Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association
www.MetBasketballWriters.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Champagnie, Singleton Earn Last Men's Players of the Week This Season
NEW YORK (March 9, 2021) ---
Julian Champagnie of St. John's in Division I and
Grant Singleton of St. Thomas Aquinas in Divisions II/III have been named Men’s Players of the Week by the Met Basketball Writers Association.
The final weekly MBWA designations of the 2020-21 season, for games played March 1-7, are unique in that they encompass players from 72 Met area schools across Divisions I, II and III. At the outset of this season, the MBWA selected one overall Men’s Player of the Week. With all divisions now playing games, the association has reinstituted naming awards in Division I and in Divisions II/III.
This was the third weekly MBWA designation for Champagnie this season, who previously was honored on Jan. 19 and Feb. 2. Singleton was selected for a second time, having previously been named on Feb. 9.
A 6-8 sophomore guard-forward from Brooklyn, NY, Champagnie --- who also was named Big East Confefence player of the week --- averaged a team-high 19.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals in a 2-0 homecourt week for St. John’s (16-10). He shot 45.8% (11-of-24) from the field and converted 13-of-15 free-throws (86.7%).
Champagnie started the week on Wednesday with his Big East-leading seventh double-double for this season, recording 16 points and 10 rebounds in an 81-67 win over Providence. Then, on Saturday, Champagnie scored a game-high 22 points to go with six rebounds in St. John’s regular season finale, an 81-71 come-from-behind victory over Seton Hall.
Champagnie leads the Big East in scoring at 19.9 ppg (27th in nation) and also is No. 1 in free throw shooting at 88.7% (102-of-115), which is 19th in NCAA Division I. He is seventh in the conference in rebounding at 7.3 rpg.
St. John’s, seeded fourth, will meet No. 5 Seton Hall on Thursday afternoon in the first round of the Big East tournament at Madison Square Garden In New York.
A 6-0 junior guard from Sumter, SC, Singleton --- who was named the Most Outstanding Player in last week’s East Coast Conference tournament --- averaged 18.5 points in homecourt victories by the Spartans (13-1) over Molloy (110-75) and Daemen (83-67) en route to their fifth ECC playoff title in six seasons. He shot 60.0% (15-of-25) from the field while adding 4.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists.
In defeating Molloy in an ECC semifinal, Singleton scored 17 points, dished out four assists and swiped four steals while connecting on 58.3% (7-of-12) from the field in just 19 minutes of action.
In the ECC championship triumph over Daemen, he posted 20 points, seven rebounds and four assists while rifling 61.5% (8-of-13) from the field.
STAC now advances to the NCAA Division II tournament and will meet a team to be determined on Sunday at the Albany (NY) Capital Center in an East region semifinal.
Players receiving MBWA Division I Honorable Mention for the week: Sandro Mamukelashvili, Seton Hall; Jalen Ray, Hofstra; Ricardo Wright, Marist; Jacob Young, Rutgers.
Players receiving MBWA Divisions II/III Honorable Mention for the week: Gabriel Leifer, Yeshiva; Myles Mitchell-White, Montclair State; Lybrant Robinson, Drew.
Previous MBWA 2020-21 Men’s Players of the Week:
Jan. 12, Tyler Thomas, Sacred Heart; Jan. 19, Julian Champagnie, St. John's; Jan. 26, Posh Alexander, St. John's; Feb. 2, Julian Champagnie, St. John's; Feb. 9, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Seton Hall, Div. I;
Grant Singleton, St. Thomas Aquinas, Divs. II/III;
Feb. 16, Elijah Buchanan, Manhattan, Div. I;
Ryan Turell, Yeshiva, Divs. II/III.
Feb. 23, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Seton Hall, Div. I;
David Gervase, Drew, Divs. II/III;
March 2, Geo Baker, Rutgers, Div. I; Anthony Cooper, Caldwell, Divs. II/III