Trends Are Emerging

Rhymes Heating & Cooling Hot Players of the Week

(St. Louis, MO) – When we watch the weekly award winners announced by the Ohio Valley and Missouri Valley Conferences we see that some trends are emerging. This week’s Rhymes Heating and Cooling Hot Players of the Week are not strangers to this weekly scenario.

One is a four-time winner. Another is part of trend being set by his team and still another is slowly building a reputation.

Ohio Valley Conference

Ja Morant is dominating the ‘Player of the Week’ award category for the OVC. Monday he picked up his fourth such honor. The Murray State guard averaged a double-double (25 points & 11.5 assists) in the Racers’ two conference wins. In a showdown with fellow ‘Player of the Year’ candidate Nick Mayo, the two put on a show. Morant scored 34 points, handed out ten assists and grabbed eight rebounds, while the Eastern Kentucky star was scoring 36 points and grabbing nine rebounds.

Eastern Illinois’ Josiah Wallace sparked the Panthers to a two-win week averaging 25.5 points and five rebounds and five assists. Wallace, this week’s ‘Newcomer of the Week’ scored the first five points of the Panthers’ overtime win over Southern Illinois Edwardsville. This Wallace’s second ‘Newcomer’ award.

SIUE’s Cameron Williams scored 18 points in that OT loss to EIU, and scored 27 points in the Cougars’ OVC opening win over Southeast Missouri. The St. Louis native (Hazelwood Central) shares this week’s ‘Freshman of the Week’ award with Murray State’s K.J. Williams.

Williams scored 13 and 14 points in the Racers’ two wins and added a career high 13 rebounds in the team’s come-from-behind win over EKU. Fellow MSU freshman Tevin Brown has won this weekly award three times, giving the Racers four freshman honors.

Missouri Valley Conference

Loyola seems to have recaptured last year’s magic and one of the reasons is the play of Marques Townes. The 6’4 senior scored a career high 28 points in the Ramblers’ weekend win over Drake. His overall game (13 points, seven rebounds and five assists) sparked LUC to a sizable win over Indiana State. The Fairleigh-Dickinson transfer is this week’s ‘Player of the Week‘.

Ryan Fazekas has pulled down his second straight ‘Newcomer of the Week’ award. The Valparaiso junior averaged 16 points in the Crusaders two opening week victories. The Providence transfer buried ten three-pointers in Valpo’s two wins, converting 52.6 percent of his long distance efforts.