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In college basketball, players reach the pinnacle of the game in different ways. It matters not how you get there, but that you’re able to reach the top.
The same is true for our Week 3 HBCU Players of the Week. One player overcame a slow start to the season, and the other has started hot and maintained that level of play throughout the year so far. But both delivered eye-popping numbers in Week 3 and deserve our attention for the remainder of the season.
Women’s Player of the Week: Diamond Johnson, Norfolk State
Our first repeat winner of the year for either the women or the men is Diamond Johnson, who continues to be a dominant force fueling a strong start to the season for Norfolk State.
Johnson has been consistently great for the Spartans. She’s scored in double figures, played at least 30 minutes and dished out at least three assists in every game this season. This week was no exception and featured two of Johnson’s three highest scoring games of the season.
The Spartans found themselves trailing Radford after three quarters in their first game this week, but Johnson did it all down the stretch to help ensure the victory. She tallied eight points, two assists and three steals in the fourth quarter alone, giving Norfolk State a 71-65 win on Wednesday. For the game, Johnson had 22 points, five steals and three assists while making all eight of her free-throw attempts.
Norfolk State got a much more relaxing win against UNC Wilmington, using a 23-7 opening quarter on Saturday to coast to a 71-52 victory. Johnson led the way again with 20 points, five assists, six rebounds and six steals.
The scoring was up for Johnson this week, but the steals are what really stuck out. Johnson had 10 steals in her first five games of the season, which is a respectable amount. But she tallied 11 in her two games this week. Johnson was already the focal point of the offense, and this week she generated some easy possessions for her team by getting live-ball turnovers.
Norfolk State has been incredibly impressive as a team so far. The Spartans are now 6-1, with the only loss coming at No. 22 Alabama. Johnson has been the key to this run to start the season, and, considering how consistent she’s been, there’s no reason to expect that to stop anytime soon.
Men’s Player of the Week: CJ Hines, Alabama State
CJ Hines got off to a slow start in his first two games of the year against two tough opponents. He shot a combined 4 of 19 from the field against UNLV and LSU and missed all seven of his 3-point attempts.
But great scorers have a way of bouncing back, and Hines broke through this week in a big way. He hit three 3-pointers in all four of his games and led the Hornets in scoring in three of the four games. After starting the season 0-2, Alabama State had a big week, going 3-1 and moving back to .500.
Hines kicked off the week last Monday with 21 points in 20 minutes as Alabama State routed Virginia-Lynchburg 115-64. Then, the Hornets played three games over the weekend in the Akron Basketball Classic.
On Friday, Hines had an efficient 15 points in an 85-67 victory over Omaha. Hines went 5 of 9 from the field and 3 of 5 from 3-point range.
The second game of the weekend was a lot closer as Alabama State held off Lamar 77-75 on Saturday. Hines had 24 points – his highest scoring output in two seasons at Alabama State – and a big 3-pointer with 49 seconds left to extend a two-point lead to five. The Cardinals played the foul game down the stretch but were unable to complete the comeback.
The final game of the week was the only loss for the Hornets, as they fell to Akron 97-78, but Hines kept his impressive play going, scoring 19 points on just 13 shots from the field. Akron moved to 4-0 at home and was able to score at will against Alabama State, but Hines held his own again to cap an impressive week.
The scoring numbers for Hines prove how efficient he has been, but don’t overlook how well he has taken care of the basketball, either. Hines had three turnovers against Akron and it was the first game all season he’s turned it over more than once. For someone who shoulders a lot of offensive responsibility, his lack of turnovers is very impressive. If he can carry over the momentum from his excellent week, Hines will be a player to watch out for in the coming months.
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