JT Shumate, Toledo, Forward
Junior, Newark, Ohio (Newark)
Junior forward JT Shumate led Toledo to a pair of road victories by averaging 23.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg and 1.5 bpg and shooting 69.2 percent (18-of-26) from the field, 70.0 percent (7-of-10) from three-point range and making all three of his free-throw attempts. Shumate capped off his week by pouring in a season-high 29 points and grabbed a team-best nine rebounds in the Toledo’s 91-78 victory at arch-rival Bowling Green. He was 12-of-14 from the field and connected all four of his shots from beyond the three-point arc. Shumate also scored 17 points and collected five rebounds and two blocked shots in the Rockets’ 75-72 win at Miami. He also hit 6-of-12 shots from the field and 3-of-6 attempts from three-point range. Shumate has made 50 percent or more of his three-point shots in eight straight games and has a 63.6 3PTFG% during this stretch. Shumate leads the MAC with a 54.4 3PTFG% (37-of-68).
OTHER NOMINEES
Xavier Castaneda, Akron, Guard
Junior, Chicago, Ill. (Whitney Young)
Xavier Castaneda (Chicago, Ill.) led Akron to a 1-1 overall record for the week, averaging 25 points per game on 53.8 percent shooting from the field (14-of-26), 37.5 percent from deep (6-of-16) and a perfect 16-of-16 from the free throw line. He added 10 rebounds (5.0 reb/g) and seven assists (3.50 ast/g) and three steals (1.5 stl/g) while scoring 50 total points. In an 84-74 win over Ball State, Castaneda posted a career-high 29 points, scoring 18 points in the second half for the Zips’ come-from-behind victory. He shot 60.0 percent from the field (9-of-15) and 33.3 percent from long distance (3-of-9) while draining eight free throws. Hed ished out six assists, grabbed five boards and had two steals in the win. Against Kent State, Castaneda scored a team-high 21 points as the Zips fell 67-55. He connected on 5-of-11 shots from the floor for a 45.5 shooting percentage, while making 3-of-7 shots from deep for a 42.9 long distance percentage. Again, he buried eight free throws and grabbed five boards while adding one assist and one steal.
Payton Sparks, Ball State, Center
Freshman, Winchester, Ind. (Winchester)
Payton Sparks had the best week of his young career as he posted two double-doubles and averaged 20.5 points per game and 13.0 rebounds per contest. He was the most dominant player in the MAC on the glass over the week, with 26 total rebounds. In the game at Akron, Sparks produced a career-high 23 points and added 10 rebounds for his first collegiate double-double. Sparks produced another outstanding game on Friday against Buffalo, where he notched back-to-back games with a double-double. He recorded 18 points with a career-high 16 rebounds. His 16 rebounds are the third most by of any player in the MAC this season.
Daeqwon Plowden, Bowling Green, Forward
Senior, Philadelphia, Pa. (Mastery Charter North)
Bowling Green senior Daeqwon Plowden began the week with 18 points, tied for the team-lead, against Ohio. Plowden added eight rebounds, leading the Falcons, in the game. Against Toledo, Plowden logged 14 points while posting a career-high five blocks, the first Falcon since Richaun Holmes during the 2014-15 season to have a handful of rejections in a single-game. Plowden added seven rebounds against the Rockets while being perfect from the free throw line. Plowden has been perfect from the charity stripe in seven of his last eight games, being 24-of-26 over the stretch.
David Skogman, Buffalo, Center
Sophomore, Waukesha, WI (Waukesha West)
Sophomore David Skogman averaged a double-double this past week as the Bulls won a pair of games on the road. The Waukesha, WI native averaged 15.0 points and 11.0 rebounds as he has now recorded double-doubles in three straight games. He had 14 points and 11 rebounds in a win at Western Michigan on Tuesday and added 16 points and 11 boards in the victory at Ball State. Skogman is now averaging 12.2 points and 9.2 rebounds per game in MAC play.
Noah Farrakhan, Eastern Michigan, Guard
Freshman, Newark, N.J.-The Patrick School
Noah Farrakhan tied a career-best with 27 points at Northern Illinois, Jan. 15. The freshman previously put up the same tally in a four overtime game against FIU, Dec. 11. Overall, Farrakhan was 8-for-19 against the Huskies, including a career-high four three-pointers. Earlier in the week in the blowout of CMU, he posted seven points and five rebounds in limited playing time. Farrakhan continues to lead the team in scoring, averaging 17.4 points per game, ranking seventh in the Mid-American Conference and 116th in the nation. The Newark, N.J. native is 34-for-76 from the field in his last five games, while combining to go 10-of-11 from the free throw stripe. He's also accumulated 10 steals during that span.
Sincere Carry, Kent State, Guard
Redshirt Junior, Solon
Carry had a week to remember after tying a career-high 32 points in a Wagon Wheel rivalry win over Akron on Friday night. Carry dominated down the stretch against the Zips, scoring 19 points over the final nine minutes to help the Flashes pull away to victory and give Kent State the all-time rivalry lead, 79-78. His 32 points against Akron are the most any Golden Flash has scored against the Zips this century, and he is the first Flash to score 30 or more points against Akron since Jaylin Walker in the 2017 MAC Championship. Carry was impressive all week, shooting 55.2 percent from the field and 41.2 percent from three. He scored or assisted on an incredible 53.1 percent of the Flashes' total points during the week.
Dalonte Brown, Miami, Forward
5th-Year Senior, Toledo, Ohio (Bowsher)
Dalonte Brown averaged 14.5 ppg while shooting an impressive 66.7 percent from the floor and averaged 6.5 rpg for the RedHawks in a pair of games last week. Brown scored 15 points and added five rebounds, one assist and one blocked shot in a 70-62 road win at Western Michigan on Saturday. He was 2-for-4 from three-point range, draining a crucial trey with just under two minutes to play at WMU. Brown notched 14 points, eight rebounds, two assists, one blocked shot and one steal in a three-point loss to Toledo. He was 6-of-9 from the field and 1-for-1 from the free-throw line in both games. His blocked shot against the Rockets helped Miami to a nine-block performance, which ties for sixth on Miami’s single-game charts. Brown moved into 11th on Miami’s all-time scoring list over the weekend.
Kaleb Thornton, Northern Illinois, Guard
Junior, Bolingbrook, Ill. (Bolingbrook)
Kaleb Thornton averaged 16.0 points, 4.0 assists and 3.5 rebounds for the week as he helped the Huskies to victories over Kent State and Eastern Michigan. The guard from Bolingbrook, Ill., opened the week with a career-high 17 points, on 7-of-8 shooting, along with four rebounds and four assists in a 65-63 win at Kent State. Thornton then helped NIU to its second consecutive win, 77-70, over Eastern Michigan, as he scored 15 points with four assists and three rebounds as the Huskies improved to 2-1 in conference play. For the week, Thornton shot 61.1 percent (11-of-18) from the field, including 50 percent (3-of-6) from three-point range and went 7-of-9 (77.8 percent) from the free-throw line.
Jason Carter, Ohio, Forward
RS 5th Year, Johnstown, Ohio / Johnstown-Monroe
Redshirt fifth year Forward Jason Carter led the Bobcats last week, helping Ohio improve to 13-2 overall and 4-0 in MAC play, and extend its winning streak to eight games. Overall, Carter averaged 22.0 points and 8.0 rebounds a game. He shot .642 from the field, dished out .30 assists and recorded 2.0 blocks. Carter led Ohio on Jan. 11 against Bowling Green, scoring 22 points, grabbing eight rebounds, dished out three assists and recorded two blocks. He went 9-of-14 from the field and 4-of-7 from the line in Ohio's 85-78 victory.