MAC Announces Men's Basketball Players of the Week
MAC Men’s Basketball East Division Player of the Week
Noah Robotham, Akron, Guard
Freshman, Las Vegas, Nev. (Bishop Gorman)
Led the Zips to a 2-1 record and third place at the 2014 Gildan Charleston Classic … in Akron’s 66-46 win over USC, he posted 14 points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal … against Miami (Fla.), he finished with 10 points, three rebounds and two assists … in Akron’s win over South Carolina, he led all players with 16 points to go with a team-high six rebounds … he has scored at least eight points in three of his first four games as a Zip, including three-straight double-digit performances.
MAC Men’s Basketball West Division Player of the Week
Raven Lee, Eastern Michigan, Guard
Redshirt-Sophomore, Detroit, Mich. (Romulus)
Lee was an offensive powerhouse in the Eagles’ perfect 4-0 week, scoring double-digit points in each game versus four NCAA Division I opponents. Lee averaged 19.8 points per game, while pulling down 2.5 rebounds, dishing out 1.5 assists and one steal per game on his way to being named the Most Valuable Player of the 2014 EMU Showcase. The redshirt-sophomore shot 58.7 percent from the floor, including an outstanding 55 percent from beyond the arc. In addition to his hot field goal shooting, Lee knocked down 82.4 percent of his free throws, while going 12-for-12 in the first three games of the week combined. The Detroit, Mich. native shot 50 percent-or-better in all four games, while exploding for 20-plus points in a pair of the contests. Lee recorded 24 points and four rebounds, while shooting 53.8 percent in an 89-77 victory over the Golden Grizzlies, before spouting off 16 points in a 6-for-8 performance in the Eagles’ win over Youngstown State, 71-62. Next up, the 6-foot-3 guard lit up UNC Greensboro for 25 points on 9-of-15 shooting, including four three-pointers, before hitting on 5-of-10 shots in the Eagles 31-point, 79-48, win over Longwood to sweep the EMU Showcase.
Other Top Performances:
Sean Sellers, Ball State, Forward
Freshman, Greensburg, Ind./Greensburg
Sellers led Ball State last week, averaging 20.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists over the Cardinals’ two games. He scored 40 points for the week on only 22 shots from the floor. The freshman wing turned in a strong all-around game Monday with 18 points, five rebounds and six assists in a win over IU Kokomo. Saturday at IUPUI, he led the Cardinals with 22 points and grabbed six boards in an overtime loss. Sellers is leading the MAC through three games with an average of 22.0 points per game. He is the first player in Ball State history to score at least 18 points in each of his first three career games.
Zack Denny, Bowling Green, Guard
Sophomore, Germantown, Ohio (Valley View)
Denny had a break out game versus the Raiders of Wright State, as the sophomore poured in a career-high 18 points and hauled in a career-high seven rebounds in the 70-55 home win. The sharp-shooter was 4-of-4 (100 percent) from behind the three-point line and 6-of-9 (66.7 percent) from the floor overall. He also was 2-of-2 (100 percent) from the free throw line in the game. He had the final four points of the first half to put the Falcons down just one at 28-27 at the halftime break. He then hit a three-pointer early in the second half to give BGSU the lead again at 39-36, a lead that the Falcons would refuse to lose over the final 16 minutes of the contest. On the season, Denny leads the team with 6.0 rebounds per game from his guard position and is averaging 11.5 points per game.
Shannon Evans, Buffalo, Guard
Suffolk, VA/Nansemond River
Despite playing just one game this past week after UB had its Friday night game postponed due to weather, sophomore guard Shannon Evans still had a career day in UB’s win at Texas-Arlington on Tuesday night. Evans recorded a career-best 24 points, as he went 7-of-14 from the floor and hit on eight of his nine free throws. Evans also led the Bulls with five assists. He is currently second on the team in scoring and leads the Bulls in assists.
John Simons, Central Michigan, Forward
Junior, Cadillac, Mich. (Cadillac)
Simons played an integral role in Central Michigan securing three wins last week and amassing a 4-0 overall record, its best start since the 2000-01 season. On Tuesday, Simons recorded a career-high 13 rebounds in addition to 9 points in a 75-63 win over Youngstown State. In the Chippewas’ opening game of the Central Michigan Tournament on Friday night, Simons went a perfect 6-for-6 from the field, including 5-for-5 from beyond the arc, scoring a game-high 17 points as CMU cruised to a 76-48 victory over Maine. Simons capped off his week with an 8-point, 5-rebound performance in Central Michigan’s 75-43 dismantling of Arkansas Pine Bluff. For his standout efforts over the weekend, Simons was named MVP of the Central Michigan Tournament. Simons, who has started all 66 games of his career, leads CMU in scoring (11.5 ppg) and rebounding (6.5 rpg).
Jimmy Hall, Kent State, Forward
Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Anthony’s (N.J.)
Hall averaged 16.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and shot 5.87 percent from the field to lead Kent State to a 3-1 record in the inaugural Men Against Breast Cancer Classic and earn all-tournament team honors. Hall started the week with a dominant second-half performance to lead Kent State back from an 8-point halftime deficit against Malone. He had a double-double over the final 20 minutes and finished with game-highs of 18 points, 16 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 blocks. He continued his strong play on the interior with 16 points and 7 rebounds and 10 points and 4 rebound, respectively, as Kent State cruised to wins over Southern Illinois and Illinois-Chicago. Hall saved perhaps his best performance for Sunday’s showdown with Yale that determined the champion of the inaugural Men Against Breast Cancer Classic, as he led all players with a career-high 22 points on 10-of-16 shooting while holding Preseason Ivy League Player of the Year Justin Sears to just 3 field goals and 4 turnovers. Hall has scored in double-figures in all 5 games this season and had at least 2 assists in all 4 games this past week.
Geovonie McKnight, Miami, Guard
Junior, Middletown, Ohio (Middletown)
McKnight scored a career-high 19 points in a 63-52 win against Liberty, marking the third straight game he scored in double figures, the only RedHawk to do such. He was 7-of-14 from the field and sparked Miami during a critical come-from-behind stretch in the second half, while scoring six points and adding a steal over the final two minutes of the game to secure the win. McKnight posted four of Miami’s seven steals against the Flames. Earlier in the week, McKnight recorded 11 points against Evansville, one of just two RedHawks in double figures for scoring against the Purple Aces. For the week, he averaged a team-leading 15.0 ppg while shooting a solid 42.9 percent from the field.
Aaric Armstead, NIU, Guard
Sophomore, Chicago, Ill./La Jolla Prep (Calif.)
Armstead helped NIU improved to 2-0 for the first time since 2006-07 with his team-best 16 points and seven rebounds in a 78-67 victory over Idaho last Thursday. Armstead and the Huskies led nearly the entire game as they handed the Vandals their first loss of the season. Along with his 16 points and seven rebounds, Armstead also recorded three steals, an assist and a block. The sophomore from Chicago is averaging a team-high 16.5 points per contest.
Julius Brown, Toledo, Guard
Senior, Markham, IL (Hillcrest)
Brown led the Rockets with 18.0 ppg in a pair of contests last week. He posted a 59.1 FG% (13-of-22) and was a scorching 56.3 percent (9-o-f-16) from three-point range.
Connar Tava, Western Michigan, Forward
Junior, Macomb, Mich. (Warren De La Salle)
Tava led a dominant offensive attack for the Broncos last week, averaging 20.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per game in double-digit victories over Oakland and Drake. He recorded his first double-double of the season with 21 points and 10 rebounds in the Broncos’ 82-71 road win over the Golden Grizzlies on Wednesday, going 7 of 9 from the field and also throwing in five assists. Tava led the charge on Saturday against the Bulldogs at home, contributing 20 points, seven assists, and five rebounds while again going 7 of 9 from the field. Tava leads WMU with averages of 18.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game from the forward spot.
