INDIANAPOLIS -- Valparaiso senior forward Ryan Broekhoff (Frankston, Victoria, Australia/Australian Institute of Sport) has been named the Horizon League Men’s Basketball Player of the Week, while Detroit sophomore forward Juwan Howard, Jr. [Detroit, Mich./Pershing (Western Michigan)] is the Newcomer of the Week, for the week of Dec. 3-9.
Valparaiso (6-3) collected a 63-52 midweek win over visiting IPFW before falling to No. 18/20 New Mexico at The Pit, 65-52, on Saturday evening. Detroit (4-4) rallied past Toledo, 79-73, on Wednesday, then rolled past visiting Rochester (Mich.) College, 102-67.
Broekhoff nearly notched his second double-double of the season on Wednesday, posting a team-high 21 points and nine rebounds against the Mastodons. The senior also added four assists, including his final one of the game, coming with a no-look, over-the-shoulder pass as he fell out of bounds to cap the Crusaders’ game-clinching run.
Following the game, Broekhoff revealed he had been playing despite a diagnosis of mononucleosis. The effects were not on display at New Mexico, where Broekhoff carried Valparaiso with 24 points and seven rebounds in the defeat. Broekhoff knocked down five three-pointers in the game, adding seven rebounds.
Shooting 55.6 percent from the floor and 50 percent from three-point range, Broekhoff holds an offensive rating of 124.3, per Ken Pomeroy. Among players used between 24 and 28 percent of possessions, Broekhoff’s rating is the 12th-best in the nation. At 17.4 points per game and 7.3 rebounds per game, Broekhoff is tied for second in scoring and is third in rebounding in the Horizon League.
Howard, Jr. carried Detroit through the early stages of the team’s win over visiting Toledo, scoring the first 11 points of the game for the Titans. Finishing the game 4-of-8 from three-point range, Howard recorded a season-high 16 points against the Rockets.
On Saturday, Howard, Jr. was one of five Titans in double figures, scoring 11 points. The sophomore finished the week 7-of-13 from beyond the three-point arc. Howard, Jr.’s 41.9 percent three-point percentage presently ranks eighth in the Horizon League.
Valparaiso will wrap finals before heading to Springfield, Mo., to take on Missouri State on Saturday, Dec. 15. The game will tip at 8:05 p.m. ET. Detroit will try to extend its 12-game home winning streak on Monday, Dec. 10, hosting Alabama State at Calihan Hall. The Horizon League Network will have live coverage of the game, beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Titans will close their four-game homestand by taking on Akron at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday, Dec. 15. The game will be carried on FS Detroit and the Horizon League Network.
Top Performers for the Week:
Devon Long, Cleveland State (Jr., F) - Just missed his first career double-double, recording 12 points and nine rebounds against No. 25 N.C. State.
Ray McCallum, Detroit (Jr., G) - After a 10-assist effort versus Toledo, McCallum led the Titans with 24 points against Rochester, the sixth time this year he has gone over the 20-point mark.
Ben Averkamp, Loyola (Sr., F) - Averkamp scored a game-high 25 points, fueling Loyola’s upset bid in a 73-61 loss at No. 19 Michigan State.
Gary Talton, UIC (Sr., G) - Helped extend UIC’s winning streak to seven, handing out eight assists in a win over Roosevelt before a 20-point effort against Colorado State in which he went 12-for-12 at the free-throw line.
Reggie Arceneaux, Wright State (So., G) - Keyed Wright State’s offense with a career-high 22 points in the Raiders’ 92-59 win over VMI.
Damian Eargle, Youngstown State (Sr., F) - Led the Penguins to a 2-0 week, averaging 14.5 points, seven rebounds and 4.5 blocks per game in wins over Geneva and Hiram.
Top Newcomers for the Week:
Cully Payne, Loyola (Jr., G) - Pitched in nine points and seven assists at No. 19 Michigan State, giving him a 16:3 assist-to-turnover ratio in his last two games.
Bobby Capobianco, Valparaiso (Jr., F) - Posted nine points and four rebounds off the bench in Valparaiso’s 63-52 win over IPFW.
Miles Dixon, Wright State (Jr., G) - Added 15 points in Wright State’s 33-point win over VMI, falling one point shy of his career high.
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
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
Tags: Detroit Mercy - Men's Basketball · Valparaiso - Men's Basketball
