Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament Bracket
INDIANPOLIS -- Loyola senior Jordan Hicks (Rochester, Minn.) has been named the Horizon League men's basketball Player of the Week and Valparaiso junior Bobby Capobianco (Loveland, Ohio) has earned the Newcomer of the Week nod.
The award is the first of the season for Hicks. Capobianco earned his second honor, having been named a Co-Newcomer of the Week on February 11.
Hicks led Loyola (15-15, 5-11 Horizon League) to a 1-1 mark in the final week of the regular season, suffering a last-second loss to Detroit before picking up a win over Cleveland State. In the two games, Hicks averaged 23.0 points in 31.0 minutes, adding 7.0 rebounds per game, 1.0 assist, 1.5 steal and 1.0 block. He shot 70 percent from the floor and 50 percent from long distance while converting 91 percent of his free throw attempts.
The senior guard/forward poured in a team-high 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds in Loyola's 76-75 loss to the Titans before an even more impressive performance against Cleveland State on Senior Night. With his mother -- who is battling cancer -- in attendance at the Gentile Arena, Hicks scored a career-high 26 points on 11-of-15 shooting. Twenty-two of his 26 points came in the second half, including 10 straight during a two-minute span. He also hauled in seven rebounds.
Hicks has now scored in double-digits in five of the Ramblers' last six games, averaging 16.2 ppg and 5.7 rpg while shooting 62 percent (33-of-53) from the floor. He has hit nine of 18 3-point tries in that span and has shot 81 percent (22-of-27) from the free throw line.
The Ramblers finished the regular season as the Horizon League's No. 7 seed and will play a first-round game at No. 6 Youngstown State tomorrow at 7:05 p.m. EST on HLN.
In a 2-0 week for Valparaiso (24-7, 13-3 Horizon League), Capobianco averaged 13.0 ppg in 29.0 mpg with 3.0 rpg, 2.5 apg. 0.5 spg and 0.5 bpg. The transfer from Indiana University shot 90.9 percent (10-of-11) from the floor in the two games, including a 3-of-3 performance in his seven-point, four-rebound outing against Youngstown State.
Capobianco was especially impressive against Green Bay, totaling a career-high 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting while also grabbing a team-high seven rebounds against the Phoenix.
With the win against Green Bay, Valparaiso secured its second-straight outright Horizon League regular season title. The Crusaders had captured at least a share of the title -- along with tournament hosting rights -- with the win over the Penguins.
Thanks to its No. 1 seeding, Valpo will not play until Saturday night. After tomorrow's first-round campus games, the Crusaders will host the Horizon League tournament as long as they stay alive in the field; next Tuesday's Championship game will be hosted by the bracket's highest remaining seed.
Top Performers of the Week:
Ray McCallum, Detroit (Jr., G) - Averaged 21.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists during a 2-1 week for the Titans, dishing out 15 assists with just four turnovers during the week.
Alec Brown, Green Bay (Jr., C) - Going 10-of-12 from the field, Brown scored a career-high 28 points in win over Milwaukee, the second time this season the center notched a career high against the Panthers.
Daniel Barnes, UIC (Sr., G) - Shot 62.5 percent (10-of-16) from 3-point land while averaging 20.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 0.5 assist, 1.5 steal and 0.5 block during the Flames’ 1-1 week.
Matt Kenney, Valparaiso (Sr., G) - Matched a Crusader record with six 3-pointers without a miss in the title-clinching win at Green Bay, setting a season-high with a team-best 21 points.
Top Newcomers for the Week:
Bryn Forbes, Cleveland State (Fr., G) - Scored 15 points with six rebounds, one assist and one steal in the Vikings’ loss to Loyola, drawing within nine points of becoming just the fourth freshman in Cleveland State history to total 400 points in a season.
Jordan Fouse, Green Bay (Fr., F) - Fouse added to his record-setting season, holding the Green Bay freshman record for steals (52) in a season in addition to the rebounding mark.
Jeff White, Loyola (Fr., G) - Averaged 13.0 points and 6.5 assist in two games while settling into a starting role in place of injured junior Culley Payne.
Jerran Young, Wright State (Jr., F) - Averaged 13.5 ppg while shooting 68.8 percent from the floor during a 1-1 week for the Raiders, adding 4.0 rpg, 1.0 apg, and 1.0 spg.
Men’s Basketball Player of the Week:Nov. 12: Keifer Sykes, Green Bay
Nov. 19: Kendrick Perry, Youngstown State
Nov. 26: Ryan Broekhoff, Valparaiso
Gary Talton, UIC
Dec. 3: Cole Darling, Wright State
Dec. 10: Ryan Broekhoff, Valparaiso
Dec. 17: Daniel Barnes, UIC
Dec. 24: Keifer Sykes, Green Bay
Dec. 31: Ray McCallum, Detroit
Jan. 7: Kendrick Perry, Youngstown State
Jan. 14: Ryan Broekhoff, Valparaiso
Jan. 21: Kevin Van Wijk, Valparaiso
Jan. 28: Alec Brown, Green Bay
Feb. 4: Nick Minnerath, Detroit
Feb. 11: Ryan Broekhoff, Valparaiso
Feb. 18: Nick Minnerath, Detroit
Keifer Sykes, Green Bay
Feb. 25: Paris Gulley, Milwaukee
March 4: Jordan Hicks, Loyola
Men’s Basketball Newcomer of the Week:Nov. 12: Jordan Aaron, Milwaukee
Bobby Hain, Youngstown State
Nov. 19: JT Yoho, Wright State
Nov. 26: Josh Crittle, UIC
Dec. 3: Bryn Forbes, Cleveland State
Dec. 10: Juwan Howard, Jr., Detroit
Dec. 17: Devon Turk, Loyola
LaVonte Dority, Valparaiso
Dec. 24: Jerran Young, Wright State
Dec. 31: Cully Payne, Loyola
Jan. 7: Josh Crittle, UIC
Jan. 14: Bryn Forbes, Cleveland State
Jan. 21: Jordan Fouse, Green Bay
Jan. 28: Kamren Belin, Youngstown State
Feb. 4: Kamren Belin, Youngstown State
Feb. 11: Bobby Capobianco, Valparaiso
Jerran Young, Wright State
Feb. 18: Jordan Fouse, Green Bay
Feb. 25: Jordan Aaron, Milwaukee
March 4: Bobby Capobiano, Valparaiso
Tags: Horizon League - Men's Basketball · Loyola - Men's Basketball · Valparaiso - Men's Basketball
