A-10 PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Rob Diggs - George Washington
Junior, Forward, 6-8, 202 lbs.
Brandywine, Md./Gwynn Park HS
Diggs notched his fifth double-double of the season with 20 points and ten rebounds on Jan. 30 in George Washington’s 61-59 loss to Saint Joseph’s ... made all ten of his field goal attempts, two shy of tying the A-10 single-game record for field goals without a miss, set by former St. Joe’s standout Delonte West versus Xavier on Jan. 17, 2004...added a pair of blocks...is tied for second in the Conference with seven double-digit rebounding performance.
A-10 ROOKIES OF THE WEEK
Kevin Anderson - Richmond
Freshman, Guard, 5-11, 165 lbs.
Duluth, Ga,/Peachtree Ridge HS
Anderson knocked down a career-high three field goals from beyond the arc en route scoring a game-high 17 points in Richmond's 64-58 win at Charlotte on Feb. 2 ... added four rebounds and three assists ... had six assists, four rebounds and three steals on Jan. 30 in the Spiders' 78-64 loss at Rhode Island...has led the team in scoring four times and earns his second A-10 Rookie of the Week award.
Matt Morgan - St. Bonaventure
Freshman, Forward, 6-8, 210 lbs.
Landover, Md./St. Thomas Moore (Conn.)
Morgan averaged 11.5 points and seven rebounds while making 7-of-11 field goal attempts over two games ... scored 13 points and grabbed nine boards in 23 minutes on Feb. 2 as St. Bonaventure downed Duquesne, 74-59 ... had ten points on 5-of-6 shooting and added five rebounds in the Bonnies' 84-61 loss at La Salle on Jan. 30.
NEWS FROM AROUND THE ATLANTIC 10
WEEKLY HONOR ROLL
- Freshman forward An'Juan Wilderness scored 11 points in Charlotte's 64-58 loss to Richmond on Feb. 2
- Dayton sophomore guard London Warren registered his first career double-double on Feb. 2 with 13 points and ten rebounds in the Flyers' 82-70 loss at Rhode Island
- Senior guard Marcus Stout scored a game-high 19 points as Fordham dropped a 70-55 decision at Saint Joseph's on Feb. 2
- La Salle sophomore guard Rodney Green averaged 14.5 points and 5.5 assists in a pair of contests, while freshman forward Jerrell Williams averaged 11 points and 7.5 rebounds
- Senior forward Gary Forbes of Massachusetts averaged 19.7 points and 6.3 rebounds over three games
- Junior guard Jimmy Baron averaged 16.5 points in a pair of wins for Rhode Island...St. Bonaventure forward Michael Lee averaged 17.5 points and ten rebounds in a pair of contests
- Senior forward Pat Calathes of Saint Joseph's averaged 17.5 points and six rebounds in leading the Hawks to a pair of victories
- Junior guard Tommie Liddell scored 16 points on Feb. 2 as Saint Louis turned aside Massachusetts, 71-59
- Temple senior Mark Tyndale notched his third double-double of the year with 14 points and 12 boards in the Owls' 58-50 win at Fordham on Jan. 31.
TRIFECTA
La Salle senior guard Darnell Harris was a perfect 7-for-7 from beyond the arc on Jan. 30 as La Salle turned aside St. Bonaventure, 84-61. Harris is shooting an impressive 51.4 percent (76-of-148) from beyond the arc this season and was two three-pointers shy of tying the program's single-game record of nine, set by Kareem Townes versus Loyola-Chicago on Feb. 4, 1995, as part of a 52-point effort. The A-10 single-game record for most three-pointers without a miss is seven, set by former Temple standout Pepe Sanchez against URI on Feb. 16, 1997.
NONE BETTER
At 19-3 overall, Rhode Island has equaled its best start after 22 games in program history. URI also won 19 of its first 22 games in 1987-88. Furthermore, Rhody's 11-0 start at home is its best since opening the Ryan Center in 2002-03, and marks the most consecutive home wins to start a season in program history.
BALANCING ACT
Junior C.J. Anderson scored 16 points to lead six players in double figures on Feb. 2 as Xavier downed La Salle, 75-62. The Musketeers are 15-0 on the year when four or more players reach double digits.
CLIMBING THE CHARTS
Senior forward Michael Lee scored 16 points and grabbed ten rebounds in St. Bonaventure's 74-59 win over Duquesne on Feb. 2. Lee surpassed former Bona standout Ahmad Smith (2003-06) for 23rd place on the program's all-time scoring list with 1,264 points. The West Palm Beach, Fla., native's double-double effort versus the Dukes was the 14th of his career and has now scored in double figures in seven of the Bonnies' eight home contests this season.
CLEANING THE GLASS
Junior forward Tony Gaffney grabbed 12 rebounds and seniors Dante Milligan and Gary Forbes added 11 and ten rebounds, respectively, as Massachusetts earned a 94-80 win at Duquesne on Jan. 30. It marked the first time three Minutemen reached double figures in rebounds since Feb. 20, 1999, when Chris Kirkland (13), Lari Ketner (12) and Monty Mack (ten) accomplished the feat versus Xavier.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Dayton senior guard Brian Roberts was among 30 players named to the John R. Wooden Award midseason list, it was announced on Jan. 28 by The Los Angeles Athletic Club's John R. Wooden Award Committee. Roberts is vying to become the sixth player in Conference history to win the prestigious Wooden Award, joining Mark Macon of Temple (1988), Massachusetts' Lou Roe (1995) and Marcus Camby (1996), David West of Xavier (2003) and Saint Joseph's Jameer Nelson (2004). On Jan. 30, Roberts was one of 30 players named to the midseason list for the Naismith Award by the Atlanta Tipoff Club and named one of 16 finalists for the Bob Cousy Award on Feb. 1. He is one of just six players nationally to be nominated for all three awards.
CLOSING IN
Charlotte head coach Bobby Lutz is one win shy of tying Jeff Mullins' (1986-96) program record of 182 career victories. Lutz served as an assistant coach under Mullins in 1996 before taking over the program in 1999. The 49ers resume action on Feb. 6 when they visit Dayton.
STRAIGHT SHOOTER
Freshman guard Kevin Smith came off the bench to score nine points in Richmond's 64-58 victory win at Charlotte on Feb. 2. The Murfreesboro, Tenn., resident has made 30 of his last 39 field goal attempts - 76.9 percent - and is shooting a team-best 62.1 percent from the floor on the season.
THREE FOR A GRAND
Saint Joseph's senior forward Pat Calathes became the 46th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point milestone with 11 points in the Hawks' 70-55 win versus Fordham on Feb. 2. Senior forward Rob Ferguson accomplished the feat in early January, while junior Ahmad Nivins enters Saint Joseph's Feb. 6 contest versus Villanova with 977 career points.
SUPER SUB
Joe Mbang came off the bench to score a game-high 21 points on Feb. 2 in Rhode Island's 82-70 victory over Dayton. Over his last four games, the senior forward is averaging 12.8 points and 6.5 rebounds in 21.8 minutes of action.
HALFWAY HOME
Rhode Island improved to 15-1 on the year when leading at the half after turning aside Dayton on Feb. 2, 82-70. The Rams' lone setback when leading after 20 minutes was a 76-72 loss at Boston College on Nov. 21 when URI held a five-point advantage at halftime.
GET HIM A SKI MASK
Charlotte junior forward Charlie Coley tied a program record with seven steals in the 49ers' 64-58 loss to Richmond on Feb. 2. Coley ranks second on the team with 27 steals, one of five 49ers with 20 or more steals on the year.
EXTENDING ITS WEB
Richmond's 80-63 win versus then #16/#19 Dayton on Jan. 26 marked the Spiders' first home victory over a ranked opponent since a 73-71 win over No. 14 Georgia Tech on Dec. 1, 1990. In addition, the 17-point victory marked the largest margin of victory over a ranked foe in program history. Richmond's 64-58 win at Charlotte on Feb. 2 snapped the 49ers' ten-game winning streak at Halton Arena.
MODEL OF CONSISTENCY
Senior guard/forward Gary Forbes of Massachusetts has scored in double figures in 25 consecutive games and has 13 performances of 20 or more points this season. Forbes ranks second in the Conference in scoring at 20.4 ppg.
50'S STYLE
Saint Louis held Massachusetts to a season-low 59 points in its 71-59 win on Feb. 2. The Billikens improved to 9-2 on the year when holding its opponents to under 60 points. The Billikens lead the A-10 in scoring defense (58.2 ppg.) and are yielding an average of just 27.4 points in the first half through 16 games.
ROAD DOGS
Saint Joseph's 61-59 win at George Washington on Jan. 30 marked the Hawks' league-leading eighth road victory of the season. SJU boasts a record of 8-3 on the road this season, up from 5-8 a year ago.
GOOD AS GOLD
Leemire Goldwire of Charlotte scored a career and Atlantic 10 season-high 36 points in the 49ers' 70-66 victory over Saint Joseph's on Jan. 16. The senior guard and two-time A-1-0 Player of the Week leads the team with nine 20-point performances and has scored in double figures in 19 of the 49ers' 20 games this season. In addition, Goldwire has connected on 165 three-pointers in 49 games played, good for seventh nationally and just behind Rhode Island's Jimmy Baron, who has drained 170 three-pointers in a span of 53 games.
PICTURE-PERFECT
George Washington junior forward Rob Diggs scored 20 points on a perfect 10-for-10 from the field in the Colonials' 61-59 loss to Saint Joseph's on Jan. 30. The A-10 record for most field goals in a game without a miss is 12, set by former St. Joe's standout Delonte West at Xavier on Jan. 17, 2004.
ELITE COMPANY
Temple junior Dionte Christmas leads the league in scoring with an average of 20.4 ppg. He is vying to become just the fourth player in A-10 history and first since George Washington's SirValiant Brown (2000, 2001) to lead the A-10 in scoring in successive years. The two other players to hold that distinction are John Battle of Rutgers (1984, 1985) and St. Bonaventure's Earl Belcher (1980, 1981).
BLOCK PARTY
Duquesne junior forward/center Shawn James became just the 18th player in NCAA Division I history to post 400 career blocked shots as he recorded five blocks in the Dukes' 92-67 win over George Washington on Jan. 26. James has 406 rejections in 74 career games.
RAISING ITS LEVEL
The Atlantic 10 boasts four teams ranked in the top 25 of the collegerpi.com rankings thru games of Feb. 2 and five in the top 50. Dayton comes in at No. 13, followed by Xavier (14th), Rhode Island (20th), Massachusetts (25th) and Saint Joseph's (46th). The A-10 is ranked seventh among the 31 Division I conferences. In addition, the Atlantic 10 boasts a record of 120-66 (.645 in non-conference action this season which, if maintained for the remainder of the season, would be the fourth-highest winning percentage since the formation of the league in 1976-77 and highest since the 1993-94 campaign (69-35 - .663). A-10 teams were 104-85 (.550) in non-conference matchups a year ago.
POWER BROKERS
The Atlantic 10 is the only conference with three teams who have at least seven wins over teams in the top 100 of the RPI, according to rpiratings.com thru games of Jan. 31. Charlotte boasts a record of 7-3, while Massachusetts and Xavier are both 7-4 versus the top 100.
BALANCE OF POWER
Conference play began Jan. 9 and after just over one week of action, no A-10 team remained undefeated. In addition, every team has at least one win and 12 teams have multiple losses. Since the formation of the league in 1976-77, 45 teams have opened league play with a 4-0 record. This season marked the first in Conference history that no team opened A-10 play with a 3-0 record.