
Click Read More for details on both players, as well as other nominees . . .
Jimmy Hall, Kent State, Forward
Senior, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Hall had an outstanding week that ended with the Golden Flashes turning around their recent skid with a home win over Toledo. Hall led Kent State in points, rebounds and assists, tallying 25.5 points, 10.5 boards and 2.5 assists per game. Against Buffalo, Hall had a solid performance for the Golden Flashes, leading the team with 24 points and 16 rebounds. He shot 9-for-13 from the floor and cleaned up eight boards on the offensive end. Hall had a game-best 27 points against Toledo, and also tallied five rebounds and three assists. He finished the week with 1,343 points in his career, pushing himself into Kent State's top-10 career scorers. He was efficient from the floor, shooting 63.6 percent from 3-point range and 50 percent from distance.
MAC West Division Men’s Basketball Player of the Week
Marcus Keene, Central Michigan, Guard
Junior, San Antonio, Texas (Warren)
Keene had a record-breaking week for Central Michigan, as the Chippewas went 1-1. Keene averaged 39.5 points, 5.5 assists, 2.5 steals and 2.0 rebounds in games versus Ball State and Miami. In a road loss to the Cardinals on Tuesday evening, Keene posted a game-high 29 points to go along with seven assists, two rebounds and two steals. Keene set a Worthen Arena record for a visiting player, knocking down eight 3-pointers. On Saturday, at home versus the RedHawks, Keene captured the national spotlight, erupting for 50 points, the most by a Division I player this season, in a 101-92 CMU victory. Keene is the first player to reach the 50-point milestone since 2013 and his 50 is the third-highest single game total in program history, tied for seventh in MAC history and is a McGuirk Arena record. Keene was ultra-efficient for the game, shooting 65% (15-23) from the field, 67% (10-15) from 3-point range and 100% (10-10) from the line. He remarkably scored 39 of his 50 points in the second half, including 26 consecutive for CMU in a span of 5:52, hitting five 3-pointers while going 7-for-7 from the line, to reverse a deficit and put the Chippewas in the lead for good. Keene's 10 3-pointers tied a CMU record and helped the team equal a program record for 3s in a game with 20. Keene leads the MAC in 3-pointers with 74 (7th nationally) and free throws made with 125 (6th nationally) and ranks second in assists per game (5.3).
Kwan Cheatham, Jr., Akron, Forward
Senior, Cincinnati, Ohio (Winton Woods)
Cheatham, Jr. averaged a double-double en route to leading the Zips to a pair of league wins. He averaged 12 points and 10 rebounds as Akron defeated Ohio, 83-68, and Eastern Michigan, 70-63, while helping Akron set a new James A. Rhodes Arena winning streak t 27 consecutive games. Against Ohio, Cheatham poured in a team-high 17 points to go along with a team-best 13 rebounds. He added three assists, a steal, and a blocked shot. Against Eastern Michigan, Cheatham chipped in seven points and seven boards with three assists, a steal, and a blocked shot. For the week, Cheatham was 8-of-24 from the field, including 5-of-13 effort from downtown for 24 points. He buried 3-of-5 bonus buckets while grabbing 20 rebounds, six assists, two steals, and two blocked shots.
Trey Moses, Ball State, Center
Sophomore, Louisville, Ky. (Eastern HS)
Moses averaged a near double-double for Ball State last week at 15.0 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. Moses notched his third double-double of the season Tuesday in the Cardinals' 98-83 victory over Central Michigan. The sophomore center scored a career-high 20 points on 7-of-8 shooting and also pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds. He added 10 points and eight rebounds in Saturday's game at Bowling Green. Moses also averaged 3.0 assists and 2.5 blocks per game last week, including a career-high-tying four blocks in the CMU game. He finished the week shooting 11 of 16 from the floor (.688). For the season, Moses ranks among the top six in the league in field goal percentage (.574, 3rd), rebounding (8.8, 5th) and blocks (1.0, 6th).
Demajeo Wiggins, Bowling Green, Forward
Sophomore, Toledo, Ohio (Springfield)
Wiggins posted consecutive double-doubles, as he led BGSU to 1-1 week. Playing at Toledo (Jan. 17) and at home versus Ball State (Jan. 21), Wiggins averaged 15.5 points and 12.5 rebounds while shooting 72.2 percent (13-of-18) from the field. While playing in his home town of Toledo, Wiggins went 7-for-9 from the field and posted 17 points and 11 rebounds. In Bowling Green's win over Ball State, the sophomore was a force down low, as he scored 14 points and pulled down a career-high 14 rebounds. He 6-for-9 from the floor. Wiggins now has a team-high five double-doubles on the year, and is averaging a team-high 14.2 points and 8.5 rebounds across six conference games.
Nick Perkins, Buffalo, Forward
Sophomore, Ypsilanti, MI (Milan)
Perkins led the Bulls to a pair of double figure victories this past week as he averaged 19.0 points and 8.0 rebounds off the bench. Perkins began the week by scoring 17 points and pulling down six boards as UB won its seventh straight game against Kent State and its fourth straight at the M.A.C. Center. Perkins followed that up with his third double-double of the season as he led all scorers with 21 points, and added 10 rebounds, in Buffalo's win over Western Michigan on Saturday. It was the first time this year that the Bulls have won back-to-back games. Perkins is averaging 13.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per game this year.
James Thompson IV, Eastern Michigan, Forward/Center
Sophomore, Baton Rouge, La. (Parkview Baptist)
Thompson IV put together another solid week as the Eagles went 1-1 in MAC play. The Baton Rouge, La. native scored a season-high and career-high versus NCAA Division I opponents with 26 points versus Western Michigan, while posting his 10th double-double of the 2016-17 campaign. Overall, the 6-foot-10 forward averaged 16 points, nine rebounds , 1.5 assists and 1.5 steals per contest while shooting 60 percent from the floor.
Michael Weathers, Miami, Guard
Freshman, Roeland Park, Kan. (Shawnee Mission North)
Weathers continued to lead the RedHawk offense, averaging 21.0 points in two road games last week. Despite a low scoring contest overall, Weathers finished with 18 points against Northern Illinois on Tuesday. He was 7-for-13 from the field and hit a career-high three 3-pointers. He also finished with six assists. Weathers had 24 points in the high-scoring contest against CMU on Saturday. He also finished with five assists, two steals and a block in 30 minutes of action.
Jaaron Simmons, Ohio, Guard
R-Jr., Dayton, Ohio (Archbishop Alter)
Simmons helped the Ohio men's basketball team (12-5, 4-2 MAC) split a pair of Mid-American Conference road games last week, averaging a team-high 20.0 points, 5.0 assists and 1.5 steals as well as 4.0 rebounds per game. He shot 53.3 percent (16-of-30) from the field and went a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line over the two contests. Simmons scored a game-high 19 points and distributed a game-high five assists in an 83-68 loss to East Division rival Akron last Tuesday (Jan. 17) at James A. Rhodes Arena. He played all 40 minutes for the Bobcats, shooting 8-of-13 from the field. He also added four rebounds and a steal. Simmons followed up that effort by leading all scorers with 21 points and distributing a game-high five assists to help the Bobcats pick up a big 78-69 road win over West Division foe Northern Illinois on Saturday (Jan. 21) at the Convocation Center in DeKalb, Ill. Simmons shot 8-of-14 from the field and a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line. He also distributed a game-high five assists to go along with four rebounds and two steals over 37 minutes. Simmons totaled at least 21 points for the second time in 2016-17.
Nate Navigato, Toledo, Forward
Sophomore, Geneva, IL (Geneva)
Navigato tallied 16.0 points, 4.0 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game to go along with some impressive shooting numbers - 56.3 FG% (9-of-16) and 66.7 three-point FG% (8-of-12) - to help the Rockets split a pair of games last week. Navigato registered a career-high 22 points and career-best seven assists in Toledo's 85-73 victory over Bowling Green on Tuesday. He opened the game on fire with three treys in the game's first six minutes to key UT's quick start. Navigato finished the contest with six three-pointers in eight attempts. In UT's contest at Kent State on Saturday, he tallied 10 points on 3-of-6 shooting (2-of-4 3FG).