Francis (Wagner/DI), Reyes (STAC/DII-III), Hernandez (Lehman/DII-III) Net Honors
MBWA Players of the Week (1-22 to 1-28) 2017-18 / Week 7
FFI: Chuck Stogel, MBWA - 914-428-6111, chstogel@aol.com
Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association
www.MetBasketballWriters.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Francis, Hernandez, Reyes Named Weekly MBB Winners
NEW YORK (Jan. 30, 2018) ---
Blake Francis of Wagner in Division I, and
Luis Hernandez of Lehman and
Justin Reyes of St. Thomas Aquinas as co-winners in Divisions II-III, have been named Men’s Players of the Week by the Met Basketball Writers Assn.
The designations, for games played Jan. 22-28, are unique in that they encompass players from 74 Met area schools across Divisions I, II and III.
The selection was the second week in a row that Reyes has received the MBWA award while it was the second consecutive week that a player from Wagner has been so honored, following JoJo Cooper the previous week.
A 6-0 sophomore guard from Herndon, Va., Francis averaged 21.5 points in a 2-0 week on the road for the Seahawks (15-6), shooting 62.5% (15-of-24) from the field, including 68.8% (11-of-16) from beyond the arc.
In the first game of the week, Francis scored 22 points in a 91-61 win at Saint Francis U. Next, in a showdown at Robert Morris for first place in the Northeast Conference, he had 21 points and was instrumental as the Seahawks overcame a 42-32 halftime deficit to prevail 77-64. Francis registered 14 points, including four 3-pointers, in a 25-6 run which propelled Wagner to the victory.
A 6-1 senior guard from the Dominican Republic, Hernandez --- who also was named CUNYAC player of the week --- led the Lightning (16-4) to three conference victories with his sharpshooting accuracy. He canned 64.3% (27-of-42) of his shots from the field, including 58.3% (7-of-12) from 3-point range, while nailing a perfect 12-of-12 at the free throw line.
Hernandez opened the week by dropping 23 points along with eight rebounds in an 80-56 triumph at Brooklyn College. He followed that with 19 points and seven assists in an 88-63 homecourt victory over York and then finished the week by posting 31 points on 11-of-14 shooting from the field along with eight rebounds in an 86-68 win at home over John Jay.
A 6-4 junior guard-forward from Haverhill, MA, Reyes --- who also was named East Coast Conference player of the week --- helped the Spartans (18-4) to a 2-0 week by averaging 27.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 4.5 steals and 1.5 blocks in an 80-66 victory at Queens and an 82-58 win at home over Molloy. He shot 58.3% (14-of-24) overall in the two games while climbing to just four points shy of the all-time ECC scoring lead.
Reyes registered 22 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, five steals and a block in the win over Queens as he became the ECC all-time leader in made field goals. He next netted 32 points along with seven rebounds, four assists, four steals and two blocks against Molloy, becoming the fourth player in school history to surpass 2,000 career points.
Players receiving MBWA Men’s Division I Honorable Mention for the week: Schadrac Casimir, Iona; Myles Powell, Seton Hall; Gabe Stefanini, Columbia; Anthony Tarke, NJIT; Austin Tilghman, Monmouth; Justin Wright-Foreman, Hofstra.
Players receiving MBWA Men’s Divisions II-III Honorable Mention for the week: Desawn Cann, Purchase; Richy Espinal, Wm. Paterson; Daniel Grant, Dominican; Amer Lukac, Hunter; Myles Mitchell-White, Montclair State; Sam Toney, NJCU.
Previous MBWA 2016-17 Men’s Players of the Week: Dec. 5, Desi Rodriguez, Seton Hall, Div. I; Dequawne Richards, Mercy, and Sam Toney, NJCU, co-winners Divs. II-III . . . Dec. 12, Justin Wright-Foreman, Hofstra, Div. I; Dom Cristiano, NYU, and Terrell Spaulding, Felician, co-winners Divs. II-III . . . Dec. 19, Corey Sanders, Rutgers, Div. I; Lavrone Green, NJCU, and Jack Laffey, Adelphi, co-winners Divs. II-III . . . Jan. 9, Angel Delgado, Seton Hall, Div. I; Sam Toney, NJCU, Divs. II-III . . . Jan. 16, Justin Wright-Foreman, Hofstra, Div. I; Sam Toney, NJCU, Divs. II-III . . . Jan. 23, JoJo Cooper, Wagner, Div. I; Justin Reyes, St. Thomas Aquinas, Divs. II-III.