LANCASTER, Pa. - The Atlantic East Conference announced the Men’s Basketball weekly award winners on Tuesday, as Gwynedd Mercy’s Manny Clark and Neumann’s Jarrell Keel take home Player and Defensive Player of the Week respectively.
Player of the Week:
Name: Manny Clark
School: Gwynedd Mercy
Class: Graduate
Position: Guard
Hometown: Pottsgrove, Pa.
High School: Pottsgrove
Brief Outlook of Week: Clark led Gwynedd Mercy to a 1-0 week in Atlantic East play. In a win over Centenary the graduate student tallied 22 points, five rebounds and a block. During the contest Clark also reached the 1000-point mark in the contest.
Defensive Player of the Week:
Name: Jarell Keel
School: Neumann
Class: First Year
Position: Guard
Hometown: Philadelphia, Pa.
High School: Academy of the New Church
Brief Outlook of Week: Keel averaged 11.5 points and 13.5 rebounds in a 1-1 week for Neumann in conference action. Against Cabrini, Keel was a point away from a double-double with nine points and 12 boards. Two-thirds of hid rebounds were defensive. In the win over Immaculata, Keel scored 14 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, 14 of which were defensive. He went 10-for-10 from the free throw lines. Keel also finished the week with five blocks (four at Immaculata), four assists and two steals.
Weekly Honor Roll:
CJ Highsmith Jr. (Fy., Center Marymount): CJ Highsmith Jr. had another strong week for the Saints on the defensive end of the court. Across MU's 1-1 week, the first-year pulled down six total boards, had three blocks, and four steals. He put up 12 points in the win over AEC foe Centenary on Saturday.
Cole Johnson (Jr., Forward, Marywood): Coming off the bench, Johnson averaged 18.5 points per game to lead the Pacers to a pair of Atlantic East wins over Immaculata and Cabrini. Johnson shot 71.4 percent from the field and 66.6 percent from 3-point range. In a 78-65 win over Cabrini, he posted a career-high 27 points, including a 3-pointer that spurred a game-defining 12-point run. He totaled 10 points in a 83-75 victory over the Mighty Macs.
Tyler Tillery (Gr., Forward, Immaculata): Tillery had a combined 31 points, with 20 rebounds, three assists, four blocked shots, and one steal over two games. He had 11 points, with nine rebounds, one assist, and two blocked shots vs Marywood on January 10th. He had 20 points, with 11 rebounds, with two assists, two blocked shots, and one steal vs Neumann on January 13th.
Jalen Vaughns (Sr., Forward, Neumann): Vaughns averaged 19.5. points per game in a 1-1 week in conference action for Neumann. The senior scored 19 points against Cabrini and followed with 21 at Immaculata. Vaughns finished the week with four blocks, three assists and a steal.
Previous Weekly Award Winners:
Nov. 13, 2023 – Jalen Vaughns, Neumann & Tyler Tillery, Immaculata
Nov. 20, 2023 – Kyle Thompson, Neumann & , Marcus Beckett Marymount
Nov. 27, 2023 – Jalen Vaughns, Neumnan & Tyler Tillery, Immaculata
Dec. 4, 2023 – Jalen Vaughns, Neumann & D.J. Johnson. Gwynedd Mercy
Dec. 11, 2023 – Montell Cooper, Marymount & Bryan Warren, Cabrini
Dec. 18, 2023 – JoHaan Vinson, Gwynedd Mercy & Dylan Crews, Immaculata
Jan. 2, 2024 – Jalen Vaughns, Neumann & Aquil Stewart, Gwynedd Mercy
Jan. 8, 2024 – Montell Cooper, Marymount & CJ Highsmith Jr., Marymount