For more information on these and other nominees, click Read More . . .
CJ Massinburg, Buffalo
Guard, Senior, Dallas, TX (South Oak Cliff)
Senior CJ Massinburg averaged a double-double this past week as the Bulls improved their winning streak to seven games. Massinburg averaged 21.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game over the two victories. On Tuesday, Massinburg had 23 points in the win over Akron, while the senior added 10 rebounds and six assists, while not turning it over. He added 20 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists on Friday night in Buffalo's road win at Miami. Massinburg has increased his scoring 1,878 career points as he looks to become just the third player in school history with 1,900 career points. Massinburg leads UB in scoring this year.
MAC West Basketball Player of the Week
Marreon Jackson, Toledo
Guard, Sophomore, Cleveland, Ohio (Garfield Heights)
Sophomore guard Marreon Jackson led the Rockets to a pair of victories last week that clinched a share of the Mid-American Conference’s West Division title as well as a first-round bye in the MAC Tournament. Jackson tallied 18.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 3.5 apg and 2.0 spg while shooting 59.1 percent (13-of-22) from the field and 53.8 percent (7-of-13) from three-point range. He also directed a Rocket offense that averaged 80.0 ppg and shot 50.8 percent from the field in its two contests. Jackson opened the week with a 19-point effort after knocking down 6-of-9 shots from the field and 3-of-4 from three-point range at Ball State. In Saturday’s victory at CMU, the tallied 18 points and was 7-of-13 from the field and 4-of-9 behind the three-point arc.
Other Nominees
Larry Austin Jr., Central Michigan
Guard, Senior, Springfield, Ill. (Vanderbilt)
Senior guard Larry Austin Jr. nearly made history and placed himself on the cusp of history with his play last week. On Tuesday at Eastern Michigan, Austin helped Central Michigan to a season sweep of the Eagles, just missing the first triple-double in program history. He totaled 9 points, 10 assists and 9 rebounds in the 77-66 road victory. On Saturday versus Toledo, Austin, the Chippewas' leading scorer this season, posted 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting, in addition to 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. With the two steals, Austin now stands just two more away from breaking the CMU single-season record.
James Thompson IV, Eastern Michigan
Forward, Senior, Baton Rouge, La. (Parkview Baptist)
Eastern Michigan senior James Thompson IV was dominant in the Eagles’ 1-1 week, averaging 13.5 points and 14.5 rebounds per game on the week. The forward shot 61 percent (11-of-18) from the floor and boosted his MAC-leading offensive rebounds per game number to 4.1 per game thanks to games of five and seven offensive boards. Thompson came up big in EMU's win over NIU, March 2, scoring 15 points and pulling down 17 rebounds while playing 38 minutes. He added a 12-point, 12-rebound game in 36 minutes against Central Michigan, Feb. 26. The Baton Rouge, La. native now ranks sixth all-time in Eastern history in career points, and is just 18 rebounds away from becoming the Green and White’s all-time leader.
Jaylin Walker, Kent State
Guard, Senior, Inkster, Mich.
Jaylin Walker had back-to-back games where he scored 20+ plus points putting his season total up to 16 games scoring 20 or more points. Against Ohio, Walker led the Flashes to a 78-73 win over Ohio with 23 points. The senior guard shot 8-of-21 from the floor and connected on 4-of-9 from long range. Walker scored 18 of his 23 points in the second-half, and scored 13 in the final five minutes of play. He also brought down six rebounds and dished out three assists. Against Bowling Green, Walker scored a game-high 26 points and had five boards. With his combined 49 points for both games, Walker moves himself closer to becoming Kent State’s all-time scorer. Walker now has 1,741 career-points and only needs 79 points to pass Kent State’s all-time leading scorer Trevor Huffman (1,820).
Doug Taylor, Ohio
Forward, Senior, Columbus, Ohio / Northland
Senior forward Doug Taylor helped lead the Bobcats to a 1-1 record this past week. Overall, Taylor averaged 13.0 points per game, while grabbing 5.0 rebounds per game. He also recorded 1.0 steals and 1.5 blocks per game. Taylor went 8-of-10 (.800) from the field and 10-of-14 from the free throw line. On Feb. 26 at Kent State, Taylor scored 12 points, going 5-of-7 from the field, and 2-of-5 from the free throw line. He grabbed three rebounds, dished out an assists and has two blocks. Then on March 2 at Akron, Taylor went 3-of-3 from from the field and 8-of-9 from the free throw line for 14. He grabbed seven rebounds and has one block and two steals in the 73-49 victory.
Seth Dugan, Western Michigan
Center, Senior, Otsego, Mich.
Western Michigan was carried by the shoulders of Seth Dugan over the week as the senior center registered his 13th and 14th double-doubles of the season at Northern Illinois and vs. Ball State. Averaging 35.5 minutes per game, Dugan averaged a double-double with 19.5 points and 15.5 rebounds per contest while shooting 59.3 percent from the field. At Northern Illinois on Tuesday, Dugan was 8-of-10 from the field with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Against Miami, Dugan recorded his 14th double-double on the year with 20 points and 20 rebounds. It’s the second time this season Dugan has registered a 20-point, 20-rebound game and is only the third player in the NCAA to have more than two this season. Dugan was 8-of-17 from the field against the Cardinals and had 14 defensive rebounds and six offensive rebounds. With the double-double, Dugan moved into second place for most double-doubles in a season and is three shy of breaking the school record.