NEW YORK (Jan. 20, 2015) --- Marcus Burton of Wagner and Granville Gittens of Baruch have been named Men’s Division I and Divisions II-III Players of the Week, respectively, by the Met Basketball Writers Assn. The designations, for games played Jan. 12-18, are unique in that they encompass players from 73 Met area schools across Divisions I, II and III.
A 6-0 senior guard from Charlotte, NC, Burton averaged 26.5 points as the Seahawks (5-12) split a pair of road games in picking up their first victory away from home this season. The output catapulted him into the Northeast Conference scoring lead with 17.6 ppg.
Burton tallied 31 points in breaking the 30-point barrier for the second time in his career as Wagner fell 81-73 at Bryant. He then posted a game-high 22 points to help lift the Seahawks past host FDU 82-68.
A 6-6 senior forward from Brooklyn, NY, Gittens --- who was named an MBWA Player of the Week for the second time this season --- averaged 18.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game in a 3-0 week for Baruch (12-4), which is undefeated (8-0) atop the CUNYAC standings.
He began his week by scoring 16 of his 21 points in the second half as the Bearcats edged visiting non-conference foe TCNJ 65-63. Gittens then had a near double-double in producing 21 points and nine rebounds, plus three blocks, in an 81-62 win at Lehman. He capped the week with 14 points and three blocks in a 75-61 conference victory at home over CCNY in which he scored the final five points of the first half to push Baruch to a six-point edge at the intermission.
Players receiving MBWA Men’s Division I Honorable Mention for the week: Phil Greene IV, St. John’s; Chavaughn Lewis, Marist; Shane Richards, Manhattan.
Players receiving MBWA Men’s Divisions II-III Honorable Mention for the week: Hakeem Harris, NYU; Neville Joseph, NJCU; Chaz Watler, STAC; Tyuan Williams, LIU Post.
Previous MBWA 2014-15 Men’s Players of the Week: Dec. 9, D’Angelo Harrison, St. John’s; Dec. 16, Granville Gittens, Baruch, D’Angelo Harrison, St. John’s (co-winners); Dec. 23, Darien Davis, Dowling; Jan. 12, Isaiah Williams, Iona, Div. I . . . Lorenzo Williams, Brooklyn, Divs. II-III.