36-24 (.600) in CAA play so far, but Charleston (6-0) is the only squad that is still unbeaten. William & Mary (5-1), Northeastern (4-2) and Hofstra (4-2) are the only teams with winning records on the road. For the season, CAA teams are a combined 75-32 at home and also have 12 victories on neutral courts.
CHARLESTON EXTENDS HOME COURT WIN STREAK: Charleston has won 13 consecutive games at TD Arena dating back to last season. That home court win streak is the 16th-longest in the nation through games of Feb. 4.
LIGHTING UP THE SCOREBOARD: Offenses have taken center stage in conference play. Through the first 60 league games, the winning team has scored at least 80 points in 37 of them. Seven squads are averaging 76.9 ppg or more in CAA action. Shooting percentages have been impressive as well. Seven teams are shooting better than 46.6% from the floor, six are hitting at least 36.4% from 3-point range, and four squads are shooting better than 74% from the free throw line in conference play. In last Saturday’s five CAA games, the winning team averaged 90.2 points.
YOUTH MOVEMENT: Young players are making a big impact in the CAA. There are six sophomores, one freshman and only two seniors among the CAA’s top 15 scorers through games of Feb. 5. There are also just three seniors among the CAA’s top 10 in rebounding.
UNCW’S CACOK LEADS NATION IN REBOUNDING: UNCW’s Devontae Cacok leads the nation in rebounding (13.3 rpg) and Hofstra’s Rokas Gustys ranks 6th (11.5 rpg) through games of Feb. 4. Cacok has grabbed at least 10 rebounds in 18 of 24 games and is also 2nd in the nation with 17 double-doubles. Several other CAA players are among the nation’s top 20 statisically. W&M’s David Cohn ranks 13th in assists (6.4 apg). Drexel’s Austin Williams is 7th (3.0 bpg) in blocks. W&M’s Connor Burchfield is 1st in 3-point FG percentage (52.6%) and Elon’s Tyler Seibring is 11th (46.7%).
WRIGHT-FOREMAN EXTENDS SCORING STREAK: Hofstra junior Justin Wright-Foreman, who leads the CAA and ranks fourth in the nation in scoring with 25.0 ppg, extended his double-digit scoring streak to 46 games last week. The streak is the fifth-longest active streak in the nation. Wright-Foreman has scored 20 or more points 20 times this season and has topped the 30-point mark in six games. He’s the first player since Towson’s Gary Neal in 2007 to score 35 or more points in three CAA games in a season.
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 leads the nation in 3-point FG percentage (44.6%) and ranks 3rd in free throw percentage (79.5%), 8th in field goal percentage (50.8%), 6th in 3-pointers per game (11.3) and 11th in scoring (85.3 ppg).
College of Charleston (18-6, 9-3 in CAA)
• Took sole possession of first place after road victories at Northeastern (69-64) and Hofstra (86-85). On a 6-game win streak.
• Joe Chealey averaged 21.0 ppg last week, including a team-high 23 points at NU, and has nine 20-point outings. He’s reached double digits in 13 straight games and ranks 5th on CofC’s all-time points list.
• Jarrell Brantley scored 23 points at Hofstra, including a game-winning layup with 3.9 seconds left. Brantley is only the 12th CofC player to eclipse 1,000 points and 600 rebounds in a career.
• Grant Riller tallied a team-high 24 points at HU and has scored double figures in 16 of his last 18 games with 7 20-point efforts.
• Cam Johnson scored 11 second-half points at NU and had a career-high 7 assists at HU.
• CofC committed just 8 turnovers at NU. The Cougars lead the CAA with 10.0 tpg.
• CofC leads the CAA in scoring defense (66.4 ppg) and is 2nd in FG% defense (41.8%).
Delaware (11-14, 4-8 in CAA)
• Dropped a 75-71 decision to Towson and lost 89-76 at Elon last week.
• Ryan Allen went 5-of-7 from 3 and scored a team-high 22 points vs. TU and had a career-best 26 points at Elon. He’s tallied double figures in 9 straight games and has hit at least one trey in 22 straight contests.
• Anthony Mosley scored 21 points on 8-of-12 FG shooting vs. TU and went over the 900-point mark for his career.
• Eric Carter averaged 12.5 ppg and 9.5 rpg last week, including his 7th double-double (13 pts/13 reb) at Elon.
• Skye Johnson made his first start of the year vs. TU and had 10 points and 9 boards.
• Leading scorer Ryan Daly has suffered an ankle injury that will sideline him for several weeks. He’s scored double figures in 20 straight games. Daly ranks in the top 15 in the CAA in scoring, rebounds and steals.
• Jacob Cushing poured in a career-high 19 points at Elon, 8 more than his prior mark.
Drexel (11-14, 5-7 in CAA)
• Extended their winning streak to four after beating JMU 76-74 and rallying past W&M 91-79 for their first CAA road victory.
• Tramaine Isabell filled the stat sheet with 23 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists at W&M. He has 9 20+-point games this season and ranks among the CAA’s top 7 in scoring, rebounding and assists.
• Austin Williams averaged 10.5 ppg, 8.0 rpg and 4.0 blocks last week and rejected a shot at the buzzer vs. JMU. Hes 2nd in the CAA in FG%, 5th in rebounds and 1st in blocks.
• Sammy Mojica hit 7-of-13 treys and averaged 14.0 ppg last week.
• Kurk Lee poured in 22 points at W&M and scored all 14 of his points in the second half vs. JMU, including two game-winning free throws with 6 seconds to go.
• Troy Harper came off the bench to score a team-high 17 points against JMU.
• Drexel was 34-of-43 at the free throw line last week. The Dragons are shooting 74.8% from the line in CAA play.
Elon (14-11, 6-6 in CAA)
• Lost 99-92 at W&M but beat Delaware 89-76 last week. Seven of Elon’s last 8 games have been decided by 7 pts or less or in OT.
• Tyler Seibring had a season-high 28 points and 8 rebounds at W&M and 24 points and 8 boards vs. UD. He’s reached double digits in 13 straight games and is averaging 18.8 ppg and 7.4 rpg while shooting 56% from the floor and 52.1% from 3 in CAA play.
• Dainan Swoope poured in 25 points at W&M and followed with 22 points and 7 assists vs. UD. He has 8 20-point outings this season and went over 1,000 career points.
• Dmitri Thompson averaged 15.0 ppg last week and has scored double figures in 12 of his last 13 contests.
• Elon shot 54.4% from the floor vs. UD and 50% at W&M. The Phoenix have shot 50% or better four times in CAA play.
• Elon made 12 threes at W&M and 13 vs. UD, which was its 18th game with 10+ treys. They are averaging 11.0 treys per game, which ranks 9th nationally.
Hofstra (14-10, 7-5 in CAA)
• Split home games last week, defeating UNCW 96-76 but falling 86-85 to CofC.
• Eli Pemberton poured in a team-high 27 points with 7 rebounds vs. UNCW and followed with 20 points vs. CofC. He has six 20-point outings this season.
• Justin Wright-Foreman hit 9-of-16 treys last week and tallied 24 points vs. CofC and 23 vs. UNCW. He’s scored double digits in 46 straight games, has tallied 20+ points in 20 games and has topped 30 points six times.
• Rokas Gustys posted his 10th double-double with 17 points and 16 rebounds vs. UNCW. He became HU’s all-time leading rebounder (1,210) and is 2nd on the CAA’s career list. He has 16 games with 10+ boards this year.
• Desure Buie dished out a career-high 10 assists with just 2 TO’s vs. UNCW.
• Kenny Wormley scored 12 points vs. UNCW and added 10 points against CofC.
• Hofstra has had nine games decided by 3 points or less and another game go to OT. The Pride is 7-3 in those contests.
James Madison (7-18, 3-9 in CAA)
• Went 1-1 last week, losing 76-74 at Drexel before topping Towson, 79-73. Ten of JMU’s 12 CAA contests have been decided by single digits or in OT.
• Stuckey Mosley averaged 28.5 ppg last week, including 35 points vs. Towson. He’s reached double digits in 18 straight games, has topped the 20-point mark 12 times and has three 30-point efforts.
• Matt Lewis tied a career-high with 26 points and added 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals at Drexel. He’s scored at least 13 points in 11 straight games and is averaging 16.1 ppg in CAA play.
• DeVelle Phillips scored a career-high tying 17 points on 8-of-9 FG shooting and grabbed 8 rebounds vs. Towson. He’s shooting 64.5% from the floor in CAA play.
• JMU shot 59.4% and scored 52 points in the 2nd half at DU and shot 61.5% and tallied 50 points in the 2nd half vs. Towson.
• JMU didn’t commit a turnover over the final 12 minutes in the win against Towson.
UNCW (7-17, 4-8 in CAA)
• Suffered road setbacks at Hofstra (96-76) and Northeastern (107-100 in OT) last week. 4 of UNCW’s last 8 games have gone to OT.
• Jordon Talley hit 8-of-13 treys last week and scored 21 points at HU and 20 at NU. He’s 9th in the CAA in scoring and 2nd in assists, and has recorded double digits in 22 of the last 23 games with 8 20-point efforts.
• Devontae Cacok contributed 18 points and 17 rebounds at Northeastern. He leads the nation in rebounding and ranks 2nd in Div. I with 17 double-doubles.
• Ty Taylor scored a career-high 27 points at NU, highlighted by a 3-pointer at the buzzer that sent the game to OT. He averaged 20.5 ppg for the week.
• Jaylen Fornes averaged 12.0 ppg last week and has scored double figures in four of his past five contests.
• Jay Estime’ score 10 points at HU, which was his first game in double figures since Jan. 7.
• UNCW committed only 7 TO’s in each game last week.
Northeastern (15-9, 8-4 in CAA)
• Bounced back from a 69-64 loss to CofC by beating UNCW 107-100 in OT last week. The 107 points were NU’s most since 1993.
• Vasa Pusica averaged 17.5 ppg and 8.5 apg last week, including 24 points and 9 assists vs. UNCW. He’s hit double digits in 19 of the last 20 games, has nine 20-point efforts and is in the CAA’s top 10 in points and assists.
• Donnell Gresham scored a team-best 18 points vs. CofC and followed with 14 points and 9 rebounds vs. UNCW. It was his 4th double-figure effort in the past five games.
• Tomas Murphy tallied 8 of his career-high 21 points in OT vs. UNCW and finished 8-of-11 from the floor and 5-of-6 at the FT line.
• Bolden Brace averaged 8.0 ppg and 9.0 rpg off the bench last week. He’s made 16-of-30 threes (53.3%) over the past 8 games.
• Anthony Green scored a career-high 16 points on 7-of-10 FG shooting vs. UNCW. He’s shooting 71.1% for the season.
• NU had 22 assists and a season-low 5 turnovers against UNCW.
Towson (16-9, 6-6 in CAA)
• Split a pair of road games last week, winning 75-71 at Delaware but losing 79-73 at JMU.
• Zane Martin averaged 21.5 ppg and 6.0 rpg last week, including 28 points at JMU. He’s reached double digits in 19 straight games and has 14 20-point outings. He added 6 assists at UD and made 4 steals at JMU.
• Justin Gorham posted his 2nd double-double with a career-high 21 points and 12 rebounds at UD and grabbed a career-best 17 boards at JMU. He leads TU with 6.0 rpg.
• Mike Morsell scored 20 at JMU and averaged 19.0 ppg and 6.5 rpg on the week. He’s 11th on TU’s career points list (1,410 pts).
• Eddie Keith added 10 points and 6 rebounds off the bench at JMU.
• Towson has scored at least 50 points in the second half of 3 of its past 4 games.
• Towson overcame a double-digit deficit to win for the 5th time this year at Delaware.
• Towson leads the CAA in FG% defense and rebound margin and is 2nd in scoring defense and 3-point FG% defense.
William & Mary (15-8, 8-4 in CAA)
• Went 1-1 at home last week, beating Elon 99-92 before falling 91-79 to Drexel.
• Justin Pierce averaged 22.5 ppg and 10.5 rpg last week, including his 6th double-double vs. EU with a career-high 30 points and 12 boards. He’s averaging 23.8 ppg and 11.0 rpg over the past four games.
• David Cohn scored a career-high 26 points with 9 assists vs. Drexel. He has 20+ points in 7 games and tops the CAA with 6.4 apg.
• Nathan Knight had 20 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists vs. Elon. It was his 9th 20-point effort. He’s among the top 7 in the CAA in scoring, rebounding, FG% and blocks.
• Connor Burchfield hit 6-of-11 treys and tallied 13.0 ppg last week. He tops the CAA in 3-pt FG% and is 2nd in 3’s per game.
• Paul Rowley scored a career-high 16 points vs. Elon, hitting 6-of-7 from the floor.
• W&M shot 57.1% vs. Elon and is 13-1 when shooting 50% or better from the floor.
• W&M leads the CAA in scoring, FG%, FT%, 3-point FG% and 3-pointers per game.