March 02, 2009
Smith nets GLVC weekly accolade
EVANSVILLE, Ind.—University of Southern Indiana men's basketball junior guard Jamar Smith (Peoria, Illinois) was named the Great Lakes Valley Conference Player of the Week for his efforts in helping the Screaming Eagles' secure the right to host this weekend's GLVC Tournament.
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Jamar Smith |
Smith started the week with a 28-point effort to lead the Eagles to a 76-69 road win over Drury University last Wednesday. He hit six shots from three-point range and scored the seven of the Eagles nine points in the final minute of the contest.
USI's leading scorer on the season completed the week with a game-high 18-points in USI's road victory over Rockhurst University Saturday. Smith added two assists and a steal in the win that gave the Eagles' the GLVC West Division crown for the second time in three seasons.
For the week, Smith averaged 23.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. He shot 51.6 percent from the field, 55.6 percent from downtown, and was a perfect 4-of-4 from the charity stripe.
This marks the second straight week that Smith has earned the GLVC Player of the Week honor and the fifth time this season. In addition to Smith, who is the only player in the conference to earn GLVC Player of the Week honors in consecutive weeks, senior forward
Anthony Pimble (Bronx, New York), junior forward
Brandon Russ (Cincinnati, Ohio), and junior guard
Marvin Gray (Freeport, Bahamas) each earned GLVC Player of the Week honors this year.
Since joining the squad in December, Smith has led the Eagles with 18.6 points per game, including 18.9 points per appearance against GLVC opponents.
USI begins its quest for a third GLVC Tournament title Friday at 6 p.m. when it hosts Lewis University, the fourth seed out of the East Division, at the Physical Activities Center. Other first round matchups at the PAC include Northern Kentucky University and Saint Joseph's College (noon); Rockhurst University and Kentucky Wesleyan College (2:30 p.m.); and Bellarmine University and Quincy University (8:30 p.m.).
Dan McDonnell,
USI Sports Information
