INDIANAPOLIS -- Helping Milwaukee to its best start since the 2004-05 season, junior forward James Haarsma (Racine, Wis./St. Catherine’s) has been named the Horizon League Men’s Basketball Player of the Week, for the week of Nov. 21-Nov. 27. The accolade is the first of Haarsma’s career.
Over two games, Haarsma averaged 15.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, as Milwaukee (5-1) split road results at Michigan State and Arkansas-Little Rock. With five victories in the month, the Panthers equaled their most wins in November in school history, matching the 1999-2000 squad.
Wrapping up the Auto Owners Insurance Spartan Invitational, Haarsma led the Panthers with 13 points and a game-high eight rebounds in a 68-55 loss at Michigan State.
Three days later, Haarsma put Milwaukee on his back down the stretch, scoring nine of the team’s final 10 points as the Panthers collected a key 59-54 road win at UALR. UWM trailed 50-49 before Haarsma rallied the Panthers. Going 6-of-9 from the floor, Haarsma finished the week 11-for-16 from the field.
Through the first three weeks of the season, Haarsma leads the Horizon League in rebounding at 9.3 per game. Defensively, Haarsma has helped Milwaukee limit all six of its opponents to under 44 percent shooting, as four of the Panthers’ six opponents have failed to reach 60 points.
Milwaukee opens Horizon League play on Thursday, Dec. 1, as Loyola (1-4) pays a visit to U.S. Cellular Arena for an 8 p.m. ET tip. On Saturday, Dec. 3, the Panthers host UIC (2-3) at 2 p.m. ET. Both games will be carried live on the Horizon League Network and can be seen on HLN Live, available for download in the iTunes App Store.
Top Performers for the Week:
- Chrishawn Hopkins, Butler (So., G) - Earning All-Tournament Team honors at the Hoosier Invitational, Hopkins helped Butler to a 2-1 week, matching his career high with 22 points in a 68-66 win over Gardner-Webb and backing up the effort with 19 against Indiana.
- Aaron Pogue, Cleveland State (Sr., F) - Pogue collected MVP honors at the Ticket City Legends Classic subregional, scoring a career-best 20 points in Cleveland State’s subregional clinching 67-45 victory at Rhode Island. Pogue went 16-for-31 from the floor as the Vikings went 3-1 on the week.
- Denzel Brito, Loyola (So., G) - Brito notched his first career double-double on Saturday, helping Loyola open the renovated Gentile Arena with a 64-50 triumph over Fordham. With 11 points and 10 assists in the game, Brito has scored in double figures in four straight contests and in that stretch is contributing 11.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg and 5.5 apg.
- Hayden Humes, UIC (So., F) - In UIC’s 79-75 win over Evansville, Humes came off the bench to tally 18 points, helping spur the Flames in the second half with 12 points as the Purple Aces mounted a comeback. The sophomore backed up the effort with a double-double in his return to Toledo, finishing the game with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
- Jay Harris, Valparaiso (So., G) - Harris carried Valparaiso in the opening half at No. 3 Ohio State, scoring 15 of his 18 points in the game’s first 20 minutes as the Crusaders went into the locker room down just 33-29. Harris connected on 4-of-9 attempts from three-point range in the eventual defeat.
- Julius Mays, Wright State (Jr., G) - Mays led Wright State in scoring in all three games last week, averaging 20.3 ppg in defeats to No. 10 Florida, North Florida and Charlotte. Versus the Gators, Mays recorded 21 points and five assists, besting that effort with 25 points and five boards in a four-point setback to Charlotte on Saturday night.
- Kendrick Perry, Youngstown State (So., G) - Helping Youngstown State open the season 4-1 for the second straight year, Perry was part of a ferocious comeback effort at Penn State, knocking down five three-pointers and finishing with 23 points in an 82-71 road defeat. The sophomore was the Penguins’ leading scorer in a 60-59 win at St. Francis (Pa.), notching 12 points.
Men’s Basketball Players of the Week:
November 14: D’Aundray Brown, Cleveland State
November 21: Kevin Van Wijk, Valparaiso
November 28: James Haarsma, Milwaukee
Tags: Milwaukee - Men's Basketball
