VCU’s Rodriguez CAA Co-Player of the Week

CAA Men’s Basketball Co-Players of the Week Joey Rodriguez, VCU So., G, 5-10, 170, Rodriguez (pictured above in white) averaged 18.5 ppg and set back-to-back career scoring highs in two VCU wins last week. The sophomore guard poured in 17 points in a 79-62 victory over Western Michigan and then topped […]

December 8, 2008; 7:49 PM • by FTRea

CAA Men’s Basketball Co-Players of the Week

Joey Rodriguez, VCU So., G, 5-10, 170, Rodriguez (pictured above in white) averaged 18.5 ppg and set back-to-back career scoring highs in two VCU wins last week. The sophomore guard poured in 17 points in a 79-62 victory over Western Michigan and then topped it with 20 points on 6-of-7 three-point shooting in a 66-50 triumph at William & Mary. For the week, Rodriguez shot 66.7% from the floor, including 9-of-14 (64.3%) from beyond the arc.

Greg Washington, Hofstra So., F, 6-10, 210 – Washington averaged 10.5 ppg, 10.5 rpg and 3.5 bpg in Hofstra’s two wins last week. The sophomore forward, who entered the week with four points and seven rebounds all season, had career-highs of 10 points and 11 rebounds against Fordham and then followed with 11 points and 10 boards at Towson. Washington is the first Pride player in at least 20 years to post consecutive double-doubles off the bench.

Road Teams Go 5-1 In CAA Openers: Road teams won five of the six conference games played last Saturday as all 12 squads opened their CAA schedules. Old Dominion was the lone team to pick up a victory at home, while Northeastern, George Mason, Georgia State, VCU and Hofstra earned road triumphs. Last season, home teams finished with a 71-37 (.657) record in CAA play and only two teams – VCU (7-2) and ODU (5-4) – had winning road marks in league action. There will be no more CAA contests until Saturday, January 3.

Young Guns: Young players are making an impact offensively in the CAA this season as there are only three seniors among the league’s top 18 in scoring. Four of the league’s top six scorers are sophomores – Hofstra’s Charles Jenkins (21.9 ppg), UNCW’s Chad Tomko (19.6 ppg) and Delaware’s Jawan Carter (17.5 ppg) and Alphonso Dawson (17.1 ppg). Among the top 18 in points, there are nine juniors, five sophomores, three seniors and one freshman.

Milestone Moments: VCU senior guard Eric Maynor became just the 11th player in CAA history to go over the 500 assist mark in a career last Thursday. Maynor currently ranks 10th on the league’s all-time assist chart with 512 and needs just two more to pass Navy’s Rob Romaine for ninth place. Two CAA players could also top the 1,000-point mark for their careers in their next game. Northeastern junior Matt Janning has 994 points and George Mason guard John Vaughan has 993.

In Latest RPI Report: George Mason is #25 in the first RPI report released by Collegiate Basketball News through games of Dec. 27. Five CAA teams are currently in the top 130 of the RPI with the Patriots followed by Hofstra (#39), Towson (#94), VCU (#123) and Northeastern (#129). The CAA is ranked #16 among the nation’s 31 Division I conferences.

Three CAA Players Among Top 50 In Scoring: VCU’s Eric Maynor (23.9 ppg/6th), Hofstra’s Charles Jenkins (21.9 ppg/17th) and W&M’s Danny Sumner (20.1 ppg/47th) are ranked among the top 50 in Division I in scoring according to the latest NCAA statistics through games of Dec. 7. In other individual categories, Delaware’s Marc Egerson is 13th nationally in rebounding (11.1 rpg), VCU’s Larry Sanders is seventh in blocks (3.4 bpg) and ODU’s Gerald Lee is 16th in free throw percentage (90.9%). A complete listing of CAA teams and players in the national stats is included on page 7 of this release.

Piling Up The Points: Six CAA players have already scored 30 or more points in the first month of the regular season after just seven reached the 30-point mark all of last year. VCU’s Eric Maynor has topped the 30-point plateau twice, including a career-high 35 points at East Carolina on Nov. 25. William & Mary’s David Schneider (31) and Danny Sumner (30) became just the second duo in school history to reach the mark in the same game on Nov. 22 against Navy. Also scoring 30 or more this season have been UNCW’s Chad Tomko, Hofstra’s Charles Jenkins and Delaware’s Jawan Carter.

CAA In Non-Conference Action: The CAA is off to a 39-40 start (.494) against non-conference competition during the first month of the regular season. Of the 39 victories, 18 have come on either neutral or road courts, including Northeastern’s 70-66 win at Providence. Thirteen losses have come against teams from the Big Ten, Big East, Big 12, SEC or ACC.

Working Overtime: CAA teams have already been involved in 11 overtime contests this season and are 4-7 in those games. There have also been 29 non-conference games decided by six points or less or in overtime thus far, and the CAA has a combined record of 13-16 in those games. (more…)

December 8, 2008 7:49 PM 0