NEW YORK (Jan. 23, 2024) ---
Spencer Freedman of New York University and
James Patterson of St. Thomas Aquinas College have been named Divisions II/III Men’s Co-Players of the Week by the Met Basketball Writers Association.
The designation, for games played Jan. 15-21, is unique in that it encompasses players from 48 Met area schools across Divisions II and III.
A 6-0 graduate guard from Pacific Palisades, CA, Freedman --- who also was named the University Athletic Association player of the week --- averaged 25.5 points in providing back-to-back late-game heroics to lift the Violets (13-3) to a pair of close homecourt league victories last week.
NYU, currently at 3-2 and tied for second spot in the UAA with Carnegie Mellon, edged Washington University 65-64 on Friday and then, on Sunday, defeated the University of Chicago 83-77 in overtime.
Freedman had 20 points (8-of-17 FG, 4-of-7 3FG), five assists, three rebounds and a steal against WashU while scoring all of the Violets final 13 points, including the game-winning 3-pointer with 36 seconds left.
Then, against Chicago, he totaled 31 points (10-of-19 FG, 3-of-7 3FG, 8-of-8 FT), eight rebounds, six assists and a steal. Freedman hit consecutive layups with 51 seconds and 11 seconds remaining to tie the game and send it into overtime. He then tallied 13 of his 31 points in the extra period, going 6-of-6 at the line in the final minute to secure the victory.
A 6-7 sophomore guard/forward from Richmond, VA, Patterson --- who also was named the East Coast Conference player of the week --- averaged 25.0 points, 11.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals in leading the Spartans (13-3) to two league triumphs at home last week.
STAC, which is currently tied at 5-1 atop the ECC with Staten Island, defeated Daemen 92-82 on Friday before trouncing D’Youville 106-68 on Sunday.
Patterson dropped 27 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and notched four steals against Daemen. He followed with 23 points, 11 rebounds and two steals in just 26 minutes against D’Youville.
Overall for the week, he shot 37.1% (13-of-35) from the field and 91.3% (21-of-23) at the free throw line.
Players receiving MBWA Divisions II/III Honorable Mention for the week: Malik Bentinck, Queens; Darnell Evans, Caldwell; Rowan Heinze, Bard; Mike Jackson, Montclair State; Devin Nicholson, Baruch; Corey Powell, Farmingdale State; Dayshaun Walton, Adelphi; Garrison Watkins, John Jay; Max Zakheim, Yeshiva.
Previous MBWA 2023-24 Divisions II/III Men’s Players of the Week: Dec. 5,
Ryan Giordano, Manhattanville; Dec. 12,
Peter Gorman, Ramapo; Dec. 19,
Max Zakheim, Yeshiva; Jan 9,
Kai Parris, Lehman; Jan. 16,
Jonathan Reno, St. Joseph's Brooklyn.
--- www.metbasketballwriters.org ---