MAC Men’s Basketball Player of the Week
Enrique Freeman, Akron, Forward
Sophomore, Cleveland, Ohio ( St. Martin De Porres)
Freeman collected his third and fourth straight double-double performances of the season as Freeman averaged 19.5 points and 13.5 rebounds to lead Akron to a pair of wins over Marshall and Southern. He shot 13-of-19 (.684) percent from the floor and 13-of-22 (.591) from the charity stripe. Freeman scored 39 total points and grabbed 27 total rebounds with 19 defensive boards. Against Marshall, Freeman registered a team-high 24 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the floor and the free throw line. He notched the last five points for Akron with an old-fashioned 3-point play dunk and a pair of free throws with three seconds remaining in the game to give Akron the 88-86 win over The Herd. He pulled down 14 rebounds in the winning effort while blocking two shots and securing one steal. Against Southern, Freeman scored a second-best 15 points and grabbed 13 boards en route to a 79-62 win over Southern. Freeman shot 5-of-7 from the floor and with five made free throws, three blocked shots and a steal.Freeman recorded double-digit rebounding performances in seven straight games and owns six double-double performances in eight games.
Other Nominees
Luke Bumbalough, Ball State, Guard
Junior, New Castle, Ind. (New Castle)
Luke led the team with 17 points and nine rebounds in Ball State's lone game of the week against Western Illinois. He finished with a game-high eight defensive rebounds as well as a game-high nine rebounds. Luke extended his streak in double figures to four games after Wednesday's contest.
Joe Reece, Bowling Green, Forward
Junior, St. Louis, Mo. (East St. Louis)
Bowling Green junior Joe Reece played a key role in the Falcons' comeback victory over Duquesne this past week. Reece paced the Falcons in both points (15) and rebounds (12) to log his second double-double of the season. Of his 12 rebounds, Reece posted seven in the first half alone. He also went 5-of-7 from the line, having both the most makes and attempts from the line for BG in the game.
Jeenathan Williams, Buffalo, Forward
Senior, Rochester, NY (Prolific Prep)
Senior Jeenathan Williams led the Bulls offensively as he averaged 20.5 points per game as Buffalo split its two contests. He scored a game high 23 points at St. Bonaventure, the 25th ranked team in the nation in the coaches poll, on Saturday afternoon, 19 of those points coming after the break. Williams helped the Bulls overcome an 11-point deficit with just three minutes left as the Bulls tied it up with 29 seconds left against the Bonnies. He began the week by shoot 7-of-8 from the floor against Point Park, scoring 18 points.
Monty Scott, Eastern Michigan, Forward
Senior, Union, N.J.-St. Bendict's Prep
Poured in 16 points and grabbed five rebounds in the West Coast adventure at UC San Diego, Dec. 2. Followed it up with a 12 point, 3 rebounds, and 3 assist effort against Northwood. Had three steals on the week to go along with five assists as the team went 1-1.
Dalonte Brown, Miami, Forward
5th-Year Senior. Toledo, Ohio (Bowsher)
Dalonte Brown led Miami in a pair of close games that came down to the wire last week and set the Miami record for career starts (119), eclipsing the record of 118 previously held by Ron Harper. Brown scored 14 points and notched nine rebounds in a one-point loss to the Cincinnati and amassed 15 points and 10 rebounds, the first double-double by a RedHawk this season, in a one-point loss at Indiana State. Brown knocked down two triples against the Bearcats and added a steal to his line. He shot a strong 53.8 percent from the floor and added one steal, one blocked shot and one assist against the Sycamores. For the week, he averaged 14.5 ppg, 9.5 rpg and shot 50.0 percent from the field.
Keshawn Williams, NIU, Guard
Sophomore, Chicago Heights, Ill. (Bloom)
Williams poured in a career-best 24 points in a 55-45 victory over Eastern Illinois in NIU’s home opener on Dec. 1. Williams went 11-of-20 from the field against the Panthers and added three rebounds, two steals and an assist as the Huskies earned a victory in their first home game of the year. For the week, Williams averaged 15.5 points, 2.0 assists, 1.5 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game.
Mark Sears, Ohio, Guard
Sophomore, Muscle Shoals, Ala. / Hargrave Military Academy
Sears led Ohio last week, helping the Bobcats go 1-1. Overall, Sears averaged 1.5 points and 6.0 rebounds a game to lead the Bobcats. He shot 40.6 percent from the field, went 4-of-9 from three (.444) and went 5-of-7 from the line. He also averaged 2.0 steals, and 3.0 assists per game. On Dec. 1 at LSU, the Bobcats second SEC opponent of the season, Sears scored 11 points, going 4-of-18 from the field, 2-of-7 from three and hit one free throw. He grabbed four rebounds, dished out one assist and one steal. Then on Dec. 4 against St. Francis, Sears led the Bobcats with 24 points and eight boards. He went 9-of-14 from the field, 20of-2 from three and 4-of-5 from the line. He dished out five assists and had three steals. Sears also controlled the game-saving rebound and drew the foul with with Bobcat up one with under 10 seconds to go. Sears went on to hit the final free throws of the game in the Bobcats' 78-75 victory.
RayJ Dennis, Toledo, Guard
Junior, Plainfield, Ill. (Oswego)
Junior RayJ Dennis averaged 13.5 ppg, a team-high 7.5 rpg, 3.5 apg and 1.5 spg in the Rockets’ two games last week. Dennis also shot an impressive 71.4 percent (10-of-14) from the field, 75.0 percent (3-of-4) from three-point range and 100.0 percent (4-of-4) from the free-throw line.Dennis tallied 14 points, five rebounds and five assists in the Rockets’ victory over Northwestern Ohio on Monday. He followed that up with his first career double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds in Toledo’s 81-68 loss at No. 22 Michigan State.Dennis ranks fifth in the MAC with a team-high 3.8 apg and also is tied for sixth in the conference with a team-best 4.9 defensive rpg.
