STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College senior guard Steve Simonds (Steep Falls, Maine/Bonny Eagle) has collected Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Men's Basketball Player of the Week honors for the third-consecutive reporting period.
Simonds averaged 22.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.3 steals per game in a 2-1 week for the Monks. The three-year starter scored 26 points with five rebounds, three assists and three steals against Emmanuel on Saturday. Simonds also posted two double-doubles in as many games against Suffolk, going for 22 points and 11 rebounds in a victory over the Rams on Wednesday before contributing 19 points and 10 boards in a loss on Thursday.
The senior guard currently averages 21.7 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.5 steals per game and sports shooting percentages of 52.1% (160-307) from the floor, 46.7% (84-180) from three-point distance, and 88.8% (95-107) from the free throw line through 23 contests. He leads the conference in scoring average, total points (499), three-pointers made and FT% and is also second in the league in 3FG%, rebounds (189) and rebounding average and third in field goals made.
Simonds became the 38th member of the Monks' 1,000-Point Club in a loss to Anna Maria College on January 31st and currently has 1,157 points over 90 career contests, making him the 24th leading scorer in program history.
With this week's award, Simonds becomes just the second Saint Joseph's athlete to claim a GNAC Player of the Week honor for three-consecutive reporting periods since the Monks joined the conference in the fall of 2007. Sophomore golfer Michael Caron (Gorham, Maine), who posted an amazing streak of five-consecutive Player of the Week accolades this fall, is the other individual. Simonds is one of just six SJC athletes to collect three Player of the Week nods in the same season, as he joins Caron, Luke Enman '08 (Baseball), Emily Leverone '12, Sarah Hawkes '13 (Volleyball) and Kyle Shangraw '14 (Men's Soccer) on the short list.
Saint Joseph's plays at Lasell College tonight in a GNAC contest slated to begin at 8:00 PM.
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Saint Joseph's College is Maine's only Catholic liberal arts college, providing a supportive, personalized and career-focused education for more than 100 years. From its 430-acre campus on the shores of Sebago Lake, the College offers more than 40 undergraduate programs to a population of approximately 1,000 students. Saint Joseph's College Online provides certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees for working adults through an online learning program. For more, visit www.sjcme.edu.
