(St. Louis, MO) – Several players are taking a stranglehold on their potential season-ending awards, by winning the weekly version again this week. As the Missouri Valley and Ohio Valley Conferences near the midway point of the season, certain players have emerged as strong favorites for those end-of-year awards.
Ohio Valley Conference
After the first eight weeks of the basketball season, eight different players had won the ‘Player of the Week’ award. Now in the past three weeks, three players have repeated as winners. Tahjere McCall of Tennessee State and Austin Peay’s Josh Robinson were the first repeaters. This week it is pre-season ‘Player of the Year’ Evan Bradds.
The 6’7 Belmont senior averaged 23.5 points and 10.5 rebounds as the Bruins ran their league record to 7-0 with two wins. Bradds is third in the OVC in both scoring and rebounding.
Asante Gist – ekusports.com
Murray State’s Jonathan Stark won the OVC’s ‘Newcomer of the Week’ award, each of the season’s first four weeks. The 6’ junior averaged 24 points and 6.5 assists for the Racers as they split last week’s two games. Stark makes more three-pointers than anyone in the OVC and is second in scoring.
One player won his fifth ‘Freshman of the Week’ award and another earned his second straight award, as the OVC named ‘Co-Freshmen of the Week’ on Monday. Eastern Kentucky’s Asante Gist is the five-time winner, earning last week’s award by averaging 21 points per game and four assists. Denzel Mahoney is emerging as a real threat for Southeast Missouri. The Redhawks won two games and Mahoney led SEMO with 29 points in those two contests.
Missouri Valley Conference
Wichita State’s Shaquille Morris has finally shown up! People have been predicting great things from Morris for three years, and this past week, Morris exploded with a double-double against Evansville, and then a career high 24 points against Indiana State. Morris is this week’s Valley ‘Player of the Week’.
Back to the strangleholds. Missouri State’s Alize Johnson won his fifth MVC ‘Newcomer of the Week’ with a border-line historic week. Johnson registered a 26 point, 20 rebound performance against Indiana State. He is the first Valley player have a 20-20 performance in the past 20 years. He then recorded his third straight double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds.
Do Good
Twitter Feed
Three more road wins so far in @ValleyHoops as @BradleyUMBB @BelmontMBB & @UIC_MBB capture road wins. Looks like @DrakeBulldogsMB will do so too. #FatherHarry
Well @RacersWBB followed the men's example and swept Iowa in the @ValleyHoops race! Racers are 6-1 & if @BelmontWBB holds on to their Iowa sweep, the Bruins and Racers will be tied for first. What a trip for those two teams! #FatherHarry
After today's action, @EIUWBB is 8-0 in @OVCSports play. 4 teams @usiwbb @TTUWBB @LRTrojans @LindenwoodWBB are tied at 6-2. Six other teams are under .500. Great race to the finish lies ahead. #FatherHarry
Really entertaining game between @BelmontMBB & @UEAthletics_MBB. Under four minutes left in a one point game. Gabriel Pozzato back in the Aces' lineup. Rogers is playing like I've expected. Triples are dropping. It's fun and @kylejpeach bringing it on #ThePlus #FatherHarry
