Pointer (SJU/DI), Harris (NYU/DII-III) & Hooker (NYIT/DII-III) All Weekly Winners
Sir'Dominic Pointer Gets DI Honor; Hakeem Harris, NYU and Darian Hooker, NYIT Named Co-Players of the Week
FFI: Chuck Stogel, 914-428-6111, chstogel@aol.com
NEW YORK (Jan. 27, 2015) ---
Sir’Dominic Pointer of St. John’s, plus co-winners
Hakeem Harris of NYU and
Darian Hooker of NYIT, 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. 19-25, are unique in that they encompass players from 74 Met area schools across Divisions I, II and III.
A 6-6 senior guard-forward from Detroit, Mich., Pointer averaged a double-double of 18.0 points and 11.0 rebounds as St. John’s (13-6) posted a 1-1 mark last week. He shot 53.3% (16-of-30) from the field and 80% (4-of-5) at the free-throw line in the two games.
Pointer racked up 15 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and six blocks on Wednesday in a 60-57 victory over Marquette at Madison Square Garden. He then registered a team-high 21 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, three blocks and three steals on Sunday at the Garden in a 77-68 loss to No. 5 Duke..
A 6-1 junior guard from Bergenfield, NJ, Harris --- who also was named University Athletic Association player of the week --- was the driving force as NYU (12-4) defeated two top-25 teams last week. In a 91-67 home victory over No. 4 Washington of St. Louis, he came off the bench to hit six 3-pointers en route to a career-high 24 points, shooting 50% (8-of-16) from the field, including 6-of-10 from beyond the arc. He also had three steals.
Then, in an 85-68 win over No. 21 visiting Chicago, Harris again notched six 3-pointers and 24 points as a reserve. He shot 8-of-15 from the field and 6-of-11 from three-point range.
Hooker, a 6-1 senior guard from Washington, DC --- who also was named East Coast Conference player of the week --- led the Bears (7-11) to a 2-1 record on the road that included two overtime contests and a career-high 35 point performance in NYIT’s 85-84 OT victory at Daemen. Hooker nailed the game-winning, buzzer-beating 3-pointer that ended a 44-home game winning streak for the Wildcats.
The week began with an 85-78 overtime loss to LIU Post in which Hooker --- who leads the ECC with 26.7 ppg and entered last week fourth nationally in scoring in Division II--- drilled 30 points. He tacked on 28 points plus five assists in a 78-74 win at Roberts Wesleyan. For the three games, Hooker shot 47.8% from the field (33-of-69) and 88.2% (15-of-17) at the free throw line.
Players receiving MBWA Men’s Division I Honorable Mention for the week:
Marcus Burton, Wagner; Chavaughn Lewis, Marist; Damon Lynn, NJIT; Ashton Pankey, Manhattan.
Players receiving MBWA Men’s Divisions II-III Honorable Mention for the week:
Mike Klinger, Drew; Khalid Muhammad, NJCU; J.R. Pringley, Felician; Nick Smith, Dominican.
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. 13, Isaiah Williams, Iona, Div. I . . . Lorenzo Williams, Brooklyn, Divs. II-III; Jan. 20, Marcus Burton, Wagner, Div. I . . . Granville Gittens, Baruch, Divs. II-III.
--- www.metbasketballwriters.org ---