ST. LOUIS (USBWA) DeShawn Hamlet of Southern Vermont College (Bennington, Vt.) and Meghan Nowak of Eastern University (St. Davids, Pa.) were named the U.S. Basketball Writers Association Division III National Players of the Week for the week ending Feb. 8.
Hamlet, a 6-3 junior forward from Hartford, Conn., averaged 33.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.5 steals, and 1.5 assists per game in a 2-0 week for the Mountaineers (18-3, 12-0), a member of the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC). He shot 66.7 percent (22-of-33) from both the field and three-point range (4-of-6), while connecting on 90 percent (18-of-20) of his free throws. In a 111-64 victory over Newbury College (3-17, 2-9) on Tuesday, Hamlet came off the bench to score a career-high 38 points (12-of-19 FG, 2-of-3 3FG), with six rebounds, four steals and an assist in just 17 minutes. He also went 12-of-13 from the foul line. On Saturday, in a 94-76 win against Mitchell College (8-11, 5-6), Hamlet recorded a double-double with 28 points (10-of-14 FG, 2-of-2 3FG, 6-of-7 FT) and 10 rebounds, while adding two assists and a steal in 24 minutes off the bench. Hamlet also notched his 1,000th career point in that game, becoming just the 10th player in team history to reach that milestone as the Mountaineers won their 11th straight game. Despite coming off the bench in each of his 20 games this season, Hamlet leads the NECC in field goal pct. (58.4), is third in scoring (20.1) and fourth in rebounding (7.4).
Nowak, a 6-0 senior forward from Woodbury Heights, N.J., recorded two double-doubles and helped Eastern defeat the nation's No. 1 team during a perfect 2-0 week. She averaged 23.0 points, 14.5 rebounds, four assists, 2.5 blocked shots, and 2.0 steals per game in a pair of Freedom Conference wins for the No. 24-ranked (D3hoops.com) and co-league-leading Eagles (17-4, 9-1). Nowak converted on 48.5 percent (17-of-35) of her field goal attempts and 68.7 percent (11-of-16) of her free throw tries. She opened the week on Wednesday with 22 points (8-of-16 FG, 1-of-2 3FG, 5-of-8 FT), 16 rebounds and five assists in 28 minutes of an 81-52 victory over Wilkes University (9-10, 4-6). Against then-No. 1 FDU-Florham (20-1, 9-1) on Saturday, Nowak scored 24 points (9-of-19 FG, 6-of-8 FT) and grabbed 13 rebounds to go along with five blocked shots and three assists in 44 minutes as the Eagles snapped the Devils' 53-game winning streak with an 88-87 overtime victory. Nowak now has seven double-doubles this season and leads the Freedom Conference in scoring (19.7).
Each Tuesday, the USBWA is selecting men's and women's Division III National Players of the Week. This is the first season that the USBWA will recognize national players of the week from Division III.
The U.S. Basketball Writers Association was formed in 1956 at the urging of then-NCAA Executive Director Walter Byers. With some 900 members worldwide, it is one of the most influential organizations in college basketball. It has selected an All-America team since the 1956-57 season. For more information on the USBWA and its award programs, contact executive director Joe Mitch at 314-795-6821.
2014-15 USBWA Division III National Players of the Week
Week ending Dec. 7: Hayden Rooke-Ley, Williams College and Emily Lavin, Eastern University
· Week ending Dec. 14: Hunter Hill, Augustana College and Jamie Cuny, North Central College
· Week ending Dec. 21: Chris Cook, Hood College and Alyson Caiazzo, Manhattanville College
· Week ending Jan. 4: Trevon Butler, Husson College and Jess Rheinheimer, Eastern Mennonite University
· Week ending Jan. 11: Lorenzo Williams, Brooklyn College and Hannah Considine, Wheaton College
· Week ending Jan. 18: Aaron Walton-Moss, Cabrini College and Hayley Kanner, Tufts University
· Week ending Jan. 25: Hakeem Harris, NYU and Alex Moore, Rhode Island College
· Week ending Feb. 1: Thayne Recker, Bluffton University and Kara McDuffee, St. Lawrence University
· Week ending Feb. 8: DeShawn Hamlet, Southern Vermont College and Meghan Nowak, Eastern University
· Week ending Feb. 15: Lucas Hausman, Bowdoin College and Sydney Moss, Thomas More College
· Week ending Feb. 22: Jordan Rezendes, UMass Dartmouth and Megan Robertson, Amherst College
· Week ending March 1: Gerry Wixted, Dickinson College and Kristen Schultz, Wisconsin Lutheran