Tag: Player of the Week

Mountain West Wire’s Player of The Year Watch List: Week Ten

Who is in the running for Player of the Year? Take A Look At the Best Performances Around the Mountain West In Week Ten Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire Flynn pulls ahead, while Air Force and San Jose State find representation on the list, in …

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Who is in the running for Player of the Year?

Take A Look At the Best Performances Around the Mountain West In Week Ten

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

Flynn pulls ahead, while Air Force and San Jose State find representation on the list, in a week full of upsets.

The staff at the Mountain West Wire wanted to do something a little different this year. We are going to keep track of the top performers from teams around the Mountain West throughout the year and vote on who had the best performances that week. 

How it works description now at the bottom of the article

The order for the tenth week is as follows:

1. Seneca Knight, sophomore guard San Jose State (5 Points)

28 Points, 9 Rebounds and 3 Steals against Nevada

21 Points, 8 Rebounds and 2 Assists against Colorado State

Knight makes his debut on the list and does so with a bang with a first place finish after a week that featured handing the Nevada Wolfpack their first loss in conference play while averaging 24.5 PPG and 8.5 RPG for the Spartans. San Jose State has had a well known tough transition into the Mountain West, failing to finish above .500 in conference play, posting a 16-98 record since their move in 2014.

Knight has played well for a Spartan’s team that is enjoying 9th place in the conference standings after two wins against top half teams New Mexico and Nevada this season. Those two conference wins give head coach Jean Prioleau more wins in conference play than his previous two years in San Jose combined (which add up to two).

Knight is leading the team in scoring with 13.7 PPG but is averaging 16.6 PPG in conference play. The Spartans are a bit two sided and can bring an upset caliber team to the court (i.e. Hofstra, New Mexico, Nevada) or a team riding an eight game losing streak (Nov. 23rd-Dec. 22nd) any night.

To be fair the Spartans only have one loss to a team outside KenPom’s top-250, and have a strength of schedule rated 67th in the country. Either way this Spartan team may be a bit underrated (I know how it sounds but ask the Lobos or Wolfpack) and would have a “successful” or progressive season if they finish anywhere inside the top-10. And Knight’s play as of recent can get them there.

2. JaQuan Lyle, senior guard New Mexico (4 Points):

14 Points, 10 Assists and 3 Steals against Fresno State

20 Points, 4 Assists and 2 Rebounds against Air Force

3. Malachi Flynn, junior guard San Diego State (3 Points):

19 Points, 4 Assists and 3 Steals against Wyoming

19 Points, 6 Assists and 3 Rebounds against Boise State

4.  Jalen Harris, junior guard Nevada (2 Points):

20 Points, 5 Rebounds and 5 Assists against San Jose State

31 Points, 3 Assists, and 3 Rebounds against Utah State

5. Ryan Swan, senior center Air Force (1 Point):

31 Points, 11 Rebounds and 3 Assists against Utah State

10 Points, 7 Rebounds and 2 Assists against New Mexico

Past Weeks:

Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3| Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9

Current Overall Point Totals:

Malachi Flynn, junior guard San Diego State (17 Points)

JaQuan Lyle, senior guard UNM (15 Points)

Derrick Alston Jr, junior guard BSU (14 Points)

Jalen Harris, junior guard Nevada (11 Points)

Sam Merrill, senior guard USU (11 Points)

Jazz Johnson, senior guard Nevada (9 Points)

Nico Carvacho, senior center CSU (7 Points)

Hunter Maldonado, sophomore guard Wyoming (7 Points)

Alphonso Anderson, junior guard USU (5 Points)

Carlton Bragg Jr., senior forward New Mexico (5 Points)

Lindsey Drew, senior guard Nevada (5 Points)

Justinian Jessup, senior guard Boise State (5 Points)

Seneca Knight, sophomore guard San Jose State (5 Points)

Justin Bean, sophomore forward USU (4 Points)

Amauri Hardy, junior guard UNLV (4 Points)

Orlando Robinson, freshman forward Fresno State (4 Points)

David Roddy, freshman guard Colorado State (4 Points)

Isaiah Stevens, freshman guard Colorado State (4 Points)

Roderick “RJ” Williams, senior forward Boise State (3 Points)

Bryce Hamilton, sophomore guard UNLV (2 Points)

Corey Manigault, senior forward New Mexico (2 Points)

Jordan Schakel, junior guard SDSU (2 Points)

Donnie Tillman, junior forward UNLV (2 Points)

Abu Kigab, junior forward Boise State (1 Point)

Ryan Swan, senior center Air Force (1 Point)

How It Works: 

Each person will award 15 points in total to five players and should award it as so:

1st place (Player of the week): 5 pts

2nd place: 4 pts

3rd place: 3 pts

4th place: 2 pts

5th place: 1 pt

The player with the most points total will be our player of the week and we will keep track of the point totals every week so that the player who has the most at the end of the year will receive the Mountain West Wire Player of the Year award. Just copy the players below and type your names above it like we do for the pick them docs we get and award your points. 

Now some guys made the list and others didn’t. A big thing to think about was consistency throughout the week. Something that hurt some guys was having a decent game one day and a bad one the other day. Guys who made the list had a great game one day and a good one on other days, or good games both days.

This column will come out on Sunday nights or Monday mornings depending on how late some games finish on Sundays. 

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Mountain West Wire’s Player of The Year Watch List: Week Nine

Mountain West Wire’s Player of The Year Watch List: Week Nine Take A Look At the Best Performances Around the Mountain West In Week Nine Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire Who is in the running for Player of the Year? Malachi Flynn creates a …

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Mountain West Wire’s Player of The Year Watch List: Week Nine

Take A Look At the Best Performances Around the Mountain West In Week Nine

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

Who is in the running for Player of the Year? Malachi Flynn creates a two-way tie for first. 

The staff at the Mountain West Wire wanted to do something a little different this year. We are going to keep track of the top performers from teams around the Mountain West throughout the year and vote on who had the best performances that week. 

How it works description now at the bottom of the article

The order for the ninth week is as follows:

1. Malachi Flynn, junior guard San Diego State (5 Points)

16 Points, 5 Rebounds and 1 Assist against Fresno State

22 Points, 5 Rebounds and 4 Assists against Utah State

Malachi Flynn has been just what Aztec fans have been waiting for in the Brian Dutcher era. He runs this Aztec team with precision, knocks down shots in big moments and has San Diego State at 15-0 (4-0 MW) on the season.

Flynn had a big week, with the Aztec’s garnering a staple conference win against what looked like their biggest challenger in Utah State. He also has San Diego State ranked No. 7 in both the AP and Coaches polls and has contributed greatly to a defense ranked 12th in the nation per KenPom.

The Aztecs have ascended to another level of play with Flynn in the lineup and with this week’s first place finish, he is now tied atop the rankings with Derrick Alston Jr. of Boise State with 14 points each. This confirms his place in the conference for many covering the Mountain West this year and with the momentum he and the Aztecs currently have I can’t see too much disrupting his run for player of the year.

2. David Roddy, freshman guard Colorado State (4 Points):

17 Points and 5 Rebounds against Nevada

19 Points, 13 Rebounds and 3 Blocks against Wyoming

3. Jazz Johnson, senior guard Nevada  (3 Points):

9 Points, 4 Rebounds and 1 Assist against Colorado State

34 Points, 7 Rebounds and 2 assists against Boise State

4.  Bryce Hamilton, sophomore guard UNLV (2 Points):

20 Points, 6 Rebounds and 1 Steal against Utah State

15 Points, 3 Rebounds and 1 Steal against Air Force

5. Orlando Robinson, freshman forward Fresno State (1 Point):

23 Points, 14 Rebounds and 4 Assists against San Jose State

11 Points, 3 Rebounds and 2 Blocks against San Diego State

Past Weeks:

Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3| Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8

Current Overall Point Totals:

Derrick Alston Jr, junior guard BSU (14 Points)

Malachi Flynn, junior guard San Diego State (14 Points)

JaQuan Lyle, senior guard UNM (11 Points)

Sam Merrill, senior guard USU (11 Points)

Jalen Harris, junior guard Nevada (9 Points)

Jazz Johnson, senior guard Nevada (9 Points)

Nico Carvacho, senior center CSU (7 Points)

Hunter Maldonado, sophomore guard Wyoming (7 Points)

Alphonso Anderson, junior guard USU (5 Points)

Carlton Bragg Jr., senior forward New Mexico (5 Points)

Lindsey Drew, senior guard Nevada (5 Points)

Justinian Jessup, senior guard Boise State (5 Points)

Justin Bean, sophomore forward USU (4 Points)

Amauri Hardy, junior guard UNLV (4 Points)

Orlando Robinson, freshman forward Fresno State (4 Points)

David Roddy, freshman guard Colorado State (4 Points)

Isaiah Stevens, freshman guard Colorado State (4 Points)

Roderick “RJ” Williams, senior forward Boise State (3 Points)

Bryce Hamilton, sophomore guard UNLV (2 Points)

Corey Manigault, senior forward New Mexico (2 Points)

Jordan Schakel, junior guard SDSU (2 Points)

Donnie Tillman, junior forward UNLV (2 Points)

Abu Kigab, junior forward Boise State (1 Point)

How It Works: 

Each person will award 15 points in total to five players and should award it as so:

1st place (Player of the week): 5 pts

2nd place: 4 pts

3rd place: 3 pts

4th place: 2 pts

5th place: 1 pt

The player with the most points total will be our player of the week and we will keep track of the point totals every week so that the player who has the most at the end of the year will receive the Mountain West Wire Player of the Year award. Just copy the players below and type your names above it like we do for the pick them docs we get and award your points. 

Now some guys made the list and others didn’t. A big thing to think about was consistency throughout the week. Something that hurt some guys was having a decent game one day and a bad one the other day. Guys who made the list had a great game one day and a good one on other days, or good games both days.

This column will come out on Sunday nights or Monday mornings depending on how late some games finish on Sundays. 

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Spencer Dinwiddie among East Player of the Month nominees for December

For the second time in as many opportunities in 2019-20, Spencer Dinwiddie was in consideration for Eastern Conference Player of the Month.

Spencer Dinwiddie’s name continues to be thrown in with some of the biggest in the NBA.

In addition to being among the top-10 vote-getting guards in the Eastern Conference for the 2020 NBA All-Star Game following the first round of voting, the league announced on Thursday Dinwiddie was among the players nominated for Eastern Conference Player of the Month for games played in December.

Through the first 10 weeks of the 2019-20 NBA season, Dinwiddie has been named Eastern Conference Player of the Week once, nominated for the same award on three other occasions and nominated for Eastern Conference Player of the Month both times the award has been given out.

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo has won Eastern Conference Player of the Month both times this season.

Dinwiddie appeared in each of Brooklyn’s 13 games in December. He averaged 27 points and 6.8 assists per game throughout the month.

RELATED: Kyrie Irving, Spencer Dinwiddie among top All-Star vote-getters

Spencer Dinwiddie receives Player of the Week consideration for third time

The NBA continues to recognize Spencer Dinwiddie as one of its top performers. He was up for Eastern Conference Player of the Week again.

In the middle of November, Spencer Dinwiddie was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for Week 5 of the 2019-20 season. It was the first time he earned the award.

Image via NBA

A week later, Dinwiddie was recognized again by the NBA, but this time he was among the nominees. He lost out to Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Dinwiddie was then among those up for consideration for Eastern Conference Player of the Month for the games played in October and November. Once again, Antetokounmpo won the honor.

But it doesn’t end there. Dinwiddie continues to garner Player of the Week consideration. On Monday, the NBA announced Dinwiddie was an Eastern Conference Player of the Week nominee for Week 7. This time, the winner was Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler.

Since November 18 — the first day of the week Dinwiddie was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week — the Nets point guard has averaged 23.8 points, 7.9 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game. Brooklyn is also 8-3 during the span.

RELATED: Kenny Atkinson explains how Spencer Dinwiddie has evolved

Colts’ player of the game vs. Titans: WR Zach Pascal

Zach Pascal is the player of the game in Week 13.

With T.Y Hilton suffering a setback on his injured calf this week and Chester Rodgers exiting the game in the first quarter, the Indianapolis Colts receiving corps was thin. However, Zach Pascal stepped up in a huge capacity as the Colts fell to the Tennessee Titans, 31-17.

He finished the day with seven receptions for 109 yards, averaging 15.6 yards per catch. Pascal was the main target in the Colts passing game that had to get going quickly.

Having lacked explosive plays over the last month, Pascal had a huge hand in changing that. Of the eight passing plays going 16 yards or more, Pascal had four of them on the day.

Pascal needed a solid performance after struggling the past few weeks to get things going as he had earlier in the season. He gave all he could Sunday as the Colts’ fourth-quarter meltdown cost them the win.

Hopefully, the Colts receivers can get healthy as the team travels to Tampa Bay next week to try and salvage the season. Pascal epitomizes the hard work and “next man up” mentality that the Colts have had all year.

Josh Allen named AFC Offensive Player of the Week

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen has been named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week by the NFL for his performance against the Miami Dolphins in Week 11. 

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Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen has been named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week by the NFL for his performance against the Miami Dolphins in Week 11.

Allen racked up four touchdowns in Buffalo’s win over Miami in Week 11, helping his team rise to 7-3 on the season. That brought Allen to 20 total touchdowns this season, third-most among quarterback in the AFC.

In the air, Allen had 256 passing yards on 21-of-33 passing. Three of his scores were passes, including two to wideout John Brown. On the ground, Allen added another 56 yards rushing with a score.

His passer rating of 117.7 for the game was a career-high.

It’s the second time Allen has earned the award after landing it in the team’s season finale of his rookie season. A game which also included the Dolphins.

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James Harden wins second straight Player of the Week award

After averaging nearly 45 points per game during a 4-0 week for the Rockets, James Harden won his second straight Player of the Week award.

For a second straight week, the NBA announced Houston Rockets guard James Harden as the Western Conference Player of the Week for games from Monday, Nov. 11 through Sunday, Nov. 17 (Week 4).

It is the 30-year-old’s second Player of the Week award of the 2019-20 season and the 24th of his career, all coming in Houston.

The Rockets went 4-0 on the week, outscoring their opponents by an average of 11 points per game. In those games, Harden averaged 44.8 points (45.8% shooting), 6.8 assists, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.3 steals in 40.5 minutes per game. The 6-foot-5 guard averaged 15 three-pointers per game and made 40% of those, despite the extreme volume.

Harden has hit 63 overall three-pointers this season, marking the second-highest total through the first 13 games in NBA history.

In total, Harden has scored a total of 513 points in 480 minutes of play this season.  That is the highest total through the first 13 games of a season since Wilt Chamberlain had 696 in 1962-63.

Harden is averaging 19.7 first-half points and 19.8 second-half points. His first-half average would tie him for 26th on the NBA’s scoring list this season, while his second-half average would rank him 24th.

Three of the four Houston wins came versus opponents with winning records, including a victory over Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers and followed up by wins on both ends of a weekend back-to-back against Indiana at home and then at Minnesota.

In those wins, Harden has also provided consistent value on the defensive end — with the Rockets regularly faring better with their former Most Valuable Player (MVP) on the floor.

Harden’s 39.5-point scoring average is 9.4 more than the second-ranked NBA player among qualifiers. By comparison, the league’s No. 2 scorer (Bradley Beal) and No. 19 scorer (Russell Westbrook) are separated by less than that, at 9.1 points.

Overall, the Rockets are 10-3 this season and winners of seven consecutive games, with Harden ranking first in the league in points (39.5) and sixth in assists (7.8). In last year’s 2018-19 campaign, he became the first player in NBA history to have averaged at least 35.0 points and 7.0 assists in a single season.

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UT News: November 13, 2019

UT News: November 13, 2019

Welcome to a hump day edition of UT News! The men’s basketball team got a bit of a scare last night, but still managed to emerge victorious against the Murray State Racers. The sports scene around Rocky Top was otherwise quiet, though two major announcements were made for a couple of very deserving members of Vols nation.

Rennia Davis named SEC Player of the Week

Junior wingwoman Rennia Davis was named SEC Player of the Week Tuesday morning, the second time she has earned the honor in her career.

Leading the Lady Vols to a 3-0 start, Davis has averaged 16.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game, while shooting 44 percent and 43 percent from the field and behind the arc, respectively. She has managed two double-doubles in three games, bringing her collegiate total to 20 — that ties her for 16th all-time at Tennessee.

Davis exploded against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Monday night, dropping 33 points and grabbing 10 boards in an impressive win for the Vols against a ranked team. That tremendous performance likely clinched the decision to hand her the award.

NEXT: Chris Weinke named to join Florida Sports Hall of Fame

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

UT News: November 12, 2019

UT News: November 12, 2019

November is one of the greatest months for college sports, especially with football on the weekends and basketball during the week to keep the fans occupied. Last night, the Lady Vols basketball team brought joy to the folks on Rocky Top with an authoritative win over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Tonight, the men’s team has a chance to match the women with a victory of their own.

Men’s basketball play tonight

Tennessee men’s basketball faces the Murray State Racers tonight in the second game of their season-opening homestand at Thompson-Boling Arena. The Volunteers will look to extend the nation’s longest active home win streak against their foes from Kentucky.

This is the fourth time the two teams have met, with their last tangle coming in 2006. The Vols are currently a perfect 3-0 against the Racers in a series that was first played back in 1945 in Knoxville but did not resume until 2005 in Nashville.

Tipoff is at 9 p.m. ET and can be watched on SEC Network and online through WatchESPN, and can be heard on local Vol Network affiliates.

NEXT: Rick Barnes meets with the media

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

NBA awards West Player of the Week to Rockets’ James Harden

James Harden was named West Player of the Week after averaging 41 points and nine assists per game and leading the Rockets to a 3-0 record.

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The NBA on Monday announced Houston Rockets guard James Harden as the Western Conference Player of the Week for games played from Monday, Nov. 4 through Sunday, Nov. 10 (Week 3).

It is Harden’s first Player of the Week award of the 2019-20 season and the 23rd of his career, all coming in Houston.

The Rockets went 3-0 on the week, outscoring their opponents by an average of 15.7 points per game. In those games, Harden averaged 40.7 points (43.6% shooting), 9.3 assists, 8.0 rebounds, and 2.3 steals in 36.1 minutes, with a double-double recorded in all three contests. The 30-year-old lefthander averaged 17 three-point attempts per game and connected on over 43% of those, despite the extreme volume.

In total, Harden hit 22 three-pointers on 43.1% shooting, while Rockets opponents combined for 20 three-pointers on 22.2% shooting.

For the season overall, Harden has scored 334 points in 318 minutes of play. That is the highest total through the first nine games of any NBA season since Michael Jordan scored 337 in 1988-89.

Harden has hit 39 three-pointers, marking the fourth-highest total by any player in NBA history through the first nine games of a season — and the most by any player besides Stephen Curry.

The Rockets are 6-3 this season, with Harden ranking first in the league in points (37.1) and sixth in assists (8.2). In the 2018-19 campaign, he became the first player in NBA history to have averaged at least 35.0 points and 7.0 assists in a single season.

The Eastern Conference Player of the Week was Toronto forward Pascal Siakam, who averaged 30.3 points (51.5% shooting), 11.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game in a 3-0 week for the Raptors.

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