For details on these players and other nominees, click Read More . . .
Jimmy Hall, Kent State, Forward
Senior, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Hall once again led the Golden Flashes with a superb effort this week, extending Kent State's winning streak to four games. This week, Hall and the Flashes won at Buffalo and at home against Ohio. Hall was the team's leading scorer at 23 points per game on 63 percent shooting overall. He averaged a double-double with 10 rebounds per game, as well at 2.5 blocks and two assists per game. At Buffalo, he posted game highs of 26 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks. He shot 9-for-14 from the floor and 8-for-8 from the foul line. Against Ohio, Hall scored 20 points and brought down 10 rebounds. He shot 8-for-13 from the floor and added two blocks. The Flashes won two close games at the free throw line, and overall, Hall shot 12-for-13 from the line. Most impressively, Hall surpassed 1,500 career points with Kent State. He became the eighth player in program history to reach that mark, and against Ohio, moved up to seventh all time.
MAC Men’s Basketball West Division Player of the Week
Thomas Wilder, Western Michigan, Guard
Junior, Montgomery, Ill. (Quakerdale Prep-Iowa)
Wilder led the Broncos to two victories last week as WMU has now rattled off six wins in a row. Wilder averaged 23.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists for the week. WMU defeated Toledo on the road in overtime Tuesday, 61-56, and then downed Ball State on Saturday, 80-55. With the win over Ball State, the Broncos have now moved into a tie for first place in the MAC West. Wilder scored 30 of Western Michigan's 61 points in the win at Toledo. He also had seven rebounds and three assists. Against Ball State he totaled 16 points, four rebounds and six assists.
Other Nominees
Franko House, Ball State, Forward
Senior, Elkhart, Ind. (Concord)
House averaged 14.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game for Ball State last week. The senior forward scored 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting in Tuesday's win over Eastern Michigan. He also grabbed six rebounds and handed out five assists. He then added 13 points Saturday at Western Michigan. House moved into second place on Ball State's career games played list with 124 and is just two shy of the school record. He helped the Cardinals maintain a share of first place in the MAC West Division.
Willie Mangum IV, Eastern Michigan, Guard
Senior, Richmond, Va. (Marshall)
Mangum IV was an offensive spark plug for the Eagles this week. In the first game of the week, the Richmond, Va. native exploded for 26 points at Ball State. In that game, Mangum shot at a 52.9 percent clip from the floor, going 9-of-17, including a scorching 8-of-13 (61.5 percent) from beyond the arc. The eight three point makes mark the third most in a single game in Eastern Michigan history. In the Green and White's victory over Northern Illinois, Feb. 25, the senior led the scoring attack with 22 points on 8-of-17 shooting, including 5-of-12 from downtown. Additionally, Mangum dished out four assists in the 84-68 victory. For the week, Mangum averaged 24 points per game, while shooting 50 percent from the floor and 52 percent from beyond the arc. He averaged 6.5 three point makes per game over the week. With his successful three point shooting weekend, Mangum has now recorded 86 three point makes on the season, which ranks second in single season history. He needs just three more makes to tie Carl Thomas for the single season record."
Marin Maric, NIU, Center
Senior, Split, Croatia (La Lumiere School)
Maric posted a pair of double-doubles and missed just one field goal attempt last week as the Huskies split a pair of games against Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan. Maric averaged 18 points and 11 rebounds for the week, shooting an astounding 93.8 percent (15-of-16) from the field. The senior from Split, Croatia opened the week with 16 points and 10 rebounds in a road win at Central Michigan, going a perfect 8-of-8 from the field. Maric then recorded 20 points and 12 rebounds, going 7-of-8 from the field at Eastern Michigan.
Jason Carter, Ohio, Forward
Freshman, Johnstown, Ohio (Johnstown-Monroe)
Carter helped the Ohio men's basketball team (18-9, 10-6 MAC) split a pair of road games against Mid-American Conference East Division rivals, averaging a double-double with 16.5 points per game to rank second on the team and 10.0 rebounds per game to lead the squad. He also averaged 1.0 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.5 blocks over the two contests. Carter shot 13-of-22 (59.1 percent) from the field and sank six of his seven free throw attempts. Carter produced his fourth double-double with a career-high 25 points to go along with a game-high 11 rebounds as Ohio topped MAC East Division archrival Miami, 79-62, last Tuesday (Feb. 21) at Millett Hall in Oxford, Ohio. He went 10-of-14 from the field and 4-of-5 from the free throw line to help power the Bobcats to victory. He also added an assist, a block and a steal in 31 minutes. Carter has scored at least 20 points three times this year. Carter then nearly achieved a double-double with eight points, a team-high nine rebounds, an assist and a steal over 27 minutes last Saturday (Feb. 27) in a 70-67 setback to MAC East Division rival Kent State at the M.A.C. Center in Kent, Ohio. He has led the team in rebounds in 11 of the last 14 games.
Steve Taylor, Jr., Toledo, Forward
Senior, Chicago, IL (Simeon Academy)
Taylor, Jr. averaged a double-double with 16.0 ppg and 16.5 rpg to go along with 4.0 apg in Toledo's games vs. Western Michigan and Central Michigan last week. In the Rockets' first contest last week vs. Western Michigan, Taylor tallied 17 points and tied his career high and Savage Arena record with 23 boards in 39 minutes. He then followed that up by recording 15 points, 10 boards and seven assists against Central Michigan. Taylor's work on the boards helped the Rockets dominate the glass and grab 29 more rebounds than its opposition.