A week of rewarding consistent productivity
Last week, I mentioned DeSean Goode’s performance as one that at least deserved mention for Freshman of the Week even though I typically try to pick someone who played two games. The Horizon League turned around and named him their Freshman of the Week following an impressive double-double in IU Indy’s blowout win over Detroit Mercy. I’m glad they validated picking players who only played once, because this week would be a lot more difficult to write about if they hadn’t.
As will become obvious in a minute, I’ll still generally show preference to players who put up multiple nice performances. But this week’s picks would’ve been a lot less interesting to think about if everyone who only played 1 game was eliminated from consideration. Don’t be surprised to see the league’s official picks differ from mine after all the big numbers put up by players who only played once.
Player of the Week — Allen Mukeba, Oakland
This might be a bit of a controversial pick in a week where Rasheed Bello and Jalen Jackson did as much as they possibly could to nab the award while playing just one game, but Mukeba’s all-around game was outstanding and I don’t want to punish a slower pace. Mukeba averaged 16.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.0 blocks per game while shooting 85.7 percent from the field. While the rebounds and blocks stood out to me first, I also wanted to highlight the big man putting up the 2.67:1 assist-to-turnover ratio for the week. He didn’t have a jaw-dropping line in either game, but instead had a pair that get more intriguing the more you look at them as he helped in every facet.
Other contenders
Jalen Jackson, Purdue Fort Wayne — While I personally opted for the player who played two games, I have a feeling the league might be choosing between the same two players it chose between last week when deciding Player of the Week. This time, I prefer Jackson’s 30-point outing on 10-for-20 shooting — and the steal that he converted into the game-tying layup at the end of the first overtime — to his teammate Bello. I don’t like to punish a player for losing, but I’ll definitely reward them for doing thing that unquestionably snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.
Rasheed Bello, Purdue Fort Wayne — With that said, Bello would also be an excellent choice for Player of the Week if the league decides to go for one of the guys who put up big counting stats in a single game. Bello scored 27 points on 9-for-17 shooting and added 8 assists to help secure the PFW win and help his own case for weekly and postseason honors.
Alex Huibregtse, Wright State — On the other end of Purdue Fort Wayne’s win over Wright State, Huibregtse started the week with an excellent case for Player of the Week. He was actually the game’s leading scorer with 31 points on 10-for-22 shooting. He even added 4 assists and 4 rebounds. Then came the part that makes it such a preference of mine to pick a player who did well twice. Huibregtse fouled out with 11 points and five rebounds in 27 minutes in Saturday’s 78-70 win over Northern Kentucky. Huibregtse still gets mention here for averaging an efficient 21.0 points and 4.5 rebounds on the week, but his case would’ve been a lot stronger if the NKU game was on Monday and that’s why I like to pick someone who played twice.
Freshman of the Week — Jeremiah Johnson, Green Bay
Thank goodness for Jeremiah Johnson, or I would have had to break the rule I was just talking about immediately. Johnson averaged 12.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists for the week. Like with my Player of the Week pick, I don’t think the counting stats fully demonstrate Johnson’s play this week. His 12 points and seven rebounds nearly helped Green Bay pick off Horizon League contender Youngstown State on Sunday before the Phoenix fell 73-69. Even during Friday’s game with the already infamous 28-0 RMU run to start the second half, Johnson managed to perform like a seasoned veteran and stay on the court with four fouls for a long stretch of a whistle-happy game where he finished 4-for-5 from the field.
Other contenders
Ryan Kalambay, Detroit Mercy — Kalambay was forced into action following the recent string of injuries to key Detroit Mercy players, and if Saturday is any indication it looks like that could immediately start to benefit the Titans as players return from injury. Kalambay secured a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds on 4-for-8 shooting as UDM kept it close in its lone game of the week, a 65-59 loss at home against Oakland.
Yonatan Levy, Green Bay — Levy put up 18 points on 5-for-7 shooting. He’s also older than upperclassmen Jalen Jackson and Rasheed Bello, so if he’s going to be higher than this section of the article it’ll need to be because he won my Player of the Week.
Nate Johnson, Detroit Mercy — In the same game that Kalambay secured his double-double, Johnson finished as Detroit Mercy’s leading scorer with 16 points. He added five rebounds, two steals and two assists without committing a turnover. Like Kalambay, Johnson gets dinged for me because he didn’t have a second chance to put up a good game.
