Coleman (NJIT), Lopez (Sacred Heart) Share DI; Bonacum (Ramapo) Nets DII/III Weekly Honors
MBWA Players of the Week (11-28 to 12-4) 2016-17 / Week 1
FFI: Chuck Stogel, MBWA - 914-428-6111, chstogel@aol.com
Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association
www.MetBasketballWriters.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Coleman, Lopez, Bonacum Named Men's Players of the Week
NEW YORK (Dec. 6, 2016) ---
Tim Coleman of NJIT and
Joseph Lopez of Sacred Heart have been named Men’s Division I co-Players of the Week, and
Thomas Bonacum of Ramapo has been selected Divisions II-III Player of the Week by the Met Basketball Writers Assn.
The designations, for games played Nov. 28-Dec. 4, are unique in that they encompass players from 74 Met area schools across Divisions I, II and III.
Both Division I players also were named their respective conference players of the week.
A 6-5 senior forward from Union, NJ, who was named an ASUN Conference co-player of the week, Coleman played a leading role in a 2-0 week for the Highlanders (5-4). He produced averages of 21.0 and 8.0 rebounds per game.
In NJIT’s 83-70 win over Saint Francis-PA, Coleman tied a career high with 27 points while adding eight rebounds. The co-captain was strong down the stretch, draining 12 of 14 free throws.
Coleman then followed with 15 points and a game-high 11 rebounds in a 75-74 road win at UMass Lowell. The double-double marked his second of the season and 12th of his career, tying NJIT's all-time record (Nesho Milosevic ’08; Isaiah Wilkerson ’12).
A 6-7 junior forward from Miami, FL, who also was named the Northeast Conference player of the week, Lopez averaged 18.5 points and 8.5 rebounds last week for the Pioneers (3-5) in a 71-70 road win over Fordham and an 87-79 overtime home loss to Hartford.
For the week, he missed just one shot from the field, shooting a lofty 93.8%. Lopez was a perfect 7 of 7 from the field, along with 5 of 6 at the free throw line, in posting 19 points and 10 rebounds against Fordham for his first double-double as a Pioneer. He then added 18 points and seven rebounds against Hartford, going 8 of 9 in shooting from the field.
A 6-6 junior forward from Fanwood, NJ, who also was named the New Jersey Athletic Conference player of the week, Bonacum set the pace in a 3-0 week as the Roadrunners extended their season-opening winning streak to six games.
He posted 18 points, seven rebounds, five assists and one steal in a 107-72 victory over Medgar Evers, tallied 16 points in an 86-58 win over Montclair State and then erupted for career highs with 33 points and 16 rebounds, augmented by five steals, in an 86-69 home win over Stockton.
Players receiving MBWA Men’s Division I Honorable Mention for the week: Bashir Ahmed, St. John’s; Ryan Funk, Marist; Eli Pemberton, Hofstra; Luke Petrasek, Columbia; Zavier Turner, Manhattan.
Players receiving MBWA Men’s Divisions II-III Honorable Mention for the week: Safee Abdus-Sabur, Bloomfield; Khaleeq Baum, Staten Island; Jon Feiler, NYIT; Tim Hoch, New York Maritime; Malin Segal, Sarah Lawrence; Terrell Spaulding, Felician; Jamail Stanley, Old Westbury; Sam Toney, NJCU; Tyree White, Queens.