Austin Jr. Headlines Men's Basketball Player of the Week
MAC East Division Player of the Week
Demajeo Wiggins, Bowling Green
Forward, Senior, Toledo, Ohio (Springfield)
Demajeo Wiggins, a senior forward from Toledo, Ohio, had a career game as he led the Falcons to a win over N.C. Central on Nov. 15. Wiggins posted 22 points and 13 rebounds as BGSU defeated N.C. Central inside the Stroh Center, 75-60. Wiggins went an astonishing 10-for-11 from the field, tying a career high with 10 made field goals. The 22-point effort marked the fifth 20-point game of his career.
MAC West Division Player of the Week
Larry Austin Jr., Central Michigan
Guard, Senior, Springfield, Ill. (Vanderbilt)
Senior guard Larry Austin Jr led the Chippewas in the 2018 Junkanoo Jam in Bimini, Bahamas this past weekend. Austin averaged 19.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.3 steals en route to earning MVP honors of the tournament. In a 67-55 win over Cal State Bakersfield on Thursday, Austin scored 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting, to go along with eight rebounds and four assists. Against Weber State on Friday, Austin flexed his offensive muscles, posting a game-high 30 points while adding six rebounds (3 offensive) and three steals. The 30 points were the most by a Chippewa this season. In the finale, a 76-74 win against San Jose State, Austin totaled 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting. He came up big in the final minute of the thriller, sinking a go-ahead free throw, recording a key block and then stealing the in-bounds pass on SJSU's last-second Hail Mary attempt. Through the first two weeks of the season, Austin ranks 1st in the MAC in steals (2.4 spg), 5th in scoring (18.6 ppg) and 8th in assists (4.0).
Other Nominees
Tayler Persons, Ball State
Guard, Senior, Kokomo, Ind. (Kokomo HS)
Tayler Persons averaged 20 points per game in the Charleston Classic, including a 21-point performance against No. 16/17 Virginia Tech and a 29-point effort in Sunday’s overtime win over Appalachian State. Ball State opened the overtime period on an 11-0 run, with Persons scoring eight of those points to help put Appalachian State away. He also finished a perfect 12-for-12 from the foul line and handed out a season-high seven assists against the Mountaineers. Persons shot at least 50 percent from the floor in all three games in Charleston and also averaged 5.3 assists per game. The All-MAC performer ranks third in the league at 19.0 points per game and sixth at 4.6 assists per game.
Montell McRae, Buffalo
Forward, Senior, Cleveland, OH (Cleveland Central Catholic)
Montell McRae tied for the team lead in scoring this past Monday as the Bulls picked up a big road victory at Southern Illinois. The Salukis, who were receiving votes in the Top 25, scored just 53 points in the win for UB. McRae had 11 points as he went a perfect 4-of-4 from the floor, including a perfect 2-of-2 from behind the arc.
Jalen Avery, Kent State
Guard, Senior, Covington, Ky.
Avery's strong offensive efforts this week have helped Kent State improve to 3-1 overall on the season. Over three games, Jalen Avery has scored double figures in every game. In his game against Shawnee State, Avery completed a season-high seven field goals on 7-of-15 with 17 points, while dishing out a game-high five assists. In his game against Liberty, Avery led the Flashes and tied his season-high scoring record with 23 points. Against Alcorn State, Avery scored 10 points in the 31-point victory of the braves, had a season-high six assists, and also added two steals. On the season, Avery is averaging 18.3 points per game on 23-of-56 (41.1 percent) shooting from the field and 12-of-32 (37.5 percent) from long range. He's also averaging 4.5 assists per game with a total of 18 through four games.
Dalonte Brown, Miami
Forward, Sophomore, Toledo, Ohio/Bowsher
Brown earned All-Tournament honors at the Islands of the Bahamas Showcase in Nassau, Bahamas this week. In Miami's four total games, he was the team's leading scorer at 17.8 points per game and leading rebounder at 7.0 rebounds per contest. He was 24-for-39 from the field, including an impressive 10-for-17 from 3-point range. Brown started his week with 18 points and six rebounds in a home win over Midway. He then had a career-high 25 points on 9-for-11 shooting (4-for-5 from 3) in the victory over North Dakota State to open the tournament Friday. He just missed a double-double with nine rebounds. Against Montana on Saturday, Brown scored 12 points and had six rebounds. He finished with another strong effort of 16 points and seven rebounds against Pepperdine on Sunday.
Jason Carter, Ohio
Forward, R-Sophomore, Johnstown, Ohio / Johnstown-Monroe
Redshirt sophomore guard Jason Carter led the Bobcats this past week. Over three games, Carter averaged 16.7 points, 5.0 rebound, 0.6 assists and 0.3 steals per game. Carter went 16-of-32 (.500) from the field and 18-of-22 (.818) from the free throw line. On Nov. 12 against Campbell, Carter scored a team-high 24 points, going 8-of-10 from the field and 8-of-10 from the free throw line, while grabbing four rebounds and dishing out two assists in the Bobcats 81-73 victory. On Nov. 16 in the first game of the Jersey Mike's Jamaica Classic against South Florida, Carter scored eight points, while grabbing a team-high six boards. Then on Nov. 18 against Loyola Marymount in the final game of the Jamaica Classic, Carter led Ohio in scoring for the third time this season, scoring 18 points, going 6-of-14 from the field and 6-of-8 from the free throw line. Carter also grabbed five rebounds for the Bobcats.
Luke Knapke, Toledo
Center, Junior, Maria Stein, Ohio (Marion Local)
Junior center Luke Knapke scored a career-high 20 points in an 84-74 defeat at Wright State and was a perfect 6-of-6 from the field, with all six of his shots coming from three-point range. His six treys were one away from tying a school record for most three-point field in a game goals without a miss. Knapke opened the contest with three treys in the first four minutes and finished the first half with five three-point field goals. He has yet to miss a field-goal attempt and leads the MAC with a 100.0 field-goal percentage (11-of-11) and a 100.0 three-point field-goal percentage (7-of-7).
Josh Davis, Western Michigan
Guard, Senior, Detroit, Mich. (Henry J. Ford)
Davis led the Broncos to a 2-0 record on the week with victories over Oakland and Aquinas. Davis led WMU with 17.0 points per game to go along with 7.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists. In a thrilling 85-77 overtime victory last Tuesday at Oakland, Davis earned his second double-double of the season with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Davis scored 16 of his 19 points in the second half and had the No. 9 spot on SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays on Wednesday for his acrobatic And-1 in overtime. Davis followed up that performance with 15 points and five rebounds in a 99-52 win over Aquinas on Saturday. Davis once again had a flair for the dramatics with a windmill breakaway dunk against the Saints. For the week, Davis shot 52 percent from the field and 72 percent from the free-throw line. Davis On the season, Davis is averaging 15.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game and has scored in double figures in all four games.
