MAC Men’s Basketball East Division Player of the Week
Quincy Diggs, Akron
Junior, Forward, Wichita, Kan. (Plano East High School/New Orleans)
Diggs led the Zips to a 2-0 start on the season, highlighted by a 68-58 win at Mississippi State in the season opener on Nov. 9. In that game, Diggs posted a game and career-high 19 points while grabbing four boards and dishing out one assist in 33 minutes of play. Against Hiram on Nov. 12, Diggs reached double-figures in consecutive games with 10 points, six boards, two steals and one assist. For the week, he shot 66.7 percent from the floor (12-of-18) and 75.0 percent from long range (3-of-4).
MAC Men’s Basketball West Division Player of the Week
Jarrod Jones, Ball State
Senior, Forward, Michigan City, Ind. (Michigan City)
Senior forward Jarrod Jones tied his career-high with 25 points against No. 16 Arizona Sunday night while also grabbing nine rebounds … Jones connected on 11-of-15 (73.3%) against the nationally ranked Wildcats, including hitting 3-of-3 from three-point land … He played a team-high 37 minutes as the Cardinals led by 11 points in the second half before their upset bid fell short … His 25 points ties his career-high which he has posted two other times in his career.
Other Nominees
Scott Thomas, Bowling Green
Senior, Forward. Ashley, Ohio (Buckeye Valley)
Thomas averaged 11.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 2.0 steals per game as Bowling Green opened the Stroh Center with a win over Howard and went on the road to battle SEC school Georgia to the wire. Thomas had 14 points, eight rebounds and four assists as Bowling Green rolled past Howard in the team's home opener to christen the new Stroh Center. He followed that up with 11 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals in a 63-54 loss at Georgia Sunday. In the early going, Thomas ranks in the top eight in the MAC in assists, rebounds, and steals.
Trey Zeigler, Central Michigan
Sophomore, Guard, Mount Pleasant, Mich. (Mount Pleasant)
Zeigler recorded his second career double-double (11 pts., 12 rebs.) while leading Central Michigan to a 65-60 win over Ferris State in the season opener. He also added a block and a steal. Zeigler's 12 rebounds were a career high and five of the caroms came on the offensive glass.
Derek Thompson, Eastern Michigan
Junior, Guard, Detroit, Mich. (Melvindale/Southeast Missouri State)
Thompson made 7-of-10 field goals and 3-of-4 free throws for 17 points with three rebounds two assists and one steal in a 68-57 home win over UIC, Nov. 11.
Walter Offut, Ohio
Junior, Guard, Indianapolis, Ind. (Warren Central)
Scored a game-high 17 points in his collegiate debut against UT-Martin on Sunday, fourth-highest total of the weekend. Ranks top-10 in assists, steals, three-point field goal percentage, three-pointers made and assist to turnover ratio/ Keyed a perimeter defensive effort that held the Skyhawks to 2-of-13 shooting from beyond the arc. Helped the Bobcats move to 4-0 under John Groce in home openers and haven’t lost a home opener since 1987.
Matt Stainbrook, Western Michigan
Sophomore, Center, Bay Village, Ohio (Lakewood St. Edward’s)
Stainbrook was the chief offensive threat for the Broncos in their 82-76 loss to the South Dakota State Jackrabbits on Saturday, pouring in a career-high 32 points on 14-of-16 shooting in 35 minutes of play. Stainbrook surpassed his previous high scoring game in the first half alone, scoring 19 points in the opening 20 minutes of play.Stainbrook used an array of shots ranging from lay-ups to 18-foot jumpers to torture the Jackrabbits down low, hitting 87.5 percent of his shots. Stainbrook’s output was the highest single-game total for a Bronco since the 2009-10 finale, when current WMU assistant coach David Kool scored 39 points against Akron on March 12, 2010, a span of 34 games. It is the first time a Bronco has scored 30 points in a game since that time as well. Defensively, Stainbrook hauled in seven rebounds, including a game-high four offensive rebounds.