ST. LOUIS (USBWA) Elijah Hirsh of Berry College (Mount Berry, Ga.) and Katie Garrish of Southern Virginia University (Buena Vista, Va.) were named the U.S. Basketball Writers Association Division III National Players of the Week for the week ending January 13.
Hirsh, a 6-8 senior forward from Woodstock, Ga., registered a pair of double-doubles in leading Berry (11-4, 4-1) to victories against conference opponents. In the Vikings' 69-64 overtime win against Sewanee on Friday, Hirsh totaled 19 points, 11 rebounds, four blocks, two assists, and a steal. His final block with less than a minute to play against Sewanee's leading scorer, Luke Smith, helped preserve the victory. Then, on Sunday, Hirsh scored 23 points, collected 11 rebounds, recorded five assists, totaled four blocks, and added an assist as Berry moved into first place and posted its first-ever victory over Centre, 77-68. For the week, Hirsh averaged 21 ppg, 11 rpg, 4 bpg, 3.5 apg, and 1.0 spg. He shot 52.1 percent (12-of-23) from the field, 57.1 percent (4-of-7) from three-point range and 70.5 percent (12-of-17) from the foul line. For his efforts, Hirsh was also named the Southern Athletic Association (SAA) Player of the Week.
Garrish, a 6-3 sophomore forward from Annandale, Va., posted a pair of double-doubles as Southern Virginia (13-1, 4-0, receiving votes D3hoops.com) posted two victories and moved atop its conference standings. On Wednesday, Garrish scored 14 points, tied a career high with 19 rebounds, and added three blocks, two steals and an assist in the Knights' 63-54 victory over Frostburg State. On Saturday, she totaled 22 points, 16 rebounds, five blocks, two steals, and an assist in her team's 66-50 win against Salisbury. Garrish averaged 18 ppg, 17.5 rpg, 4 bpg, 2 spg, and 1 apg over the two games while shooting 51.9 percent (14-of-27) from the field and 88.9 percent (8-of-9) from the charity stripe. She has now recorded eight consecutive double-doubles during the Knights' 12-game winning streak. For her efforts, Garrish was also named the Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) Player of the Week for the third consecutive week.
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.
2018-19 USBWA Division III National Players of the Week
Week ending Nov. 18: Keith Brown, Endicott College
and Yuleska Ramirez-Tejeda, Emmanuel College
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Week ending Nov. 25: Demitrius Underwood, University
of Texas at Dallas and Allison Chernow, Emory University
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Week ending Dec. 2: Kevin Dennis, Morrisville
State College and Hannah Norlin, University of Wisconsin-Superior
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Week ending Dec. 9: Sean Smith, Jr., Manhattanville
College and Madison Temple, Thomas More University
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Week ending Dec. 16: Auston Francis, Wheaton
College (Ill.) and Madison Temple, Thomas More University
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Week ending Jan. 6: Will Carius, Monmouth College (Ill.)
and Maddie Hasson, Bowdoin College
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Week ending Jan. 13: Elijah Hirsh, Berry College and Katie Garrish, Southern Virginia University
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Week ending Jan. 20: Hakeem Animashaun, Salem State University; Kierra McCarthy, Westfield State University
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Week ending Jan. 27: Sam Jefferson, Colby College; Caitlin Corbett, Hartwick College
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Week ending Feb. 3: Andrew Romero III, Johnson & Wales University; Rebecca Prociak, King's College
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Week ending Feb. 10: Aston Francis, Wheaton College (Ill.); Rachael Windhausen, Oswego State University
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Week ending Feb. 17: Kevin Dennis, Morrisville State College; Rah Rah Thompson, Albertus Magnus College
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Week ending Feb. 24: Luke Smith, Sewanee; Yuleska Ramirez-Tejeda, Emmanuel College