General | 1/2/2024 10:48:37 AM
Below are the Empire 8 Players of the Week, released on January 2, 2024, for games played from December 18, 2023 – January 1, 2024. It is the 17th Empire 8 weekly honors release of the 2023-24 season. Sports featured include men’s and women’s basketball.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Justice Brantley, Utica, Gr., G, Catskill, NY/Catskill
Brantley was named Most Valuable Player of the Utica Holiday Classic championship. Brantley averaged 15 points and 6.5 rebounds per game on 58 percent shooting from the field (11-for-19). In Friday's semifinal win over Colby-Sawyer, Brantley dropped nine points to go with two rebounds, one assist and one steal in just 17 minutes of action. In Saturday's championship contest against Connecticut College, he recorded a double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds, shooting 7-for-12 from the floor and 3-for-5 from 3-point range.
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Luke Insley, Nazareth, Jr., G, Webster, NY/Webster Schroeder
Insley capped the three games over the holiday break with a double-double in a 77-76 overtime victory over Hartford on Dec. 30, pouring in 15 points to go along with 10 assists. He averaged 11.3 points, 6.7 assists and 1.0 steal per game, while shooting 54.2 percent from the floor. Insley currently ranks second in the country in assist-to-turnover ratio and is fourth in the nation with 6.2 assists per game. Nazareth is tied for first in the nation with just 9.1 turnovers per game and is second in the country with just 91 total turnovers.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Ethan Rivers, Utica, Fr., G, Madison, NY/Madison Central
Rivers made the most of his floor time in Utica's 95-60 win over Colby-Sawyer on Friday with seven points in seven minutes. Rivers shot effectively in doing so as he went 2-for-3 from the floor, 1-for-1 from 3-point range and 2-for-2 from the free throw line.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Sidney Tomasso, St. John Fisher, Jr., G, Waverly, NY/Waverly
Tomasso averaged 22.5 points, 5.0 steals, 5.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game in two wins over Roger Williams and William Paterson to ring in the New Year at the Naismith Classic in Springfield, Massachusetts. She poured in a season-best 23 points on Dec. 31 against Roger Williams and added 22 points, six steals and four assists in an 81-61 win over William Paterson on Jan. 1.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Joleen Lusk, St. John Fisher, Fr., F, Cherry Valley, NY/Cherry Valley Springfield
Lusk recorded two double-doubles, averaging 11.5 points, 11.5 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game in two wins over Roger Williams and William Paterson to ring in the New Year at the Naismith Classic in Springfield, Massachusetts. She scored 11 points and notched 13 rebounds and a season-high six blocks in a 58-50 win over Roger Williams on Dec. 31 and added 12 points and 10 boards in a victory over William Paterson on Jan. 1. Lusk earned her third E8 weekly accolade of 2023-24.
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit
www.empire8.com.
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