LANCASTER, Pa. - The Atlantic East Conference announced the Men’s Basketball weekly award winners on Monday, as Marywood’s Brendan Franko and Immaculata’s Tillery earned Player and Defensive Player of the Week respectively.
Player of the Week:
Name: Brendan Franko
School: Marywood
Class: Junior
Position: Guard
Hometown: Wantage, N.J.
High School: High Point Regional
Brief Outlook of Week: Franko averaged 23 points per game to lead the Pacers in scoring in both of their Atlantic East wins this week. He scored 21 points on 7 of 14 from the field to defeat Centenary on the road. Franko followed that up with a 25-point, six-assist effort to defeat Neumann. Defensively, he finished with a team-best +16 plus/minus rating in the win over the Knights. For the week, Franko shot .882 from the free-throw line.
Defensive Player of the Week:
Name: Tyler Tillery
School: Immaculata
Class: Graduate Student
Position: Forward
Hometown: Baltimore Md.
High School: Gerstell Academy
Brief Outlook of Week: Tillery had a combined 15 rebounds including 13 defensive rebounds, five blocked shots, and one steal over two Atlantic East Conference games. He had four rebounds and two blocked shots vs Gwynedd Mercy on February 7th. He registered a double-double with 11 rebounds, including 9 defensive rebounds, with three blocked shots, and one steal to go along with 10 points in Immaculata's win over Centenary on February 10th.
Weekly Honor Roll:
CJ Highsmith Jr. (Fy., Center, Marymount): CJ Highsmith Jr. continued to dominate on the defensive end of the court for the Saints, helping them go 2-0 in conference play last week. Nabbing a total of 12 defensive boards, he swatted away four blocks and notched a steal, all the while averaging 10.5 points per game.
Mike Marable (Jr., Guard, Gwynedd Mercy): Marable had a strong defensive week with three steals per game and two blocks per game. This week, he totaled 10 points, five rebounds, five assists, three blocks, and three steals in a 90-64 win over Immaculata and totaled six points, five rebounds, two assists, a block, and three steals in a loss to Marymount.
Marcus Stubbs (Sr., Guard, Marymount): Senior guard Marcus Stubbs averaged 15.5 points per game over the course of the week to help the Saints pick up two key AEC wins. Shooting 41% from the floor, Stubbs added 11 total rebounds, five assists, and three steals to his credit.
Jalen Vaughns (Sr., Forward, Neumann): Vaughns tallied a double-double in Neumann’s lone game of the week. The senior finished with 24 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and two steals in the loss at Marywood.
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
Jan. 16, 2024 – Manny Clark, Gwynedd Mercy & Jarell Keel, Neumann
Jan 22, 2024 – Jalen Vaughns, Neumann & Jarell Keel, Neumann
Jan 29, 2024 – Aziz Parker, Gwynedd Mercy & Tyler Tillery, Immaculata
Feb 5, 2024 – Jalen Vaughns, Neumann & Jarell Keel, Neumann