PITMAN --- The New Jersey Athletic Conference has announced its men's basketball weekly award winners for the week ending Nov. 16.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
JONATHAN OKOCHA • The College of New Jersey
Senior • Guard • Monroe Twp., NJ/Monroe Twp.
Okocha is named NJAC Player of the Week after he earned Tournament MVP honors while leading the Lions to their third consecutive Greg Grant Tip-Off Tournament championship. He averaged 22.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game while shooting 66.7 percent from the field and a blistering 64.7 percent from three-point range (11-for-17). The senior sharpshooter caught fire with a career-high 28 points on 8-of-11 shooting from beyond the arc in a 106-74 rout of CCNY, then added 17 points and eight rebounds in an overtime victory over No. 13 Wesleyan in the title game. Okocha currently ranks second in the NJAC in free throw percentage (.917) and is third in both 3-point percentage (.517) and 3-pointers per game (3.8).
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
RYAN SENFT • Rutgers University-Camden
Sophomore • Guard • Medford Lakes, NJ/Shawnee
Senft collects NJAC Defensive Player of the Week honors after he anchored the Scarlet Raptors' defense across three games last week, recording seven steals and 25 rebounds including 20 defensive boards. He came within one rebound of double-doubles in both losses to Penn State-Lehigh Valley (20 points, nine rebounds with four steals) and Amherst (10 points, nine rebounds with two steals), while adding 16 points, seven rebounds and five assists in a victory over Maine Maritime. The sophomore is averaging 16.3 points and 8.8 rebounds per game for the season with eight steals and 10 assists through four contests. He currently ranks second in the NJAC in rebounding (9.3 rpg).
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
RAHEEM MURRAY • Rutgers University-Newark
Freshman • Guard • East Orange, NJ/Pioneer Academy
Murray is named NJAC Rookie of the Week after made an impressive collegiate debut, averaging 17.3 points per game while shooting 58.3 percent from the field. He opened with 19 points on 9-of-13 shooting against Stevens, followed by a 23-point performance against Saint Elizabeth in the John K. Adams Tip-Off Classic. Murray closed the weekend with 10 points against Franklin & Marshall. The freshman is currently within the top 10 in the NJAC in scoring (17.3 ppg).