STANDISH, Maine - Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) and Maine Men's Basketball Coaches & Writers Association (MMBCWA) weekly honors have been released and a pair of Saint Joseph's College players have earned accolades.
Freshman guard Jack Casale (Portland, Maine/Cheverus) has been selected as the GNAC and MMBCWA Rookie of the Week and junior guard Darian Berry (Rochester, N.H.) has earned MMBCWA Player of the Week honors.
Casale averaged 17.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in a 1-1 week for the Monks. The freshman guard scored 17 with four boards in a victory over Regis (Mass.) on Tuesday and posted a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds in a hardfought setback at the hands of Albertus Magnus on Saturday.
Berry enjoyed another monster week, shooting 69% (20-29) from the floor - including a 60% (9-15) clip from three-point range - while averaging 24.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in a pair of conference contests. The junior guard netted 24 points off a 10-15 shooting performance in a win at Regis (Mass.) on Tuesday and scored 25 while shooting 10-14 from the field, and 5-8 from downtown, in a hardfought loss at the hands of Albertus Magnus on Saturday.
Through 23 games, Casale is averaging 12.2 points and 5.7 rebounds per game while shooting 40.7% (96-236) from the floor, 34.5% (48-139) from three-point distance, and 78.4% (40-51) from the free throw line. He leads the Monks in rebounds (132) and rebounding average (5.7 RPG), ranks second in three-pointers made (48), and third in scoring average.
Casale has been selected as the GNAC Rookie of the Week on four occasions. The MMBCWA weekly award is the second - and second-consecutive - of his career.
Berry currently leads the Monks in scoring average (16.7 PPG), points (385), field goals made (143) and attempted (302), and three-pointers made (68), attempted (168) and percentage (40.5%). The MMBCWA accolade is the first of his career.
In the MMBCWA Weekly Coaches Poll, Saint Joseph's has moved up to third with 24 points, including one first-place vote. Bowdoin College (15-8) received seven first-place votes and is ranked first, Husson University (18-5) is second, Bates College (12-12) is fourth, and Colby College (11-13) is fifth.
Saint Joseph's (14-9, 9-5 GNAC) will host Lasell College in a crucial GNAC contest tonight at 7:30 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 474-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.
