McKnight of Seton Hall (DI) and LaBelle of Centenary (DII-III) Nab Men's Weekly Awards
MBWA Players of the Week (12-16 to 12-22) 2019-20 / Week 3
FFI: Chuck Stogel, MBWA - 914-428-6111, chstogel@aol.com
Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association
www.MetBasketballWriters.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
McKnight, LaBelle Named MBB Players of the Week
NEW YORK (Dec. 24, 2019) ---
Quincy McKnight of Seton Hall in Division I and
Chris LaBelle of Centenary in Divisions II-III have been named Men’s Players of the Week by the Met Basketball Writers Assn.
The designations, for games played Dec. 16-22, are unique in that they encompass players from 71 Met area schools across Divisions I, II and III.
A 6-4 senior guard from Bridgeport, CT, McKnight averaged 21.0 points and a produced tenacious defense in leading the Pirates (8-4) to a pair of victories at home last week.
McKnight began by posting 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists in a 52-48 win over then No. 7-ranked Maryland. The effort was his fifth game with five-plus assists this season.
He followed with a season-high 25 points along with four steals in a 75-55 victory over Prairie View. He nailed 8-of-16 shots from the field in the game along with making all nine of his free throws.
A 6-1 junior guard from Hamilton, NJ, LaBelle averaged 30 points in helping the Cyclones (5-5) register a pair of wins last week, defeating Delaware Valley 88-84 on the road and beating Penn State-Berks 104-95 at home. He shot 61.5% (16-of-26) from the field while making 23-of-25 free throws in the two games, and also contributed 7.0 rebounds and 3.5 asissts.
LaBelle erupted for a career-high 36 points in the victory over Delaware Valley, his fourth 30-plus performance this season. He notched 28 of his points in a second half comeback triumph.
He then delivered a game-high 24 points in the win over PSU Berks that extended Centenary’s win streak to four games and got the team back to .500 on the season.
Players receiving MBWA Men’s Division I Honorable Mention for the week: E.J. Anosike, Sacred Heart; Deniz Celen, St. Francis Brooklyn; Jesus Cruz, Fairfield; L.J. Figueroa, St. John’s; Myles Johnson, Rutgers; Eli Pemberton, Hofstra; .
Players receiving MBWA Men’s Divisions II-III Honorable Mention for the week: Vaughn Covington, Caldwell; Tavon Ginyard, Dominican; Nakeem Hamilton, Mercy; Sam Toney, NJCU.
Previous MBWA 2019-20 Men’s Players of the Week: Dec. 10, Elijah Olaniyi, Stony Brook, Div. I; Peyton Wejnert, Pace, Divs. II-III . . . Dec. 17, Ron Harper Jr., Rutgers, Div. I; Elijah Lott, Purchase, Divs. II-III.