The Mid-American Conference on Monday announced its Men’s Basketball Players of the Week.
This week’s honorees are:
MAC East -- Jimond Ivey (Akron) AND Jeremy Harris (Buffalo)
MAC West – Thomas Wilder (Western Michigan) AND Tre’Shaun Fletcher (Toledo)
(CLICK READ MORE FOR DETAILS ON THESE PLAYERS AND OTHER NOMINEES . . . )
This week’s honorees are:
MAC East -- Jimond Ivey (Akron) AND Jeremy Harris (Buffalo)
MAC West – Thomas Wilder (Western Michigan) AND Tre’Shaun Fletcher (Toledo)
(CLICK READ MORE FOR DETAILS ON THESE PLAYERS AND OTHER NOMINEES . . . )
MAC East Division Co-Player of the Week
Jimond Ivey, Akron
Guard, Junior, Cleveland, Ohio
Junior guard Jimond Ivey (Cleveland, Ohio) led the Akron men’s basketball team through a 1-1 week with two great performances, including a historic 48-point performance. Over the two game span, Ivey averaged 32.5 points while shooting 55.3 percent from the field (21-of-38) and 61.1 percent from long distance (11-of-18).
In 79 minutes of action, he went 12-of-14 from the free throw line while adding 7.0 rebounds (14), 3.0 assists (6), 1.5 steals (3) per game. Ivey broke several records in a 111-106 double-overtime loss to Ball State at Worthen Arena. Ivey scored 48 points to set Akron’s all-time single-game scoring record which stood for 25 years. He also set the Worthen Arena records for most points and most 3-pointers in a game while tying the arena record for made field goals. Ivey was magnificent on both ends of the floor against the Cardinals, shooting 65.2 percent (15-of-23) from the field that included a 75 percent effort (9-of-12) from downtown.
Ivey scored 34 points in regulation and registered seven points in each of the 5-minute overtime periods. He was 9-of-10 from the charity stripe and added eight rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a blocked shot in 49 minutes of work. The Zips opened the week at home with a 71-68 win over Ohio as Ivey led the scoring efforts with 17 points on 6-of-15 shooting from the floor and 2-of-6 from deep.
He added a 3-of-4 performance from the charity stripe while grabbing six rebounds, dishing out for assists, and recording a steal. Ivey became the all-time single-game scoring leader with a 48-point performance, breaking the old mark by Joe Jakubick set on Feb. 5, 1983 against Murray State.
In addition, Ivey's career-high performance broke the Worthen Arena's all-time scoring mark of 41 points previously held by Bonzi Wells (Ball State, 1996) and Earl Boykins (Eastern Michigan, 1998). Ivey's nine 3-pointers set an arena record and he tied the arena record for made field goals (15) set in 1992 by Xavier's Brian Grant.
MAC East Division Co-Player of the Week
Jeremy Harris, Buffalo
Guard/Forward, Junior, Greensboro, NC (Paige High)
Junior Jeremy Harris averaged a double-double for the Bulls as UB won a pair of games to improve to 8-0 in league play. The Greensboro, NC native averaged 19.5 points and 12.0 rebounds for the Bulls in wins over Eastern Michigan and Ohio. On Tuesday, Harris had 22 points, a career-high 14 rebounds and four assists in the win over Eastern Michigan. Harris had 20 of those points in the second half. He continued his strong play Friday night on the road at Ohio, with 17 points and 10 rebounds, for his fourth double-double of the season. Harris is second on the team in scoring in MAC games, averaging 16.5 points per game and he is third
with 7.3 rebounds per contest.
MAC West Division Co-Player of the Week
Tre'Shaun Fletcher, Toledo
Guard, Senior, Wilmar, Ark. (Univ. of Colorado)
Senior guard Tre’Shaun Fletcher put on an impressive all-around display last week to help Toledo extend its season-high win streak to seven games with a hard-fought 85-81 victory at Western Michigan and a convincing 101-75 home triumph over Bowling Green. Fletcher averaged a team-high 24.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 6.5 assists to go along with some impressive shooting numbers.
The Rockets senior co-captain hit 62.1 percent (18-of-29) of his shots from the floor, 57.1 percent (4-of-7) from three-point range and 88.9 percent (8-of-9) from the charity stripe. Fletcher also played a part in a strong defensive effort that limited the Broncos and Falcons to a 39.8 combined field-goal mark. Fletcher was at his best against Bowling Green on Saturday by nearly recording a triple-double with a team-high 26 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists and shooting 12-of-15 from the field in 29 minutes.
In Toledo’s victory at WMU, Fletcher registered a team-high 22 points to go along with six rebounds and five assists. The Rockets 6-7, 205-pound guard ranks in the MAC’s Top Five with 18.7 ppg (3rd), 8.5 rpg (3rd) and 4.1 apg (5th) and is the only individual to appear in the Top 10 in all three categories. Fletcher also tops the MAC in league play at 20.9 ppg.
MAC West Division Co-Player of the Week
Thomas Wilder, Western Michigan
Guard, Senior, Montgomery, Ill. (Quakerdale Prep)
Wilder helped lead the Broncos to a 1-1 record of the week, totaling 65 points, 32.5 per game along with shooting 52.8 percent from the floor. Wilder was the game's leading scorer in both contests over the week against Toledo and Northern Illinois. Against Toledo, Wilder scored a career-high 40 points on 11-of-24 shooting from the field.
Wilder from the free-throw line against the Rockets went 15-of-17. Wilder's 40-points is the 2nd most scored by a MAC player this season as he also became the first WMU player since 1987 to score 40 points. With the scoring outburst, Wilder is one of just 16 players in the NCAA to have scored at least 40 this season.
Wilder followed that scoring performance on Tuesday by registering a game-high 25 points vs. NIU en route to a 79-72 victory. Wilder shot a staggering 67 percent (8-of-12) from the field against the Huskies and made seven of his eight free-throw attempts. Wilder now ranks second on WMU's all-time scoring list with 1,835 points while also ranking second in the MAC with 19.0 points per game. In two games over the week, Wilder also averaged 4.5 assists and now the senior guard ranks second in the league in assists with 4.4 per game.
Other Nominees
Kyle Mallers, Ball State
Forward, Sophomore, Fort Wayne, Ind. (Carroll)
Kyle Mallers needed just 11 shots from the floor to score 30 points for Ball State last week. The sophomore forward scored a career-high 18 points in Saturday's win over Akron. Mallers was nearly perfect after halftime, going 5 for 5 from the floor, 3 for 3 from beyond the arc and 5 for 6 from the free throw line. He added five rebounds and four assists to help the Cardinals to their first win over Akron since 2004. Earlier in the week, Mallers scored 12 points at Kent State, going 3 for 4 from the floor, 2 for 2 from deep and 4 for 4 from the foul line. He also grabbed seven rebounds. Mallers has started all 21 games this season and leads the MAC in free throw percentage (.871).
James Thompson IV, Eastern Michigan
Forward/Center, Junior, Baton Rouge, La. / Parkview Baptist
Junior James Thompson continued his climb to 1,000 career rebounds with 27 on the week to move within 41 of becoming the third Eagle to join the club. For the week he averaged 13.5 rebounds to go along with 10.0 points per contest against Buffalo, Jan. 23, and Miami, Jan. 27. Overall he shot 9-of-18 from the floor while blocking five shots. Versus UB, Thompson stayed on the floor for 39 minutes despite playing in foul trouble to post 16 rebounds and three blocks. At Miami, he grabbed his 53rd career double-double with 12 points and 13 caroms. Thompson currently leads the MAC in five categories (double-doubles, defensive rebounds, offensive rebounds, total rebounds, and field goal percentage), while also being in the top four in blocks per game.
Kevin Zabo, Kent State
Guard, Senior, Gatineau, Quebec (Brewster Academy [N.H.])
Senior guard Kevin Zabo led the Golden Flashes to a pair of victories this week. Kent State defeated Ball State at home in overtime 88-80 and won on the road for the first time in MAC play this year, beating Central Michigan 84-76. Zabo averaged 21.5 points to go along with 3.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game for the week.
The Gatineau, Quebec native has scored 20 or more points in five consecutive games. Against Ball State, Zabo scored 21 points in Kent State's first overtime win of the season on 9-of-17 shooting. Zabo was instrumental in the Kent State victory scoring seven points in the overtime period.
Against Central Michigan he was the squad's leading scorer scoring with 22 points, and was 9-of-17 from the field. His 14 second half points lifted the Flashes to victory for the first time in Mt. Pleasant since 2012. The senior is averaging 19.4 points per game in MAC play, which ranks third in the conference. -
Nike Sibande, Miami
Guard, Freshman, Indianapolis, Ind. (Crispus Attucks)
Sibande was once against Miami's leading scorer for the week, averaging 16.0 points per game as the RedHawks went 1-1. He was 11-for-23 (47.8 percent) from the field, including an impressive 5-for-9 (.556) from behind the arc.
Sibande scored a career-high 22 points in leading MU to a road win at Central Michigan on Tuesday. He finished 8-for-12 from the floor and also had six rebounds and two assist in 35 minutes of action. He followed that up with 10 points against Eastern Michigan in a defensive battle on Saturday. Darrian Ringo now ranks fifth all-time on Miami's single season assist list with 161. He ranks eighth all-time on the single-season steals list with 56.
Teyvion Kirk, Ohio
Guard, Freshman, Joliet, Ill. (Joliet West)
Freshman guard Teyvion Kirk (Joliet, Ill.) was the top performer for the Ohio men's basketball team (9-11, 2-6 MAC) in a pair of losses to Mid-American Conference East Division rivals last week, averaging a team-high 17.0 points and 4.5 over the two contests while ranking second on the squad with 1.5 steals and tying for second with 5.5 rebounds per game.
He shot 46.2 percent (12-of-26) from the field and made all three of his three-point attempts while sinking 7-of-8 free throw attempts (87.5 percent). Kirk finished 5-of-10 from the field and 5-of-6 from the free throw line to log 16 points for Ohio in a 71-68 setback to Akron last Tuesday (Jan. 23) at James A. Rhodes Arena. He also distributed a game-high six assists, collected two steals and grabbed a rebound over 29 minutes of work.
Kirk then recorded his second career double-double for Ohio in a 73-66 setback to Buffalo on Friday (Jan. 26) at the Convo, providing the Bobcats with a team-high 18 points and 10 rebounds, with 15 of his points coming in the second half. He shot 7-of-16 from the field with a pair of treys. Kirk also added three assists and a steal in 35 minutes. In his freshman campaign, guard Teyvion Kirk (Joliet, Ill.) ranks second on the Ohio men's basketball with 15.2 points per game, 5.8 rebounds per game and 3.1 assists per game and ranks third on the squad with 1.4 steals per game.
He is looking to become the first Bobcat freshman to average double figures in points since D.J. Cooper did so in 2009-10 with 13.5 points per contest. Kirk has finished in double figures in scoring a team-high 18 times in 2017-18 and has achieved the feat in each of the last 12 contests.
Jimond Ivey, Akron
Guard, Junior, Cleveland, Ohio
Junior guard Jimond Ivey (Cleveland, Ohio) led the Akron men’s basketball team through a 1-1 week with two great performances, including a historic 48-point performance. Over the two game span, Ivey averaged 32.5 points while shooting 55.3 percent from the field (21-of-38) and 61.1 percent from long distance (11-of-18).
In 79 minutes of action, he went 12-of-14 from the free throw line while adding 7.0 rebounds (14), 3.0 assists (6), 1.5 steals (3) per game. Ivey broke several records in a 111-106 double-overtime loss to Ball State at Worthen Arena. Ivey scored 48 points to set Akron’s all-time single-game scoring record which stood for 25 years. He also set the Worthen Arena records for most points and most 3-pointers in a game while tying the arena record for made field goals. Ivey was magnificent on both ends of the floor against the Cardinals, shooting 65.2 percent (15-of-23) from the field that included a 75 percent effort (9-of-12) from downtown.
Ivey scored 34 points in regulation and registered seven points in each of the 5-minute overtime periods. He was 9-of-10 from the charity stripe and added eight rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a blocked shot in 49 minutes of work. The Zips opened the week at home with a 71-68 win over Ohio as Ivey led the scoring efforts with 17 points on 6-of-15 shooting from the floor and 2-of-6 from deep.
He added a 3-of-4 performance from the charity stripe while grabbing six rebounds, dishing out for assists, and recording a steal. Ivey became the all-time single-game scoring leader with a 48-point performance, breaking the old mark by Joe Jakubick set on Feb. 5, 1983 against Murray State.
In addition, Ivey's career-high performance broke the Worthen Arena's all-time scoring mark of 41 points previously held by Bonzi Wells (Ball State, 1996) and Earl Boykins (Eastern Michigan, 1998). Ivey's nine 3-pointers set an arena record and he tied the arena record for made field goals (15) set in 1992 by Xavier's Brian Grant.
MAC East Division Co-Player of the Week
Jeremy Harris, Buffalo
Guard/Forward, Junior, Greensboro, NC (Paige High)
Junior Jeremy Harris averaged a double-double for the Bulls as UB won a pair of games to improve to 8-0 in league play. The Greensboro, NC native averaged 19.5 points and 12.0 rebounds for the Bulls in wins over Eastern Michigan and Ohio. On Tuesday, Harris had 22 points, a career-high 14 rebounds and four assists in the win over Eastern Michigan. Harris had 20 of those points in the second half. He continued his strong play Friday night on the road at Ohio, with 17 points and 10 rebounds, for his fourth double-double of the season. Harris is second on the team in scoring in MAC games, averaging 16.5 points per game and he is third
with 7.3 rebounds per contest.
MAC West Division Co-Player of the Week
Tre'Shaun Fletcher, Toledo
Guard, Senior, Wilmar, Ark. (Univ. of Colorado)
Senior guard Tre’Shaun Fletcher put on an impressive all-around display last week to help Toledo extend its season-high win streak to seven games with a hard-fought 85-81 victory at Western Michigan and a convincing 101-75 home triumph over Bowling Green. Fletcher averaged a team-high 24.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 6.5 assists to go along with some impressive shooting numbers.
The Rockets senior co-captain hit 62.1 percent (18-of-29) of his shots from the floor, 57.1 percent (4-of-7) from three-point range and 88.9 percent (8-of-9) from the charity stripe. Fletcher also played a part in a strong defensive effort that limited the Broncos and Falcons to a 39.8 combined field-goal mark. Fletcher was at his best against Bowling Green on Saturday by nearly recording a triple-double with a team-high 26 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists and shooting 12-of-15 from the field in 29 minutes.
In Toledo’s victory at WMU, Fletcher registered a team-high 22 points to go along with six rebounds and five assists. The Rockets 6-7, 205-pound guard ranks in the MAC’s Top Five with 18.7 ppg (3rd), 8.5 rpg (3rd) and 4.1 apg (5th) and is the only individual to appear in the Top 10 in all three categories. Fletcher also tops the MAC in league play at 20.9 ppg.
MAC West Division Co-Player of the Week
Thomas Wilder, Western Michigan
Guard, Senior, Montgomery, Ill. (Quakerdale Prep)
Wilder helped lead the Broncos to a 1-1 record of the week, totaling 65 points, 32.5 per game along with shooting 52.8 percent from the floor. Wilder was the game's leading scorer in both contests over the week against Toledo and Northern Illinois. Against Toledo, Wilder scored a career-high 40 points on 11-of-24 shooting from the field.
Wilder from the free-throw line against the Rockets went 15-of-17. Wilder's 40-points is the 2nd most scored by a MAC player this season as he also became the first WMU player since 1987 to score 40 points. With the scoring outburst, Wilder is one of just 16 players in the NCAA to have scored at least 40 this season.
Wilder followed that scoring performance on Tuesday by registering a game-high 25 points vs. NIU en route to a 79-72 victory. Wilder shot a staggering 67 percent (8-of-12) from the field against the Huskies and made seven of his eight free-throw attempts. Wilder now ranks second on WMU's all-time scoring list with 1,835 points while also ranking second in the MAC with 19.0 points per game. In two games over the week, Wilder also averaged 4.5 assists and now the senior guard ranks second in the league in assists with 4.4 per game.
Other Nominees
Kyle Mallers, Ball State
Forward, Sophomore, Fort Wayne, Ind. (Carroll)
Kyle Mallers needed just 11 shots from the floor to score 30 points for Ball State last week. The sophomore forward scored a career-high 18 points in Saturday's win over Akron. Mallers was nearly perfect after halftime, going 5 for 5 from the floor, 3 for 3 from beyond the arc and 5 for 6 from the free throw line. He added five rebounds and four assists to help the Cardinals to their first win over Akron since 2004. Earlier in the week, Mallers scored 12 points at Kent State, going 3 for 4 from the floor, 2 for 2 from deep and 4 for 4 from the foul line. He also grabbed seven rebounds. Mallers has started all 21 games this season and leads the MAC in free throw percentage (.871).
James Thompson IV, Eastern Michigan
Forward/Center, Junior, Baton Rouge, La. / Parkview Baptist
Junior James Thompson continued his climb to 1,000 career rebounds with 27 on the week to move within 41 of becoming the third Eagle to join the club. For the week he averaged 13.5 rebounds to go along with 10.0 points per contest against Buffalo, Jan. 23, and Miami, Jan. 27. Overall he shot 9-of-18 from the floor while blocking five shots. Versus UB, Thompson stayed on the floor for 39 minutes despite playing in foul trouble to post 16 rebounds and three blocks. At Miami, he grabbed his 53rd career double-double with 12 points and 13 caroms. Thompson currently leads the MAC in five categories (double-doubles, defensive rebounds, offensive rebounds, total rebounds, and field goal percentage), while also being in the top four in blocks per game.
Kevin Zabo, Kent State
Guard, Senior, Gatineau, Quebec (Brewster Academy [N.H.])
Senior guard Kevin Zabo led the Golden Flashes to a pair of victories this week. Kent State defeated Ball State at home in overtime 88-80 and won on the road for the first time in MAC play this year, beating Central Michigan 84-76. Zabo averaged 21.5 points to go along with 3.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game for the week.
The Gatineau, Quebec native has scored 20 or more points in five consecutive games. Against Ball State, Zabo scored 21 points in Kent State's first overtime win of the season on 9-of-17 shooting. Zabo was instrumental in the Kent State victory scoring seven points in the overtime period.
Against Central Michigan he was the squad's leading scorer scoring with 22 points, and was 9-of-17 from the field. His 14 second half points lifted the Flashes to victory for the first time in Mt. Pleasant since 2012. The senior is averaging 19.4 points per game in MAC play, which ranks third in the conference. -
Nike Sibande, Miami
Guard, Freshman, Indianapolis, Ind. (Crispus Attucks)
Sibande was once against Miami's leading scorer for the week, averaging 16.0 points per game as the RedHawks went 1-1. He was 11-for-23 (47.8 percent) from the field, including an impressive 5-for-9 (.556) from behind the arc.
Sibande scored a career-high 22 points in leading MU to a road win at Central Michigan on Tuesday. He finished 8-for-12 from the floor and also had six rebounds and two assist in 35 minutes of action. He followed that up with 10 points against Eastern Michigan in a defensive battle on Saturday. Darrian Ringo now ranks fifth all-time on Miami's single season assist list with 161. He ranks eighth all-time on the single-season steals list with 56.
Teyvion Kirk, Ohio
Guard, Freshman, Joliet, Ill. (Joliet West)
Freshman guard Teyvion Kirk (Joliet, Ill.) was the top performer for the Ohio men's basketball team (9-11, 2-6 MAC) in a pair of losses to Mid-American Conference East Division rivals last week, averaging a team-high 17.0 points and 4.5 over the two contests while ranking second on the squad with 1.5 steals and tying for second with 5.5 rebounds per game.
He shot 46.2 percent (12-of-26) from the field and made all three of his three-point attempts while sinking 7-of-8 free throw attempts (87.5 percent). Kirk finished 5-of-10 from the field and 5-of-6 from the free throw line to log 16 points for Ohio in a 71-68 setback to Akron last Tuesday (Jan. 23) at James A. Rhodes Arena. He also distributed a game-high six assists, collected two steals and grabbed a rebound over 29 minutes of work.
Kirk then recorded his second career double-double for Ohio in a 73-66 setback to Buffalo on Friday (Jan. 26) at the Convo, providing the Bobcats with a team-high 18 points and 10 rebounds, with 15 of his points coming in the second half. He shot 7-of-16 from the field with a pair of treys. Kirk also added three assists and a steal in 35 minutes. In his freshman campaign, guard Teyvion Kirk (Joliet, Ill.) ranks second on the Ohio men's basketball with 15.2 points per game, 5.8 rebounds per game and 3.1 assists per game and ranks third on the squad with 1.4 steals per game.
He is looking to become the first Bobcat freshman to average double figures in points since D.J. Cooper did so in 2009-10 with 13.5 points per contest. Kirk has finished in double figures in scoring a team-high 18 times in 2017-18 and has achieved the feat in each of the last 12 contests.
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