PC's Brooks wins Big East weekly honor
December 13, 2010
Marshon Brooks, right, averaged 31.3 points per game last week for Providence College.
PROVIDENCE – Since the Big East expanded to 16 teams in 2005, taking home Player of the Week kudos has been an honor normally doled out to All-American candidates/NBA prospects. With that in mind, it’s not every day a Providence College player is bestowed with the conference’s top weekly award.
Monday saw the Big East lavish Player of the Week praise upon PC senior Marshon Brooks. The swingman averaged 31.3 points and 8.7 rebounds in three games last week, leading the Friars to a 2-1 mark.
The Georgia native set a career high with 33 points in a win over Brown last Monday, threw down 28 more points (adding 10 rebounds) in a two-point loss at Boston College last Wednesday and then matched his career-best with 33 points in Providence’s 82-70 win over Alabama on Saturday. Brooks, who ranks second in the Big East and 11th in the nation in scoring, leads the Friars in scoring on the season, averaging 22.9 points in 12 games. He also is second on the squad with 8.7 rebounds per contest.
Asked how much confidence he’s playing with after torching the Crimson Tide, Brooks quickly responded, “As much as I ever have.”
The award marks the first player of the week honor for a Providence men’s basketball player since Weyinmi Efejuku won the honor since March 2, 2009. It is only the fifth time a Friar player has pulled down the honor since the Big East expanded to its present 16-team format in 2005-06. Geoff McDermott (Dec. 27, 2007), Herbert Hill (Jan. 8 & March 4, 2007) are the other players to earn the award in the six years following expansion.
PC (10-2) is off this week for exams. The team’s final non-conference game comes a week from today at The Dunk against Sacred Heart. Big East play opens Dec. 28 at the Carrier Dome against nationally-ranked Syracuse.
