PSAC Men's Basketball Athletes of the Week - 3 (Nov. 30)
PSAC Men's Basketball Weekly Release (11-30) (pdf)
Cheyney's Kevin Presbery is this week's PSAC East Player of the Week after posting a double-double to help lead the Wolves to a road win over Washington Adventist. IUP's Akida McLain is the PSAC West Player of the Week after his performance also helped the Crimson Hawks to a road win over Holy Family. Shippensburg's Lamar Jackson had a hand in helping the Red Raiders to a 4-0 start to the season and he is this week's PSAC East Freshman of the Week. Edinboro's Chris Klimchock is the second straight Fighting Scot to claim the PSAC West Freshman of the Week award.
PSAC Players of the Week - Nov. 30
PSAC East Player of the Week
Kevin Presbery, Cheyney
G, Sr., Philadelphia, Pa./Lackawanna JC
Presbery recorded a double-double with 25 points and 12 rebounds in 34 minutes of play to help lead Cheyney to a 93-81 road win at Washington Adventist in the Wolves’ only game of the week. Presbery scored his 25 points on 9-of-16 shooting (56.3 percent), including 2-of-3 from three-point range and a 5-of-8 performance from the free throw line. He also contributed three assists and three steals and only committed three turnovers in the win, which improved the Wolves to 2-1 on the year.
PSAC East Freshman of the Week
Lamar Jackson, Shippensburg
G, Fr., Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Carroll
Jackson led all scorers with 16 points last Tuesday night to help lead Shippensburg to a 63-53 road win at Wilmington, giving Shippensburg a 4-0 record to start the season. Jackson shot 5-of-9 from the floor (55.6 percent) and also contributed two rebounds, an assist and five steals. He made a three-pointer and also made 5-of-9 free throws in earning his first weekly freshman award of the season.
PSAC West Player of the Week
Akida McLain, IUP
F, Sr., Pittsburgh, Pa./Penn Hills
McLain scored a career-high 22 points and also added seven rebounds and three steals to help IUP to an 80-74 win over Holy Family on the road on Sunday. He hit on 9-of-13 shots from the field (69.2 percent), including 2-of-2 from three-point range. McLain came up big down the stretch for the Crimson Hawks, as he hit three straight baskets to rebuild IUP’s lead to 74-67 late in the game after Holy Family had cut a 10-point IUP lead to just three with 6:48 remaining.
PSAC West Freshman of the Week
Chris Klimchock, Edinboro
G, Fr., Greensburg, Pa./Greensburg Salem
Klimchock becomes the second straight and second different Edinboro freshman to earn the West Freshman of the Week award after averaging 6.0 points, 2.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists in a 2-1 week for the Fighting Scots. He also made 9-of-13 free throws on the week. Klimchock began the week by scoring 10 points and also adding three rebounds and six assists in a win over Thiel. He also scored eight points and had three rebounds and four assists in Edinboro’s win over Lake Erie.
PSAC Team Notes
Bloomsburg Huskies
Bloomsburg did not play last week...They are back in action on Monday vs. Penn State-Hazleton...The Huskies have started the season 0-2 after a 68-53 season opening loss to Chestnut Hill College and a 67-62 loss to Slippery Rock…So. F Larry Webster nearly notched a triple-double against Chestnut Hill, accounting for 12 points on 6-of-10 shooting, 11 rebounds and a school-record 9 blocks…Webster had 16 points, 7 rebounds - including 6 offensive - 4 assists and 2 blocks against Slippery Rock…Fr. F Ed Hall has come off the bench in each of the first two games to average 24.5 minutes, 12 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks…Hall is shooting 50.0 percent from the floor and has 4 offensive rebounds in each of the two games.
California Vulcans
Cal U is off to a 3-1 start this year after posting a 13-13 overall record last season…Jr. transfer forward Andrew Young is one of three Vulcans scoring in double-figures this year, leading the team with 16.5 points per game…He also is averaging a team-high 4.3 rebounds per game…Head coach Bill Brown enters the week with 399 career victories, including a school-record 274 wins…There are only currently 27 active head coaches in NCAA Division II with 400 career victories…The Vulcans are shooting 78.7 percent (70-of-89) from the free-throw line after making less than 57 percent from the charity stripe last year.
Cheyney Wolves
In Cheyney's only game of the week, the Wolves defeated Washington Adventist 93-81 to improve to 2-1 on the young season...All 11 players on the Wolves roster scored...Kevin Presbery tallied his first double double of the season scoring 25 points while grabbing 12 rebounds...Sharif Bray added 23 points while Bruce Kennedy came off the bench to score 10...Cheyney is in action tonight at Caldwell before traveling to Goldey Beacom on Saturday.
Clarion Golden Eagles
Clarion was off last week...The Golden Eagles are back in action on Saturday when they host Penn Tech...After not shooting over 66 percent in a game since 1981, the Golden Eagles did it twice in their first three games, hitting 66.7 percent of its shots vs. PSU-New Kensington and then hitting 66.7 percent of its shots at Shepherd...Clarion has now shot 66 percent or better only four times since 1981, the first year such records are available...The 66.7 percent vs. PSU-NK was a Tippin Gym high during that span…Clarion's 124 points vs. PSU-New Kensington are the seventh most by the Eagles since at least the 1964-65 season…Shameel Carty shot a perfect 9 of 9 vs. PSU-New Kensington, which tied the school record for shooting percentage in a game and was the most made in a perfect game since 1980-81…With 9 3-pointers this season, Mike Sherry has moved into 9th all-time in school history with 137 made 3's.
East Stroudsburg Warriors
ESU did not compete last week and is back in action on Tuesday vs. USP...ESU won its first three games by an average of 48.7 ppg (97-48 vs. PSU-Schuylkill, 101-52 vs. Mercy and 109-61 vs. PSU-Allegheny)...Four of the Warriors' top five scorers are newcomers...The only returner, Sr. G Andy Heimbach (13.3 ppg), is 8-for-15 from the 3-point line and set the school record for career 3's (168) in the season opener...Fr. F Duane Johnson (14.3 ppg) has been in double figures all three games...Fr. F Marcus Brown (12.7 ppg), Fr. F Terrance King (11.7 ppg) and Jr. G Micah Covert (9.0 ppg) are also new additions for 2009-10...Sr. G Robby Pines has 18 assists and 3 turnovers...ESU shot 65.6 percent from the field vs. Mercy and 94.4 percent (17-18) at the line vs. PSU-Allegheny, both the best marks in eight years under head coach Jeff Wilson.
Edinboro Fighting Scots
Reserve guard Al Muteba was named to the Gary Miller Classic All-Tournament Team after scoring a season-high 17 points against Northern Kentucky, then adding 14 points vs. Lake Erie…Danny Walsh scored a career-high 15 points in the win over Lake Erie. The junior guard is coming back after missing a year and a half with broken vertebrae in his back. He got off to a slow start this year, missing his first 11 shots, but was 5 of 8 from the floor against The Storm…Edinboro will play Lake Erie in back-to-back games. After beating The Storm the second night of the Gary Miller Classic, the Fighting Scots' next game is at Lake Erie on Saturday, December 5.
Gannon Golden Knights
Gannon split two games last weekend at the 26th annual Gary Miller Classic...The Golden Knights held Northern Kentucky to a tournament-record 38 points during a 40-38 victory last Saturday...The mark was the lowest scoring output in NKU history...The game also represented the lowest combined score in tournament history, shattering the old record by 37 points...Jr. Travis Brannen was named to the all-tournament team after recording 19 points and 14 rebounds in two games...In addition, he held Iowa transfer David Palmer to 13 points one day after he scored 27 points against Edinboro...Jr. Preston Harris averaged 10.5 points during the event, including two clutch free throws against NKU that gave the Golden Knights a four-point lead with 11 seconds left...Saturday's victory marked the fewest points scored during a victory in school history.
IUP Crimson Hawks
IUP climbed seven spots to No. 11 in the first in-season National Association of Basketball Coaches poll and then improved to 3-0 with an 80-74 win at Holy Family in the first meeting between the two teams...Akida McLain scored a career-high 22 points and Darryl Webb had his second consecutive double-double and 22nd of his career with 16 points and 14 rebounds...Webb moved up one spot to 14th on the IUP all-time rebound list with 545...Ashton Smith just missed a triple-double, finishing with nine points, nine assists and eight rebounds...It was the second time in three games that Smith has dished out nine assists...The Crimson Hawks begin a four-game homestand Thursday vs. Penn State-Beaver.
Kutztown Golden Bears
Kutztown will play its first away game Wednesday Dec. 2 at Chestnut Hill College...The Golden Bears are ranked 13th in the latest National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Top 25 poll...The game against PSU-Berks on Monday will be KU's first game in 12 days...In its only game this season, Kutztown defeated Wilmington University, 95-61...Julius Gray and Ryan Washington scored 21 points each...Division II Player of the Year candidate Stephen Dennis scored 17 points and handed out a career high 10 assists in the victory. Dennis has 1,606 career points...He is 76 points shy of tying Lock Jennings for second on the all-time KU scoring list...After its home game against University of the Sciences on Dec. 5, Kutztown plays away games at the University of District of Columbia (Dec. 9) and Holy Family (Dec. 19)...Going back to last year's NCAA tournament, Julius Gray has scored in double figures in three of his last four games...Kutztown has won 16 straight home games.
Lock Haven Bald Eagles
The Lock Haven University men's basketball team is 1-1 on the young season and coming off a thrilling 73-68 win over Charleston on November 17...The Bald Eagles get back into this week with two games...LHU hosts the CACC's Philadelphia on Monday before heading out onto the road for the first time this year...Lock Haven travels to Shippensburg, who took down the Bald Eagles in Lock Haven back on Nov. 15 in the season-opener for both teams...Sophomore forward Eric Brennan (Chester, Pa./West Catholic) leads the team with 16 points-per-game. He's also averaging 14 rebounds has seven steals. Senior forward Warren Christian (Baltimore/Catonsville C.C.) is giving the Bald Eagles solid numbers and is dropping 14.5 pts./game and adds 10.1 boards. In the win over Charleston, Brennan had a monster double-double. He scored 18 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, the sixth most in a single game for LHU. For his efforts Brennan was named PSAC West Player of the Week last week.
Mansfield Mountaineers
The Mansfield men are 2-0 on the season after beating UDC 81-74 in their only game of the week… Jr. Yeseff Carr has been almost unstoppable in the first two games of the season averaging 23.0 points and 8.5 rebounds per game while shooting 80% from the floor…Carr is one of four Mountaineers averaging double figures through the first two games; sophomore Tony Fannick is averaging 19.0 points along with 10.0 rebounds while senior guards Ryan Callahan and Chris Pender are averaging 15.5 and 10.0 points per game respectively…Mansfield host PSU-DuBois and Penn College this week as part of a five game home stand to open the season.
Mercyhurst Lakers
The Lakers posted a 66-63 victory over Roberts Wesleyan in their only game of the week…Mercyhurst is now 3-1 on the year and head coach Gary Manchel needs just 12 victories to become the Lakers all-time leader in wins...Karl Fogel (106-106) is currently the wins leader after guiding Mercyhurst from 1995-2003…The Lakers have trailed at halftime just once this season (vs Roberts Wesleyan) and have been out-rebounded once (vs Roberts Wesleyan)…Mercyhurst's field-goal percentage has been consistent, dipping below 43.5 percent on just one occasion (39.7 vs Roberts Wesleyan)…With 18 players on the roster, the Lakers have featured a balanced offensive attack through four games as four different Lakers have posted team-highs in scoring…Guards Heiden Ratner and Shelton Jackson, along with forward Jordan Armstrong have started every contest for the Lakers…Armstrong was the only player to start all 27 games a season ago.
Millersville Marauders
Millersville went 1-1 last week, defeating USP on the road last Monday and then falling to Philadelphia at home on Saturday to fall to 3-1 on the season...The Marauders started 3-0 for just the fourth time in head coach Fred Thompson’s 12-year tenure...Millersville improved to 3-0 all-time vs. USP, holding USP to 18-of-45 shooting from the field in the win...Sr. Jason Blake scored in double figures for the third time in as many games vs. USP before scoring just eight in the loss to Philadelphia...
Shippensburg Red Raiders
Shippensburg has won four in a row to start the season for the second straight year…The Red Raiders beat Wilmington (Del.) by 10 points...The Red Raiders out-rebounded Wilmington by 16 total boards and recorded 15 offensive rebounds in the contest to just three for the Wildcats…The Red Raiders had 14 second-chance points while holding the home team scoreless on its second-chance opportunities…SU used just nine players in the contest but all of them played at least 10 minutes and had at least two points…It is the second time this season that the Red Raiders have achieved that feat…The forward tandem of seniors Tariek Belcher and Daziah Miller combined for 22 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, two blocks and two steals…Miller was just one rebound short of a double-double.
Slippery Rock - The Rock
The Rock (2-0) was idle last week and returns to action Monday night, when it meets 2-0 Seton Hill in a non-conference, NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional contest...The Rock seeks its 11th straight regular-season win dating back to a Jan. 31, 2009, loss at Indiana...Kevin Reynolds needs 10 victories to set a school record for most triumphs in the first two seasons as head coach...SRU takes on District of Columbia and Queens (N.Y.) this weekend in the East Stroudsburg Classic.
West Chester Golden Rams
West Chester picked up two more non-conference wins to open the season 5-0 under second-year head coach Damien Blair...It marks the first time that WCU has opened the year with five straight wins since 2004-05...The five-game winning streak is the longest under Blair...The Golden Rams are a combined 22-10 under Damien Blair, dating back to last season...West Chester has won three of its five games by a combined seven points...Ralph Hegamin averaged 15 points and 5.5 rebounds in West Chester's two wins last week...Kehinde Roberts averaged 13.5 points and five rebounds...West Chester visits Philadelphia University on Wednesday...PhilaU assistant coach Dick DeLaney was the head coach at West Chester for 21 years before retiring after the 2007-08 campaign.