English and Nelson named Men's Basketball Players of the Week
MAAC Sports
Player of the Week
A.J. English, Iona
Jr., G, 6-4, Wilmington, Del./St. Thomas More (Conn.)/Appoquinimink
Iona junior guard A.J. English averaged 28.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.0 steals in Iona’s three games last week, all on the road. He shot 49.1 percent from the field, 43.3 percent from beyond the arc and 87.5 percent from the charity stripe and had an assist to turnover ratio of 2.4:1. English began the week with 22 points at Wofford in the 7:00 am game in ESPN’s Annual Tipoff Marathon. He followed it up with a game-high 27 points at the ACC’s Wake Forest, connecting on six three-point field goals including three key daggers in the second half to help the Gaels maintain their advantage. English helped lead the Gaels to their first-ever win over an ACC opponent on their own home floor. English saved his best performance for last, scoring a career-high 37 points in a 78-58 win at Conference USA’s North Texas. He scored 26 points in the second half, shot 52.2 percent from the field and converted 10-of-12 free throw attempts. In the final two games, English also led the Gaels with eight rebounds while recording five assists vs. Wake Forest and four against North Texas.
Rookie of the Week
Tyler Nelson, Fairfield
Fr., G/F, 6-3, Bradford, Mass./Central Catholic
Nelson scored a game-high 24 points to lead the Fairfield men's basketball team to an 80-72 overtime win over South Dakota in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. He was the Stags' overall leading scorer in the three-game tournament, netting 42 points for a 14.0 scoring average. He shot 65 percent from the floor in the three games (13 of 20) and 62 percent from three-point range (8 of 13). Nelson was perfect from the free throw line by making all eight attempts.