By CHRIS RUSSELL
Seton Hall guard Sterling Gibbs has been named the ZAGSBLOG National Player of the Week after his performance last week in which the Pirates knocked off No. 15 St. John’s and No. 6 Villanova back-to-back.
A large part of Seton Hall’s success last week would not have come without the outstanding play of Gibbs. On the week, Gibbs averaged 22.5 points and 6.0 assists per game. The Texas transfer scored 25 points against No. 15 St. John’s and 20 points against No. 6 Villanova, both resulting in victories for the Pirates. He was also named the Big East Player of the Week.
“It’s big for the state of New Jersey, it’s big for Seton Hall just to be able to bring basketball back here,” Gibbs told reporters after scoring a game-high 20 points on 8-for-20 shooting to go along with four assists, three turnovers and two steals in 41 minutes in the Villanova win, according to Josh Newman. “To be able to bring excitement, to pack the Prudential Center, I think that’s really big. I think in the past years, it hasn’t been this packed or this exciting. To be able to bring that excitement back in really a big thing for us.”
“Sterling has been our rock,” Pirates head coach Kevin Willard said. “Sterling is doing what we need him to do. He’s carrying us right now. I’m always biased to my players. I think what he’s doing for us, I would say no, I don’t think there is a better guard, but there’s a lot of great guards out there.”
Next game: Jan 7 at Xavier @ 7 pm.
OTHER NOTABLE PERFORMANCES
Jahlil Okafor (Duke) – The projected No. 1 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft did not disappoint this past week. In two games, Okafor averaged 26 points and 8 rebounds per game. Okafor has been one of the most consistent players in the country this season, scoring in double-digits in all 13 games played. The pre-season All-American posted 28 points on 7-for-11 shooting, with 8 rebounds and 4 blocks against Boston College in the ACC home opener Saturday.
Next game: Jan. 7 at Wake Forest @ 9 pm.
Frank Kaminsky (Wisconsin) – Kaminsky continued his dominance in the paint last week by averaging 17 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists per game. The 7-foot senior led the Badgers to consecutive conference victories against Penn State and Northwestern. On the season Kaminsky is averaging 16.6 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.9 blocks.
Next game: Jan. 7 vs Purdue @ 7 pm.
Kyle Collinsworth (BYU) – The 6-foot-6 guard posted a near triple-double average last week en route to back-to-back road victories over Santa Clara and San Francisco. Collinsworth averaged 10 points, 13.5 rebounds and 8 assists per game. Collinsworth has been racking up triple-doubles at a record pace this season, having three thus far (the NCAA record is 4). On the season, the junior from Provo is averaging 13.2 points, 8.5 rebounds and 6.0 assists.
Next game: Jan. 8 vs Pepperdine @ 11 pm.
Tyler Harvey (Eastern Washington) – Harvey went on a tear last week, scoring 39 points, including 7-for-10 shooting from behind the arc in a home victory against Weber State. In two games played last week, Harvey averaged 27.5 points per game, playing the full 40 minutes in both games which led to victories for the Eagles. The 6-foot-4 guard leads the country in scoring with 23.4 points per game.
Next game: Jan. 10 at Idaho @ 10 pm.
David Laury (Iona)
A.J. English gets all the credit, but it’s Laury who does the heavy lifting for Iona. The forward scored 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in a loss to Massachusetts, then followed it up with another 24 points and 10 rebounds against Siena. Laury is one of the 10 best pure post players in the country and no one is talking about him.
Next game: Jan. 7 vs Quinnipiac @ 7 pm.
Daniel Ochefu (Villanova)
On the season, the junior is averaging 8.7 rebounds per game. Not too bad. Against Seton Hall? Ochefu pulled down a whopping 24 boards, to go along with 19 points. Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard said he wants him on his team. Who can blame him?
Next game: Jan. 7 at St. John’s (MSG) @ 9 pm.
Angel Rodriguez (Miami)
The guard was masterful in a near-upset of Virginia, scoring 25 points, grabbing 4 rebounds and dishing out 7 assists. Remember that Virginia plays stingy defense, too. If Miami is to be an ACC contender, they’ll need more performances like this from Rodriguez.
Next game: Jan. 10 vs. Boston College @ 4 pm.
Photo: Jim O’Connor / USA Today Sports
