TSWA honors college players of the week - Dec. 12

December 12, 2023 Forrest Freeman

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Trevecca junior guard Jalen Page took the Trojans on the road to Malone – a place they had never won in their last seven tries – then dominated as he pulled together a double-double in the victory to earn this week’s Tennessee Sports Writers Association Men’s Basketball Player of the Week honor.

In the contest, the Murfreesboro native scored 26 points and pulled down 10 boards as he shot 57.1 percent from the field, including 4-for-5 from 3-point range as well as 6-for-7 from the free-throw line. Page also had four assists, a block and a steal in the game.

For the week, which also included a contest against Christian Brothers, Page averaged 23.5 points and 9.0 rebounds, shooting 15-for-31 (.484) from the field, 8-for-16 (.500) from 3-point range and 9-for-11 (.818) from the stripe.

On the women’s side, Fisk senior center Maya Buckhanon had a tremendous week in three outings as she averaged 27.3 points and 16.3 rebounds per game. Against Division I North Alabama, Buckhanon scored 29 of Fisk’s 60 points as she was 12-for-18 from the field, while pulling down 11 rebounds.

She followed that effort up with 26 points and 23 rebounds in a 79-51 victory over Wiley (Texas), then completed the week with 27 points and 15 caroms against Arkansas’ Philander Smith in a 71-63 win.

Buckhanon has double-doubles in eight of her nine games this season and has two games with 20-plus points and 20-plus rebounds.

College players of the week named - Dec. 5

December 5, 2023 Forrest Freeman

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Maryville junior guard Reed Kemp had an impressive week as he averaged 27 points across three games and shot 52.6 percent from the floor, earning this week’s Tennessee Sports Writers Association Men’s Basketball Player of the Week honor.

The Franklin, Tenn., product led the Scots to three victories as he scored 39 points in an 85-83 victory at Berry, 26 points in an 87-84 overtime victory against Washington and Lee, then 16 points in a 112-61 win at Warren Wilson.

The 39-point outburst is believed to be the most by a Maryville player in a single game since November 2010. In that contest, he shot 16-of-24 from the field, including 6-for-8 from long range, then scored the game-winning basket with 4.1 seconds remaining.

Kemp currently leads the Scots in scoring and is second in the Collegiate Conference of the South with an 18.6-point average.

On the women’s side, Vanderbilt junior Sacha Washington had a great week, averaging 23.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.5 steals to claim the Women’s Basketball Player of the Week award.

The forward from Lawrenceville, Ga., had her best performance of the week in a 71-63 victory over Louisiana Tech as she scored a career-high 33 points as she shot .750 from the floor on a 15-of-20 night against the Lady Techsters. It wasn’t just scoring where Washington shined in the game, she also had a career-high eight steals – the sixth-most in a single game in program history. Washington also recorded six rebounds, an assist and two blocks.

Washington also scored 14 points, collected seven boards and blocked five shots in a 70-62 loss to No. 5 N.C. State.

MEN’S BASKETBALL
11/14 | Jack Browder (Carson-Newman)
11/21 | Mikhail Pocknett (King)
11/28 | Jordan Sears (UT Martin)
12/5 | Reed Kemp (Maryville)

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
11/14 | Kendal Cheesman (Belmont)
11/21 | Maya Buckhanon (Fisk)
11/28 | Jordyn Cambridge (Vanderbilt)
12/5 | Sacha Washington (Vanderbilt)

TSWA announces college players of the week - Nov. 28

November 28, 2023 Forrest Freeman

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – In two games this past week, UT Martin junior guard Jordan Sears poured in 61 points while shooting over 60 percent from the field, earning this week’s Tennessee Sports Writers Association Men’s Basketball Player of the Week.

Sears, a Daytona Beach, Fla., native, started the week as he scored a career-high 34 points on a 13-of-23 shooting effort, while also collecting seven assists in a 105-103 double-overtime victory over North Alabama, scoring the Skyhawks’ final six points in the contest.

He followed that performance up with another strong showing as UTM topped Chicago State 94-71, scoring 27 points on 8-for-11 shooting with four 3-pointers. Sears outscored the Cougars 15-14 in the first nine minutes as he scored 20 points in the first half.

For the week, Sears averaged 30.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.5 steals, while shooting .618 from the field (21-of-34), .722 from the charity stripe (13-of-18) and .667 from 3-point range (6-of-9).

Selected as the Ohio Valley Conference’s Player of the Week, Sears is averaging 22.3 points and 3.6 rebounds on the season.

On the women’s side, Vanderbilt graduate guard Jordyn Cambridge was selected as the Women’s Basketball Player of the Week as she averaged 20.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 4.5 steals as the Commodores went 2-0 at the South Point Thanksgiving Shootout in Las Vegas.

Cambridge collected her third double-double of the week with 12 points and 11 rebounds against Iowa State in the 68-53 victory. She followed it up with a career-high 28 points, seven steals and six rebounds against Northern Iowa in a 68-64 win as she set a new personal best in made field goals (11) and tied her mark with made 3-pointers with five.

She finished the week shooting .517 from the floor (15-of-29), .538 from long-range (7-of-13) and .750 at the line (3-of-4).

For the season, the Nashville native is averaging 14.7 points and 8.0 rebounds.

2023-24 TSWA College Sports Players of the Week
MEN’S BASKETBALL
11/14 | Jack Browder (Carson-Newman)
11/21 | Mikhail Pocknett (King)
11/28 | Jordan Sears (UT Martin)

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
11/14 | Kendal Cheesman (Belmont)
11/21 | Maya Buckhanon (Fisk)
11/28 | Jordyn Cambridge (Vanderbilt)

College players of the week honored - Nov. 21

November 21, 2023 Forrest Freeman

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Middle Tennessee redshirt sophomore quarterback Nick Vattiato led the Blue Raiders to a 34-30 win over UTEP this weekend and his numbers earned him this week’s Tennessee Sports Writers Association Football Offensive Player of the Week honor.

The Plantation, Fla., native led Middle Tennessee to its second straight win, completing 18 passes for 242 yards with three touchdown passes. He also rushed for 92 yards on 15 carries. It was the ninth 200-plus-yard game for the QB this season.

On the defensive side, Tennessee Tech sophomore linebacker Aaron Swafford was the Defensive Player of the Week honoree as he finished Saturday’s 35-0 win over Big South-Ohio Valley Conference Football Association rival Tennessee State with five tackles and two interception returns for 52 yards. Both interceptions by the Decatur native led to touchdown drives as the Golden Eagles picked up their first shutout since 2013 and fourth since 2000.

VOLLEYBALL: Tusculum graduate outside hitter Emiah Burrowes led the Pioneers to their first conference championship in program history and was named the South Atlantic Conference tournament MVP as Tusculum upset Anderson 3-0 and Wingate 3-1 in the semifinal and championship matches.

Burrowes averaged 4.42 kills, 3.17 digs and 4.79 points per set as she collected 53 total kills, 38 digs and had three blocks, ending the tournament with a .219 attack percentage.

MEN’S BASKETBALL: King freshman forward Mikhail Pocknett had an incredible game as the Wilmington, N.C. product scored 33 points in the Tornado’s 98-94 double-overtime loss to Emory and Henry. Pocknett scored 33 points in the contest, while also pulling down five boards. He shot 12-for-23 from the field and 9-for-16 from the free-throw line.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: Fighting a lower-body injury, Fisk senior forward Maya Buckhanon led the team to a 63-56 victory over NCAA Division II Lane College. The Talladega, Ala., native led the way with 30 points and 15 rebounds. She finished the game shooting 12-for-16 from the floor and 6-for-7 at the line.

College players of the week honored - Nov. 14

November 14, 2023 Forrest Freeman

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A big week for Austin Peay led to the Governors taking both Tennessee Sports Writers Association Football Player of the Week honors this week, based on the games between Nov. 6-Nov. 12.

With a 30-17 win over Utah State, running back Jevon Jackson took the rock 38 times – a career-high – and collected 192 yards in the contest, helping lead APSU to its eighth-straight victory. He had a game-long rush of 30 yards, while also adding to his all-purpose total with a reception for six yards.

The total put Jackson over 1,000 yards on the season with 1,119 and became the 10th 1,000-yard rusher in program history and first since Ryan White in 2011. Jackson has rushed over the century mark in six of the last seven games – with 1,027 of his yards in the last seven games – and has the fourth-best single-season rushing total in program history.

On the defensive side, linebacker Tyler Long had a day, collecting nine tackles with two pass breakups and an interception, securing the victory with the late snag. Under his leadership, Long and the Governor defense held Utah Tech to 67 rushing yards, marking the third-straight game APSU has held their opponent to under 100 yards on the ground.

VOLLEYBALL: Tennessee Tech sophomore setter Jordan Karlen had a tremendous week as she averaged 12.45 assists and 4.36 digs in three victories, while also collecting six blocks and six kills. On Tuesday against Morehead State, Karlen posted 41 assists and a career-high 22 digs with four kills in four sets. On Friday against Southeast Missouri, she had 53 assists, 16 digs and four blocks. She followed that up in the finale against the Redhawks with 43 assists, two service aces and 10 digs.

MEN’S BASKETBALL: Carson-Newman sophomore guard Jack Browder started off the 2023-24 campaign on fire as he averaged 19.5 points and 10.0 rebounds for the week with a 101-77 victory over Lees-McRae and a 74-72 win at King. In the opener, Browder collected 22 points and 12 rebounds for the double-double, then scored 17 points and pulled down eight boards. He also finished the week with two steals and two blocks.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: Belmont junior forward Kendal Cheesman made an impression in her first career start as she helped the Bruins take down Georgia 76-50. She scored a career-high 28 points as she was 9-for-15 from 3-point range, including 13 points on four of her first seven 3-point tries in the opening quarter. The nine 3-pointers are the most by a Division I player thus far and was one shy of the program’s single-game record. Earlier in the week against Missouri, she scored five pointe with five rebounds, two blocks and a steal.

2023-24 TSWA College Sports Players of the Week
FOOTBALL
8/29 | Offensive: A.J. Swann (Vanderbilt), Defensive: De’Rickey Wright (Vanderbilt)
9/5 | Offensive: Joe Milton III (Tennessee), Defensive: Jake Cottle (Carson-Newman)
9/12 | Offensive: Sam Franklin (UT Martin), Defensive: Aaron Beasley (Tennessee)
9/19 | Offensive: Kinkead Dent (UT Martin), Defensive: Sam Brumfield (Middle Tennessee)
9/26 | Offensive: Matthew Palazzo (Tusculum), Defensive: Alex Mitchell (Chattanooga)
10/3 | Offensive: Mike DiLiello (Austin Peay), Defensive: Quinn Johnson (Sewanee)
10/10 | Offensive: Javin Whatley (Chattanooga), Defensive: Derek Taylor (Cumberland)
10/17 | Offensive: Matthew Palazzo (Tusculum), Defensive: Jaylen Mahoney (Vanderbilt)
10/24 | Offensive: Bryson Rollins (Maryville College), Defensive: Mekhi Brown (Carson-Newman)
10/31 | Offensive: Mike DiLielle (Austin Peay), Co-Defensive: Terrell Allen (Tennessee State), Daniel Rickert (Tennessee Tech)
11/7 | Offensive: Kinkead Dent (UT Martin), Defensive: Jermaine Witherspoon (Tusculum)
11/14 | Offensive: Jevon Jackson (Austin Peay), Defensive: Tyler Long (Austin Peay)

MEN’S BASKETBALL
11/14 | Jack Browder (Carson-Newman)

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
11/14 | Kendal Cheesman (Belmont)