Caleb McConnell of Rutgers in Division I and Jack Spellman of Stevens in Divisions II/III have been named Men’s Players of the Week by the Met Basketball Writers Assn.
The designations, for games played Nov. 28-Dec. 4, are unique in that they encompass players from 66 Met area schools across Divisions I, II and III.
A 6-7 graduate guard from Jacksonville, FL, McConnell averaged 16.0 points and 8.0 rebounds in a 1-1 week for the Scarlet Knights (6-2), who lost 68-61 in an ACC-Big Ten challenge game at Miami and then came home to shock then No. 8-ranked Indiana 63-48. It was the sixth straight victory for Rutgers over the Big Ten opponent Hoosiers and the eighth triumph in their last nine meetings.
In front of 20-plus family members and friends in attendance at Miami, McConnell posted 16 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals, and nailed a game-tying 3-point shot with just over a minute to play in regulation. It was just his second game on the court after returning from a knee injury which cost him six weeks of practice and the first five games of the season.
McConnell next recorded his first double-double of the season against Indiana in front of a sold-out home crowd in Piscataway, NJ, when he registered a team-leading 16 points and 10 rebounds, plus two steals, in 37 minutes on the floor.
A 6-9 sophomore forward from Westfield, NJ, Spellman — who also was named the MAC Freedom Conference player of the week — averaged a double-double of 24.0 points and 12.5 rebounds in a 2-0 week against league opponents for the Ducks (4-4). Overall he nailed 16-of-31 shots (51.6%) from the field, including 6-of-12 (50.0%) from beyond the arc, and converted 10-of-13 (76.9%) free throws.
Spellman scored 18 points and pulled down 11 rebounds in a 67-50 road victory on Nov. 30 at Delaware Valley. Back home on Dec. 3 in Hoboken, NJ, Spellman erupted for a career-high 30 points along with 14 rebounds, two steals, an assist and a block in notching his fourth double-double of the season.
Rutger’s Caleb McConnell awarded All-Met Player of the Week
