PITMAN --- The New Jersey Athletic Conference has announced its men's basketball weekly award winners for the week ending Feb. 8.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
NICK KOCH • The College of New Jersey
Senior • Guard • Hawthorne, NJ/Don Bosco Prep
Koch is named NJAC Player of the Week for the second straight week and third overall after continuing his recent tear through the conference schedule. He averaged 34.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 4.5 assists while shooting 51.2 percent from the field and making all 25 of his free throw attempts as TCNJ completed season sweeps of both Rutgers schools. The senior scored 30 points alongside nine rebounds and six assists in a 79-68 victory over Rutgers-Camden on February 4. He followed with a career-high 38 points, going 18-for-18 at the free throw line, and grabbed seven rebounds in a 75-63 win at Rutgers-Newark on February 7. In the process, Koch moved into second on the program's all-time scoring list with 1,695 career points and extended his streak of consecutive made free throws to 31. He leads all NJAC players in conference-only scoring (22.1 ppg) and is second in conference-only assists (5.1 apg).
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
MATTHEW SOLOMON • The College of New Jersey
Senior • Forward • Spring Lake Heights, NJ/Manasquan
Solomon earns NJAC Defensive Player of the Week recognition for the third time this season after extending his double-double streak to six games with a pair of impressive performances. The senior recorded 19 points and 12 rebounds on 6-of-9 shooting in TCNJ's 79-68 win over Rutgers-Camden on February 4, taking on a challenging defensive assignment and holding the conference's second-leading scorer to just eight points—13 below his season average—and one made field goal. Solomon added 13 points, 12 rebounds, and a pair of steals while playing all 40 minutes in a 75-63 victory at Rutgers-Newark on February 7. For the week, he averaged 16.0 points and 12.0 rebounds while shooting 52.4 percent from the field. Solomon is currently the only player averaging a double-double in conference play (14.8 ppg, 12.5 rpg). He also ranks second in conference-only field goal percentage (53.8%) and seventh in conference-only assists (3.1 apg).
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
CRISTIAN NICHOLSON • Montclair State University
Freshman • Guard • Mine Hill, NJ/Morris Catholic
Nicholson is recognized as NJAC Rookie of the Week for the sixth time after averaging 12.5 points, 5.0 assists, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.0 steals while helping then-No. 3 Montclair State extend its record to 22-0. Montclair State has since earned its first-ever national No. 1 ranking in the latest D3hoops.com poll. The Red Hawks stand as the only undefeated team in NCAA Division III this season. Nicholson shot 56 percent from both the field and three-point range in Montclair State's 2-0 week. The freshman tallied 13 points, six assists, four rebounds, and four steals in a 104-75 win against Ramapo on February 4. He followed with 12 points and four assists in the Red Hawks' 104-73 road victory over third-place Stockton on February 7. Nicholson shot 10-for-18 from the field and 5-for-9 from 3-point range for the week, distributing 10 assists while helping Montclair State average 103.5 points per game. He currently ranks third in the NJAC in conference-only assists (4.5 apg) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.2), and is fifth in conference-only steals (1.9 spg).