MAC Men’s Basketball Player of the Week
Maceo Jack, Buffalo, Guard
Senior, Amherst, NY (Williamsville North)
Senior Maceo Jack helped lead the Bulls to a pair of victories this past week as he scored 18 points in each of Buffalo's two wins. On Monday at defending C-USA champion North Texas, Jack knocked down four triples to help the Bulls to a 69-66 come from behind victory. He added another 18 points in 27 minutes of action on Saturday against Rider. He had three more three pointers, hitting six field goals altogether and went 3-of-3 from the charity stripe.
Other Nominees
Tyler Cochran, Ball State, Guard
Junior, Bolingbrook, Ill. (Bolingbrook)
During the Jersey Mike's Classic, Tyler led the team with 13 assists, led the team with five steals, second on the team with 13 rebounds, finished third on the team with 10.3 points per game, and had one of the team's six blocks. Tyler led the team with a career high in a Ball State uniform with 22 points in BSU's win over UMass. He shot 87.5% from the field against UMass behind a 7-for-8 shooting performance. Tyler was a key factor in the transition game and was the spark that helped the Cardinals defeat UMass.
Joe Reece, Bowling Green, Forward/Center
Junior, St. Louis, Mo. (East St. Louis)
Reece continued his consistent start to the season. Reece tallied 11 points for the Falcons against Ohio State and 10 against Norfolk State, having now logged double-digit points in each of BGSU's first four games of the 2021-22 season. Reece has also been a key cog on the boards for the Orange and Brown, bringing down six rebounds against the Buckeyes and seven against the Spartans.
Jermaine Jackson Jr., Central Michigan, Guard
Grad Student, Detroit, Mich./Dakota
Jackson hit a sensational buzzer beater in CMU's victory at Eastern Illinois, 62-61. With CMU trailing by one with 2.4 seconds left, Jackson grabbed a tipped in-bounds pass and laid in the winning basket at the buzzer. Jackson had 14 points in the game, going 6-11 from the field. He added four assists, three rebounds and a steal.
Noah Farrakhan, Eastern Michigan, Guard
Freshman, Newark, N.J.-The Patrick School (East Carolina)
Farrakhan helped pace the Eagles in a pair of games against traditional postseason participants Northern Kentucky (Nov. 18) and Michigan State (Nov. 20). Against NKU, poured in 21 points while grabbing five caroms in 31 minutes of work versus the Norse. Followed it up with a 14 point, six rebound effort against the Spartans. Was perfect on the week from the free-throw line whole shooting 55.6 percent (5-of-9) from three-point range. Versus MSU, Farrakhan and teammates become the first squad this season to out-rebound Tom Izzo's club.
Dae Dae Grant, Miami, Guard
Junior, Lorain, Ohio (Lorain)
Grant propelled Miami to its first 4-0 start since the 1998-99 season, leading Miami to a pair of wins last week as Miami led from start to finish in both contests. Grant averaged 17.0 ppg, 6.5 apg with a 4.33 assist/turnover ratio, while shooting 52.0 percent from the floor. He recorded 18 points, seven rebounds and tied a then-career-high of five assists against Stetson on Wednesday. He followed that with a 16-point, career-high eight-assist effort in 23 minutes of action while shooting 70.0 percent from the floor against Heidelberg. Grant’s assist average over the two games last week surpassed his previous career high for assists in a game heading into the week. For the week, he also averaged 4.0 rpg and knocked down four triples.
Ben Vander Plas, Ohio, Forward
Redshirt Senior. Ripon, Wis. (Ripon)
Vander Plas led the Bobcats this past week, helping them go 1-1 to start the season 3-1. Overall, Vander Plas averaged 18.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists. He shot 53.6 percent from the field and went 6-of-14 (.429) from three. On Nov. 15 against Robert Morris, Vander Plas scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for his first double-double of the season. He shot 7-of-13 from the field and 3-of-7 from three, helping lead Ohio to the 85-71 victory. Vander Plas led Ohio again on Nov. 19 at No. 13 Kentucky. He finished the game with a team-high 19 points and grabbed six rebounds. Vander Plas shot 8-of-15 from the field and was 3-of-7 from thee and dished out three assists.
