MAC Men’s Basketball East Division Co-Players of the Week
Xeyrius Williams, Akron, Wing
Senior, Springfield, Ohio (Wayne HS, Dayton)
Williams led the Zips to a pair of wins last week, averaging 20 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.0 blocked shots and 1.0 steals per game. He connected with 44.1 percent of his shots from the field (15-of-34) which included a 50 percent showing from beyond the 3-point arc (8-of-16). For the week, he scored 40 points, grabbed 19 rebounds, dished out four assists, blocked two shots and had two steals. Against Marshall, Williams posted his second double-double of the season with 25 points and 14 rebounds, both career-highs. He added a blocked shot and a steal. Against Southern, Williams tallied 15 points with five boards, a blocked shot and a steal. Williams has scored double figures in 6-of-9 games with a pair of 20-plus performances. He leads the squad in rebounds (88 tot, 9.8 rebs/g) and blocked shots 18 tot, 2.0 blk/g).
Jason Preston, Ohio, Guard
Sophomore, Orlando, Fa.
Preston continued to be the spark for the Bobcats, helping lead the Bobcats to a 2-0 week and helping them improve to 7-3 overall. On the week, Preston averaged a double-double with 15.5 points and 10.5 assists per game. He also added 5.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game as well. Preston went 12-of-16 (.750) from the field, 3-of-5 (.600) from three-point range and 4-of-5 (.800) from the free throw line. On Dec. 4 against Rio Grande, Preston scored 11 points, going 5-of-5 from the field and 1-of-1 from three-point range, while grabbing one rebound and dishing out a career-high tying 13 assists in Ohio's 90-51 victory. Then on Dec. 8 against Tennessee Tech, Preston scored 20 points, going 7-of-11 from the field and 2-of-4 from three-point range, while also going 4-of-5 froth free throw line. Preston grabbed nine boards and dished out eight assists for the near triple double in the 81-54 win.
MAC Men’s Basketball West Division Player of the Week
Luke Knapke, Toledo, Center
Senior, Maria Stein, Ohio (Marion Local)
Knapke had a week to remember for Toledo last week by averaging 22.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, 5.5 blocks and 1.5 assists per game in double-digit wins over Cleveland State and Marshall. He also posted efficient shooting numbers with a 66.7 FG% (16-of-24), 54.5 three-point FG% (6-of-11) and 87.5 FT% (7-of-8) to extend the Rockets’ winning streak to four games. Knapke opened the week by registering the third triple-double in school history, tallying 12 points, 12 rebounds and a school-record 10 blocked shots (2nd in MAC history) in an 80-65 win at Cleveland State. He also became Toledo’s all-time leader in blocked shots during the win over the Vikings and now has 163 in his collegiate career. Knapke then carried the Rockets to an 82-72 home win over Marshall by scoring a career-high 33 points to go along with 11 rebounds. He was 12-of-16 from the field, 4-of-6 from three-point range and 5-of-6 from the charity stripe. Knapke’s 33 points was the most by a Rocket since Tyrone Kent poured in 37 at Xavier on Nov. 17, 2008. Knapke is the only Rocket to score in double figures in every game this season and ranks second on the team with 16.8 ppg and 9.1 rpg. He also is tied for first in the MAC with a team-best 3.0 bpg.
Other Top Performances
Ishmael El-Amin, Ball State, Guard
Junior, Minneapolis, Minn. (Hopkins)
El-Amin continued a torrid stretch last week, averaging 21 points and five rebounds over Ball State’s two games. The junior guard poured in a career-high 24 points against Loyola Chicago, burying 4-of-6 from 3-point range, and also pulled down a season-best six rebounds in the loss to the Ramblers. El-Amin then scored 18 points to go with four rebounds and four assists in the Cardinals’ blowout victory over IUPUI. For the week, he made 7-of-11 (.636) from 3-point range and 13-of-14 (.923) from the free throw line. El-Amin leads the MAC this season at 50 percent from beyond the arc. He paces the Cardinals in scoring at 15.4 points per game, nearly 10 full points better than his career average entering the year.
Daeqwon Plowden, Bowling Green, Forward
Junior, Philadelphia, Pa. (Mastery Charter North)
Plowden, a junior forward, had a career night in Bowling Green's 68-65 win over Oakland on Saturday (Dec. 7). Plowden recorded the third double-double of his career, as he finished with 10 rebounds and a career-high 23 points. Plowden, who made his first eight shots from the field, finished the day 9-for-13 from the floor. Plowden's nine field goals set a career high. The native of Philadelphia also made a career-high three triples, as he went 3-for-4 from downtown. Plowden's 23-point night marked the first 20-point game of his collegiate career.
Davonta Jordan, Buffalo, Guard
Senior, Coca, FL (Montverde Academy)
Jordan led the Bulls to a 1-1 weekend during its toughest stretch of the non-conference season, including a victory over previously unbeaten DePaul on Sunday afternoon. Jordan flirted with a triple double against the Blue Demons as the Cocoa, FL native had 12 points, a career high nine rebounds, and eight assists. Earlier in the week, Jordan had 15 points and seven rebounds against Vanderbilt out of the SEC. He is currently second on the team in scoring at 13.3 points per game and leads Buffalo, averaging 5.2 assists per contest.
Ty Groce, Eastern Michigan, Forward
Redshirt Junior, Ypsilanti, Mich. (Lincoln)
Groce reached a new career-high of 23 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field and 9-of-10 from the charity stripe, to lead the Eagles to a 85-79 victory over Valparaiso Tuesday, Dec. 3. The Ypsilanti, Mich. native followed up that team leading performance with another, scoring 16 points at Detroit Mercy Saturday, Dec. 7, on 7-of-9 shooting from the field, marking a personal best for field goals made. Groce also collected 11 rebounds, four steals, and a block in the two contest. The redshirt junior sits in the top-25 in both points per game and total points in the MAC.
Antonio Williams, Kent State, Guard
Senior, Chicago, Ill.
Williams helped Kent State remain undefeated at home (6-0) and improve to 8-1 overall after his standout performance in wins over Detroit Mercy and Cleveland State. In the 92-57 win over Detroit Mercy, Williams scored 17 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the floor. He dished out a career-high five assists while collecting a steal and two boards. In the 81-59 victory over Cleveland State, Williams led the way with a season and game-high 19-points shooting 8-of-13 from the floor and went 3-of-4 from the charity stripe. Williams also grabbed four rebounds and dished out two assists. On the season, Williams is averaging a team-high 14.0 points per game. He also leads the team with 38 total assists and has 11 total steals.
Brandon Johnson, Western Michigan, Forward
Redshirt Junior, Chicago, Ill. (Thea Bowma Leadership Academy)
Johnson posted two double-doubles on the week as WMU split its pair of games, falling to Oakland and defeating Youngstown State. In last Tuesday’s match-up with Oakland, Johnson led the Broncos with 18 points and then a career-high 15 rebounds with a season-high six offensive rebounds. Johnson Against Oakland was 7-of-14 from the field and also had two assists and one block in 37 minutes played. On Saturday against Youngstown State, Johnson posted his second double-double of the week with 19 points and a new career-high 16 rebounds and hit the game-winning shot with 0.2 seconds left to defeat the Penguins. Johnson against YSU was 7-of-16 from the field in 36 minutes of action and had five offensive rebounds. Over the past four games, Johnson has averaged 17 points and 11.5 rebounds and is now averaging 15.6 points and 9.3 rebounds per contest. Overall, Johnson ranks 9th in the MAC in scoring and 3rd in the MAC in rebounding.
