Funk (Army WP), Gill (Seton Hall), Leifer (Yeshiva/DII-III) Snare Weekly Honors

1/28/2020 7:05:10 AM

MBWA Players of the Week (1-20 to 1-26) 2019-20 / Week 6

FFI: Chuck Stogel, MBWA - 914-428-6111, chstogel@aol.com

Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association
www.MetBasketballWriters.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
    
NEW YORK (Jan. 28, 2020) --- Tommy Funk of Army West Point and Romaro Gill of Seton Hall as co-winners in Division I, and Gabriel Leifer of Yeshiva in Divisions II-III, have been named Men’s Players of the Week by the Met Basketball Writers Assn.
 
The designations, for games played Jan. 20-26, are unique in that they encompass players from 71 Met area schools across Divisions I, II and III.
 
It is the fourth consecutive week that a player from Seton Hall has been honored, with Gill having been preceded by teammates Quincy McKnight (Dec. 24) and Myles Powell (Jan. 14, 21).

A 5-11 senior guard from Warrington, PA, Funk --- who also was named Patriot League player of the week --- averaged 22.5 points, 8.5 assists and 2.5 rebounds in helping the Black Knights (9-10) secure two victories last week on the road and pull to within one game of .500 overall. He shot 51.5% (17-of-33) from the floor and 100% (7-of-7) at the free throw line while posting an 8.5 assist to turnover ratio.
 
Funk began his week with 19 points and 11 assists, with just one turnover, in a 94-74 win over Lafayette. He followed with 26 points and six assists in a 73-66 triumph at rival Navy, helping Army to put up 73 points against a top 20 NCAA scoring defense as well as the most points the Midshipmen have allowed at home this season. Funk is currently on a 15-game double-digit scoring streak, the longest by a Cadet since 2016, while handing out 35 assists against just six turnovers in his last four games.
 
A 7-2 senior center from St. Thomas, Jamaica, Gill led the 10th-ranked Pirates (15-4) to a 73-64 homecourt victory over Providence in their only game last week. He matched his career high with 17 points on 80% (8-of-10) shooting from the field while grabbing six rebounds and posting a career high eight blocks.
 
A 6-5 senior forward from Lawrence, NY, Leifer --- who also was named Skyline Conference player of the week --- averaged 24.0 points and 14.0 rebounds in posting back-to-back double-doubles as 24th-ranked and Skyline South leading Yeshiva (14-1, 7-0 conference) won both its games last week by healthy margins.
 
Leifer first produced 18 points, 14 rebounds and five assists in leading the Maccabees to a 94-56 victory at New York Maritime. Next he scored his 1,000th career point during Yeshiva’s 80-56 home win over U.S. Merchant Maritime. In that game, he scored 30 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for his 11th double-double of the season, and added four assists and just as many steals.
 
Players receiving MBWA Men’s Division I Honorable Mention for the week: Zach Cooks, NJIT; L.J. Figueroa, St. John’s; Isaiah Washington, Iona; Akwasi Yeboah, Rutgers.
 
Players receiving MBWA Men’s Divisions II-III Honorable Mention for the week:Jayson Brower, John Jay; Osbel Caraballo, St. Thomas Aquinas; Nick Corbett, Molloy; Elijah Lott, Purchase, Sam Toney, NJCU; Peyton Wejnert, Pace.
 
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 . . . Dec. 24, Quincy McKnight, Seton Hall, Div. I; Chris LaBelle, Centenary, Divs. II-III . . . Jan. 14, Myles Powell, Seton Hall, Div. I; Chris LaBelle, Centenary, Divs. II-III . . . Jan. 21, Myles Powell, Seton Hall, Div. I; Peyton Wejnert, Pace, and Elijah Lott, Purchase, Divs. II-III.