STANDISH, ME - The Maine Men's Basketball Coaches and Writers Association has issued its first report of the year, and the Monks are ranked 5th in the state in the weekly poll and Monks' swingman Zach O'Brien '12 (Schenectady, NY) has garnered Honor Roll mention.
Colby (6-0) is the top-ranked team with 42 points and 8 first-place votes, followed by Bowdoin (4-1), Thomas (6-1), Bates (5-2) and St. Joe's (4-1).
Southern Maine junior guard Cortez Isaac (Washington, DC) received MMBCWA Player of the Week honors after averaging 35.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists in a pair of close losses for the Huskies last week.
In a 1-1 week for the Monks, O'Brien averaged 21.5 points, 7.5 caroms and 5.5 assists. He notched his first double-double of the year with 24 points and 10 caroms against Husson University on December 1st and scored a game-high 19 points with 5 boards and 4 assists in a victory over Emerson College on December 5th.
Through five games, O'Brien ranks 7th in Maine in scoring (17.6 PPG), 10th in rebounding (7.0 RPG) and 10th in assists (3.6 APG).
SJC guard Rashon Jones '11 (Bridgeport, CT) currently leads the state in blocked shots (2.0 BPG), ranks second in field goal percentage (.680, 17-15) and fifth in rebounding (7.8 RPG). Chris Petzy '12 (Kensington, NH) is a perfect 12-12 from the charity stripe thus far and is in a three-way tie for the top ranking in Maine.
St. Joe's will travel to Providence, RI on Wednesday to play GNAC opponent Johnson & Wales University in a 7:00 PM start.