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East: Javon McCrea, Buffalo senior forward
LW: Quincy Diggs, Akron senior forward
Demetrius Treadwell had better rebounding numbers, Will Regan had a more dominating performance, but no East player was more valuable to his team this past week than Javon McCrea, who has been racking up POTW awards this season like they're going out of style.
2 Games | POINTS | FG% | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | BLOCKS |
Javon McCrea | 32 | 50% | 17 | 7 | 4 |
It's no secret that Buffalo's main option is McCrea, which is why it's impressive that he was able, and smart enough, to recognize when to take a step back offensively. Saturday against Kent State he did just that. McCrea is capable of changing his game up on a nightly basis, and he did in that game. Opting to serve as a facilitator and No. 2 guy, instead of the star, McCrea got out of the way and helped fellow Bull Will Regan have his huge night. Still, he managed to have some impressive stats of his own: 12 points, seven board and five dimes. When that's a "slow" night statistically, you're doing something right.
West: J.D. Weatherspoon, Toledo junior forward
LW: Connar Tava, Western Michigan sophomore forward
I'm beginning to lose track of how many times a Toledo player has earned this honor, but with the best overall record in he MAC, and career performances from a different player almost every single night, it's easy to understand why the Rockets keep racking up this award. Last week Toledo had two great performances. A come-from-behind win on a buzzer-beater against Buffalo and a beat down of Akron. While Julius Brown was phenomenal in both, scoring 45 points in two games and nailing the game-winning shot against Buffalo, it's his teammate, J.D. Weatherspoon who gets our West POTW award.
Weatherspoon is in his first season on the court with the Rockets, after sitting out 2012-2013 due to transfer regulations, and he's been doing exactly what Tod Kowalcyzk brought him in to do: control the paint. Weatherspoon is arguably THE reason Toledo went into Akron on Saturday and handed the Zips a beating. He was unstoppable inside, posting 20 points and 14 rebounds. He beat the Zips at their own game. All of this followed up a 13-point, seven-rebounds, four-steals performance vs. Buffalo.