Coles and Needham Earn MAAC Men's Basketball Weekly Honors
MAAC Sports
MAAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
JULIUS COLES, CANISIUS
Junior, Guard, 6-4, 183, Harlem, N.Y./Blair Academy
Coles, a junior guard, averaged 26.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game last week as the Golden Griffins won two non-league games to improve to 3-1 on the season. In the Griffs' home-opening victory over Howard Nov. 28, he scored a career-high 27 points after he went 9-for-17 from the field, 3-for-7 from 3-point range and 6-8 from the free-throw line. Earlier last week, Coles matched his previous career high with 26 points in Canisius' 73-71 win at cross-town rival Buffalo. For the week, he shot 54.5 percent from the floor, 50 percent from behind the arc and 71.4 percent from the charity stripe.
MAAC ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
DEREK NEEDHAM, FAIRFIELD
Freshman, Guard, 5-11, 180, Dalton, Ill./De La Salle Institute
Needham, a freshman guard, averaged 13 points per game in a pair of wins against American and Howard last week. He scored 13 points in both games, shooting 44 percent from the field. Needham also dished off eight assists against four turnovers, and was responsible for seven steals. His best overall game came at American when he tallied 13 points, dished off seven assists against one turnover and tallied four steals.
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