Men’s Basketball (for the week ending December, 2, 2012)

Division I

Player of the Week

Mike Muscala – Bucknell University
Senior, Center, Roseville, Minn.

 Muscala averaged 23.0 points and 15.0 rebounds to lead the Bison to a pair of wins last week, with 29 points and a career-high 19 rebounds in a 65-57 comeback win at Columbia on Saturday. Muscala made 10-of-17 shots and 8-of-10 free throws in the game and totaled 19 points and 11 rebounds in the second half alone as the Bison rallied from a 17-point deficit. His jumper with 3:35 left put Bucknell ahead for good, and Muscala added four clinching free throws in the final minutes. He also had 17 points and 11 rebounds in a 62-49 win at home against Dartmouth on Tuesday. Muscala made 15-of-27 shots (55.6%) and 15-of-17 free throws (88.2%) in the two games. He is second in the nation with six double-doubles for the year, and ranks fourth in the country with 12.1 rebounds per contest. Muscala is the only player in the nation averaging at least 15 points and 12 rebounds per game. He also set a career mark on Saturday, joining Colgate’s Adonal Foyle (1994-97) as the only players in Patriot League history with 1,500 points and 800 rebounds. Muscala is named Patriot League Anaconda Player of the Week for the second time this year and sixth in his career.

Division II

Player of the Week

Brandon Norfleet – Cheyney University
Freshman, Guard, Virginia Beach, Va.
 

Brandon Norfleet had a great week as he helped the Wolves to an upset of No. 17 IUP to open up PSAC action on Saturday. Norfleet recorded seven points, three assists, a steal and block in the 64-60 victory. Norfleet assisted Mike Drink's jumper that cemented the win for the Wolves and gave them a three point lead, 63-60, with just over two minutes left in regulation. Cheyney’s win against IUP was its first win since the 2009-10 season. The next day, Norfleet recorded 15 points to pull-up his average to 12.5 points per game on the week, and dished out four assists in a 64-59 loss to California. 

Division III – New England

Player of the Week

Jason Gray – Lyndon State College
Senior, Forward, East Thetford, Vt.

Gray averaged 18.3 points, and 10.3 rebounds, while collecting two steals and six blocked shots on the week as Lyndon rebounded from a 98-42 loss to NJIT early in the week to top Colby-Sawyer 68-65 Thursday evening and New England College 86-77 Saturday afternoon. Against the Highlanders, a NCAA Division I program, Gray had 12 points, eight rebounds, two blocked shots and one steal. Two days later he had 21 points - including the game-winning three-pointer with 5.0 second remaining - 14 rebounds and two blocked shots in the win over the Chargers. To cap the week Gray scored his 1,000th career point in the win over the Pilgrims. In that contest he collected 22 points, nine rebounds, two blocks and one steal.

Division III – Upstate

Player of the Week

Hayden Ward – SUNY Oswego
Senior, Forward, Montauk, NY 

Ward averaged a double-double with 26.0 points and 10.7 boards per game, while shooting 53.8 percent from the floor and 94.7 percent from the free-throw line and playing all but four minutes of three games. He matched a career-high 25 points in a two-point loss to Plattsburgh on Friday night. Ward then set a new career high the next day by scoring 29 points against Potsdam. During the game, he also eclipsed the 1,000-point mark early in the second half, becoming the 16th in Laker men's basketball history to do so.


Division III – Metro

Co-Players of the Week

Jason Rosenberg – Rowan University
Junior, Guard, Wayne, NJ

Rosenberg averaged 14.0 points and 9.7 assists during a 3-0 week of play in which he became Rowan’s all-time career assist leader just six games into his junior season. He opened the week with 18 points and six assists during a 73-63 nonconference victory over Immaculata. Two days later, he produced a double-double 16 points and 10 assists, while adding four rebounds and three steals in an 85-78 NJAC win over Rutgers-Camden. He wrapped up the week with eight points and a career-high 13 assists, along with four rebounds and three steals in a 67-57 NJAC road victory at NJCU. Rosenberg, who broke a Rowan record for career assists which had stood since 1979, currently leads the NJAC in assists (9.2 per game).

AJ Matthews – Farmingdale State College
Senior, Forward, Brooklyn, NY

Matthews averaged 34.5 points and 23.0 rebounds while shooting 72.7 percent (24-of-33) from the field over two contests. He scored 32 points and grabbed 23 boards on Nov. 29 in a 90-88 (2OT) loss to Old Westbury. Matthews poured in 37 points and pulled down 23 rebounds in the Rams’ 81-54 win over NYU-Poly on Dec. 1 and he added seven blocks on the week.

Division III – South

Player of the Week

Andy Charles – Centenary College
Junior, Forward, West Orange, N.J.

Charles averaged 20.3 points and 15.3 rebounds, shooting 65.6 percent (21-32) from the floor and blocking seven shots.  In Monday’s win over The College of New Jersey, he scored 24 points, going 7-9 from the field, while grabbing a game-high 21 rebounds.  Three days later, in a victory over conference foe Marywood, he amassed 20 points and 20 rebounds for a third straight game, scoring 25 and grabbing 20 rebounds, while also adding four steals and three blocks.  On Saturday, in a conference win over Cairn, Charles wrapped up the week with 12 points going 5-for-7 from the field, and five rebounds in just 20 minutes of action.