MAC Men’s Basketball Player of the Week
Jason Carter, Ohio, Forward
RS 5th, Johnstown, Ohio / Johnstown-Monroe
Forward Jason Carter was a force for the Bobcats this past week, helping Ohio go 3-0 and improve to 19-3 overall - the best record through 22 in games in program history. The Bobcats also moved to 10-1 in conference play, reclaiming first place. Overall, Carter averaged 20.7 points and grabbed 7.3 rebounds. Carter shot .675 from the field and went 6-of-10 from three. He also averaged 1.3 assists and 1.3 steals a game, while averaging 28.9 minutes on the floor.
Carter's week started on Feb. 3 against Ball State, where he tied for a game-high 18 points, going 8-of-12 from the field and 1-of-1 from three. He grabbed three rebounds, dished out two assists and had one block and one steal in 22 minutes, in Ohio's dominating 87-63 victory.
Carter was back in action for Ohio's 81-68 victory against Eastern Michigan on Feb. 3. Carter scored 17 points and grabbed a game-high eight rebounds. He went 7-of-11 from the field, 3-of-5 from three and dished out one assist and had one steal in 29 minutes.
Carter's best game of the week came on Feb. 5 against Western Michigan. Carter scored a career-high 27 points and grabbed 10 boards in the 77-64 victory. Carter went 12-of-17 from the field and 2-of-4 from three. He also dished out one assist and had one steal in 35 minutes on the floor.
Other Nominees
Enrique Freeman, Akron, Forward
Sophomore, Cleveland, Ohio (St. Martin De Porres High School)
Sophomore Enrique Freeman (Cleveland, Ohio) led the Zips to a 2-0 record, defeating Miami twice in less than 48 hours, by averaging a double-double with 12.5 points and 11.5 rebounds. He scored 25 total points and grabbed 23 rebounds to go along with three assists and three blocked shots. In the first game against Miami, Freeman logged 32:47 minutes and led all scorers with 21 points while registering his 11th double-double of the season with 13 boards. Freeman shot 9-of-13 (.692) from the floor and blocked three shots. At Miami, Freeman played only 24:30 minutes and grabbed 10 rebounds while adding four points with three assists. Freeman is one of 13 players in the NCAA to average a double-double.
Payton Sparks Ball State, C
Freshman, Winchester, Ind. (Winchester)
Payton Sparks led the Cardinals with two double-doubles during the week. He was the only player in the MAC to record multiple double-doubles for the week, which came against the top-two teams in the conference. On the road against Ohio, Sparks recorded his fifth double-double of the season behind 13 points and 11 rebounds. He added two assists and a steal. Against Toledo, he posted a team-high 18 points and collected a game-high 11 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the year. He dished out four assists and blocked one shot. During the week, Sparks finished second in the MAC with 11.0 rebounds per game and tied for 11th with 3.0 assists per game.
Myron Gordon, Bowling Green, Guard
Senior, Bordentown, N.J. (Bordentown)
Myron Gordon made an impact off the bench all week for the Falcons. Gordon began the week against Central Michigan by scoring a season-high 24 points to lead BGSU in scoring, including a stretch where he scored 15 straight Bowling Green points. Gordon was also able to fill the stat sheet in the contest with three rebounds, three steals and an assist. As for the game against Northern Illinois, Gordon moved to more of a "do-it-all" role. He scored nine points for the Orange and Brown while leading the team in both assists (5) and steals (3) while tying for second on the team with five rebounds to round out his stat line.
Jeenathan Williams, Buffalo, Forward
Senior, Rochester, NY (Prolific Prep)
Senior Jeenathan Williams led the Bulls to a 74-54 victory in Buffalo's lone game this week as the Rochester, NY native scored 19 points, while adding three rebounds, five assists, and four blocked shots in UB's victory over Central Michigan, snapping the Chippewas' three-game winning streak. Williams went 6-of-11 from the floor, including 4-of-6 from three point range. His five assists were tied for team-high honors and his four blocks were a career best.
Kevin Miller, Central Michigan, Guard
Freshman, Chicago, Ill./Victory Rock Prep (Fla.)
Miller had a great week, leading CMU to a pair of victories. The true freshman averaged 17.7 points, 6.7 assists and 5.3 rebounds during the week with four steals. He shot 53.8 percent from the field and was 9-for-11 at the line. Against Bowling Green, he almost had a triple double at halftime and finished with 21 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds, hitting 10-for-16 (.625) from the field. His 21 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds were all career bests and his first career double-double. Miller followed that up with 18 points, six assists and six rebounds against Western Michigan, going 5-of-9 from the field and 7-of-8 at the line.
Nate Scott, Eastern Michigan, G/F
Senior, Naperville, Ill. / Neuqua Valley / Northern Illinois
Senior Nate Scott turned in his best week as an Eagle, averaging 14.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 60 percent shooting in three games this week. Shot was 17-for-28 from the floor, including making seven three-pointers. Against three of the MAC's top-four teams, Scott led the Eagles with 42 points while playing 31.0 minutes a contest. Against Toledo, Scott notched 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting to go along with four rebounds and two steals. At Ohio, he added 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting with six caroms. Then at Kent State, he poured in 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Furthermore, Scott has reached double-digits in four consecutive games for the first time in his career (vs. Miami - 25, vs. Toledo -17, at Ohio -16, at Kent State - 11). Additionally, in that four-game span, the senior has shot well, hitting 58.1 percent (25-of-43) from the field, 46.4 percent (13-of-28) from deep, and 4-of-4 from the free throw line.
Malique Jacobs, Kent State, Guard
Redshirt Junior, Wilmington, N.C. / Indian Hills CC
Malique Jacobs continued to dominate the stat sheet this week, doing it all for the Flashes and helping the team to two wins. His all-around play brings out the best in himself and his teammates as he averaged 11.5 points for the week, 6.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists. He orchestrates the offense out of the post for Kent State and gets his teammates involved. Not only is he solid offensively, he is one of the best defensive players in the conference and proved it again against EMU as he shut down the Eagles in the second half to give the Flashes the win.
Keshawn Williams, NIU, Guard
Sophomore, Chicago Heights, Ill. (Bloom)
Keshawn Williams led the way for the Huskies with 17.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game for the week as the Huskies split a pair of games against Western Michigan and Bowling Green. Williams opened the week with 15 points, including 6-of-9 shooting, as the Huskies defeated the Broncos in Kalamazoo, recording their first road win over Western Michigan since 2006. The Chicago Heights, Ill., native then added 20 points, including 12-of-13 from the free-throw line, and grabbed a career-best seven rebounds at Bowling Green.
Ryan Rollins, Toledo, Guard
Sophomore, Macomb, Mich. (Dakota)
Sophomore guard Ryan Rollins averaged 20.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg and 3.0 apg in Toledo’s two games last week. Rollins opened the week by scoring 19 points and grabbing seven rebounds in an 86-66 win at Eastern Michigan. He then led the Rockets with 22 points to go along with five rebounds and a team-high five assists in a 93-83 setback at Ball State.
Lamar Norman Jr., Western Michigan, G
Jr., Grand Rapids, Mich. (Godwin Heights)
Lamar Norman Jr. averaged 24.0 points per game on 51.9 percent shooting and knocked down 40.0 percent of his three-point shots for the week. Norman began the week by making 10-of-18 (.556) percent from the field and burying four three-pointers against NIU. After an 18-point performance at CMU on Thursday, the junior closed out the week with 30 points on 11-of-18 (.611) shooting, including 5-of-10 from downtown, on the road at Ohio. Norman's 30-point outburst against the Bobcats was his league-leading third 30+ point game of the season and extended his double-digit scoring streak to 20 in a row.
