Conference play is now well underway and we need your help to decide our men’s player of week for Jan. 12-18 by voting in the poll below.
Here are our top five men’s candidates and a recap of their outstanding performances from across week 10 of the college basketball season.
Prophet Johnson – Sacramento State
In Mike Bibby’s first season as head coach and Shaquille O’Neal’s first as general manager, Sacramento State has had its struggles and even battled a seven-game losing streak from November to January. However, this past week, Johnson led the Hornets to their first two wins in the Big Sky this season with an incredible comeback effort over one of the conference’s top ranked teams.
Johnson opened the week last Thursday by dropping 29 points on 11-of-19 shooting, in addition to six rebounds, six steals and four assists to lead an 83-69 win over Northern Arizona. He outdueled Quinn Denker and Northern Colorado with 30 points, five rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocked shots to defeat the Bears, 93-89, in overtime two days later.
Following the best non-conference start of Geno Ford’s tenure as head coach of Stony Brook, the wheels quickly fell off with the Seawolves winning just one of their first five in CAA play. That up-and-down start finally came to a halt this past week thanks to a significant rivalry win and a double-overtime upset of a perennial contender in the conference, both led by Pratt.
As Stony Brook secured its fourth straight win over a local rival in Hofstra, it was Pratt’s 18 points on 8-of-16 from the floor, four assists and three boards pacing the 76-71 final on Jan. 15. He followed that up with the seventh highest single-game scoring total in program history, dropping 39 points, dishing 13 assists and grabbing seven rebounds to down Charleston, 112-106, on Jan. 17.
Delrecco Gillespie – Kent State
The MAC is making national headlines this season between Miami’s undefeated run, to Akron’s continued success, to Buffalo’s high-major upset, 14-5 Kent State is right in that mix. As the national leader in both rebounds and double-doubles, Gillespie only added to his total this past week by leading the Golden Flashes to back-to-back wins which is four in their last five.
To beat out Buffalo on the road last Tuesday, Gillespie managed a team-high 20 points and completed the double-double with 15 rebounds and five assists for an 87-81 win over the Bulls. He scored 29 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and dished three more assists as Kent State returned home to secure a win over Toledo, 87-84, last Friday.
Lehigh might have only had four wins during its non-conference, but the Mountain Hawks have hit a stride in Patriot League play, having won four of its last five following an 0-2 start after Christmas. Despite the early adversity, Whitlock has been a driving force for Lehigh throughout the season and is averaging a career-high 19.8 PPG, which not only leads his team but is 39th best in the nation.
This past week, he carried the Mountain Hawks into overtime twice, starting with 30 points, five rebounds and four assists to knock off Boston University, 93-91. Though Lehigh fell to Navy in double-overtime, 82-79, three days later, Whitlock still managed 31 points, three assists and two steals as the Mountain Hawks fell on late free throws.
Daeshun Ruffin – Jackson State
Despite battling through the non-conference with multiple losses to ranked and power conference opponents, Jackson State is sitting 4-1 atop the SWAC and Ruffin’s addition is a major reason why. The former top-100 prospect and Mississippi transfer has been a revelation for head coach Mo Williams. He leads the Tigers with 21.6 PPG, which has him ranked 14th nationally in scoring.
Though Jackson State opened last week with a 100-91 loss to Alabama A&M, Ruffin managed a career-high 39 points and 10 assists for just the second double-double of his career. He made it back-to-back doubles-doubles with 23 points, 10 assists and three steals to lead an 82-78 bounce back win over Prairie View A&M on Saturday.
