MAC Men’s Basketball Player of the Week
Ryan Rollins, Toledo, Guard
Sophomore, Macomb, Mich. (Dakota)
Sophomore guard Ryan Rollins led Toledo to a pair of double-digit victories to keep the Rockets at the top of the Mid-American Conference. Rollins averaged 18.5 ppg, 10.5 rpg and 4.5 apg and shot 60.9 percent (14-of-23) from the field in wins over Ohio and Northern Illinois. Rollins opened the week by nearly registering a triple-double to move Toledo back into first place with a 77-62 win over the Bobcats on Tuesday. He scored 15 points, grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds and dished out eight assists while hitting 6-of-9 shots. Rollins then tied for the team lead with 22 points and added seven rebounds in a 100-72 victory at Northern Illinois on Saturday. Rollins ranks 23rd nationally with 19.9 ppg and leads the MAC with 15 20-point outings this season.
Other Nominees
Payton Sparks, Ball State, Center
Freshman, Winchester, Ind. (Winchester)
Payton Sparks led Ball State over the the week and averaged a double-double with 17.5 points and 12.5 rebounds during the span. In the game against Central Michigan, he recorded 16 points, a game-high 13 rebounds, and added an assist. In the game at Buffalo, Sparks led the team with 19 points and 12 rebounds as well as having one block. Sparks recorded his fifth-straight double-double and eight of the season. It is the second week that he has produced two double-doubles in two games.
Daeqwon Plowden, Bowling Green, Forward
Senior, Philadelphia, Pa. (Mastery Charter North)
Daeqwon Plowden was just a couple rebounds shy of a double-double for the Falcons against Kent State. The Bowling Green senior posted a team-high 16 points against the Golden Flashes while bringing down eight rebounds and swiping two steals. Against Miami, Plowden continued to see success on the boards, tallying nine rebounds in addition to eight points and another steal for the Orange and Brown.
Jeenathan Williams, Buffalo, Forward
Senior, Rochester, NY (Prolific Prep)
Senior Jeenathan Williams led the Bulls to a pair of wins this past week as he averaged 20.0 points as UB picked up wins over Eastern Michigan and Ball State, averaging 91.0 points in the two games. On Saturday, Williams scored 24 points on his birthday as he was 9-of-16 from the floor, while adding three steals. He had 16 points and four rebounds on Tuesday evening in the win over Eastern Michigan. Williams, who leads the MAC in 3pt field goal percentage in league games, shot 50% from three over the week going 5-of-10.
Bryce McBride, Eastern Michigan, Guard
Junior, Jackson, Tenn.-Southside-Dyersburg State C.C.
Bryce McBride finished with double digit scoring outputs in both contests this week, tallying 12 points at Buffalo, Feb. 8, and 10 points versus Ohio, Feb. 12. McBride’s 12-point effort against the Bulls led the Eagles. It is the fifth time this season McBride has led all EMU scorers. Saturday’s contest versus Ohio marked the 15th time this season McBride has notched 10-plus points.
Sincere Carry, Kent State, Guard
Redshirt Junior, Solon
Sincere Carry led the Golden Flashes to their sixth-straight win with a thrilling 66-64 win over Akron to sweep the regular season Wagon Wheel series. Carry scored a team-high 19 on the road against the Zips. He has now led the team in scoring for the 16th time this season and scored 18+ points for the 12th time. He shot 7-for-12 from the field and 4-for-5 from beyond the arc against Akron, moving the Flashes solely into third place in the conference. Earlier in the week, he led the Flashes to a home win over Bowling Green with 17 points and seven rebounds. Carry was electric and efficient all week, shooting 50 percent (12-for-24) from the field and 58 percent (7-for-12) from three.
Dae Dae Grant, Miami, Guard
Junior, Lorain, Ohio (Lorain)
Dae Dae Grant spearheaded Miami to a pair of wins last week, scoring his 1,000th career point in the process. Grant poured 25 points and eight rebounds in a 62-57 win against Western Michigan. He sunk a career-high 10 free throws against the Broncos. Grant tallied 19 points, nine rebounds and five assists in a decisive 94-78 win against Bowling Green, for the RedHawks first back-to-back wins since December. Grant became the 39th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points on a field goal with just over a minute to go in the opening half. He shot 61.5 percent from the field against the Falcons. For the week, Grant averaged 22.0 ppg, 8.5 rpg and 3.0 apg while shooting 53.8 percent from the field, 40.0 percent from 3-point range and 92.3 percent from the free throw line.
Mark Sears, Ohio, Guard
Sophomore, Muscle Shoals, Ala.
Sophomore guard Mark Sears led the Bobcats this week to a 2-1 record and helped the Bobcats clinch a spot in the 2022 MAC Tournament. Overall, Sears averaged 20.7 points a game, while shooting .396 from the field, .474 from three and was 15-of-17 from the free throw line. He averaged 6.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game, while adding 2.3 steals in an average of 37.1 minutes on the court. Sears started his week at Toledo on Feb. 8 where he scored 13 points, has six rebounds and two assists in 38 minutes. Sears was back in action on Feb 10 at Central Michigan where he scored 22 points and grabbed five rebounds. He went 5-of-11 from the field, 4-of-6 from three and was 8-of-10 from the line. He also grabbed two steals and dished out four assists in the 81-72 victory. Sears closed the week with his best performance at Eastern Michigan. Sears scored a game-high 27 points, going 9-of-19 from the field, 2-of-5 from three and was 7-for-7 from the line. He added eight rebounds, dished out five assists and had three steals in 26 minutes on the floor in the 74-56 victory.
Lamar Norman Jr., Western Michigan, Guard
Junior, Grand Rapids, Mich. (Godwin Heights)
Lamar Norman Jr. averaged 18.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game for Western Michigan last week. The junior led WMU in scoring in both contests, starting with a 12-point effort in a defensive struggle at Miami on Tuesday. In Saturday's wire-to-wire win over CMU, Norman poured in a game-high 25 points, 16 of which came in the first half as the Broncos built a 23-point halftime lead. In the victory over the Chippewas, Norman connected on six three-pointers, one shy of his career high, and snared five rebounds to help WMU hold a double-digit lead for the final 28+ minutes of the contest.
