Whitehead (Seton Hall/DI), Stanley (Old Westbury/DII-III) Win Final Weekly Awards
MBWA Players of the Week (2-22 to 2-28) 2015-16 / Week 11
FFI: Chuck Stogel, MBWA - 914-428-6111, chstogel@aol.com
Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association
www.MetBasketballWriters.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Whitehead, Stanley Named Men's Players of the Week
NEW YORK (March 1, 2016) ---
Isaiah Whitehead of Seton Hall, for the second time this season, and
Jamail Stanley of SUNY Old Westbury 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 Feb. 22-28, are unique in that they encompass players from 74 Met area schools across Divisions I, II and III. This was the final set of MBWA weekly awards for the 2015-16 season.
A 6-4 sophomore guard from Brooklyn, NY, Whitehead --- who also was named Big East Conference player of the week and CBS Sports national player of the week --- averaged 23.5 points, 7.0 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 4.0 blocks while shooting 48% from the field in leading Seton Hall (21-7) to two home victories. The Pirates first decked Providence 70-52, then upended No. 5 Xavier 90-81.
Whitehead, who previously was named MBWA Player of the Week on Feb. 2, delivered one of his most complete career performances against Providence when he scored 25 points, dished out nine assists, grabbed six rebounds and blocked four shots. He was 8-of-12 shooting from the field, including 5-of-8 from 3-point range, while his seven assists led to 20 points --- meaning he factored into 45 of the Pirates 70 points. His two biggest assists came when he found Ismael Sanogo and Angel Delgado for back-to-back baskets in the second half to stop a 16-2 run by the Friars. His most dazzling assist was a behind-the-neck pass to Desi Rodriguez for a layup that made headlines as the "Pass of the Year" and made ESPN SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays of the day at No. 6.
Whitehead followed that performance with 22 points, five assists and another four blocks in The Hall’s win over Xavier. After the Musketeers made a run, he hit two consecutive 3-pointers to keep the Pirates well ahead. Including these two performances, Whitehead now has eight games of at least 20 points and five assists this season.
A 6-2 junior guard from Syracuse, NY, Stanley --- who has been named the Skyline Conference 2015-16 player of the year --- averaged 23.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.5 blocks, 3.0 steals and 2.5 assists as Old Westbury (19-8) won a pair of games to capture the Skyline tournament championship and qualify for the NCAA Division III playoffs for the first time since 2004.
Stanley, who was named the Skyline tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, racked up 30 points (11-of-18 FG), 13 rebounds, three blocks, three steals and three assists in an 82-60 semifinal triumph over Yeshiva.
He followed with 16 points, nine rebounds, a career-high tying four blocks and three steals in the Panthers 63-47 championship win over St. Joseph’s-Brooklyn.
Old Westbury will travel to face No. 16-ranked Susquehanna this Friday in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
Players receiving MBWA Men’s Division I Honorable Mention for the week: Michael Carey, Wagner; Juan’ya Green, Hofstra; Qadir Welton, St. Peter’s.
Players receiving MBWA Men’s Divisions II-III Honorable Mention for the week: Claude Blue, Bloomfield; Justin Reyes, St. Thomas Aquinas; Tyree White, Queens; Lorenzo Williams, Brooklyn.
Previous MBWA 2015-16 Men's Players of the Week: Dec. 8, A.J. English, Iona, Div. I; Egzon Gjonbalaj, Brooklyn, Divs. II-III . . . Dec. 15, Luke Petrasek, Columbia, Div. I; Chinwe Wosu, New Jersey City, Divs. II-III . . . . Dec. 22, Jameel Warney, Stony Brook and Damon Lynn, NJIT, Div. I; Anthony Maestre, Manhattanville, Divs. II-III . . . Jan. 12, A.J. English, Iona, Div. I; Evan Kupferberg, NYU, and Justin Reyes, St. Thomas Aquinas, Divs. II-III . . . Jan. 19, Teddy Okereafor, Rider, Div. I; Mike Klinger, Drew and John Snow, Rutgers-Newark, Divs. II-III . . . Jan. 26, Juan'ya Green, Hofstra, Div. I; Chima Ekekeugbor, Baruch, Divs. II-III . . . Feb. 2, Isaiah Whitehead, Seton Hall, Div. I; Matthew Lee, Medgar Evers, Divs. II-III . . . Feb. 9, Angel Delgado, Seton Hall, Div. I; Evan Kupferberg, NYU, Divs. II-III . . . Feb. 16, Rokas Gustys, Hofstra, Div. I; Matthew Lee, Medgar Evers, Divs. II-III . . . Feb. 23, Cane Broome. Sacred Heart, and Kevin Ferguson, Army, Div. I; Jordan McDaniel, Rutgers-Newark, Divs. II-III.