Player of the Month:
Antawn Jamison, F, 6'9, 223, North Carolina.
January NCAA Player Honors
Player of the Month:
Antawn Jamison, F, 6'9, 223, North Carolina.
The beat goes on--Antawn again performed like the best player in college basketball. In 9 games in January, he averaged 23.6 ppg and 10.3 rpg. He shot 63% from the field plus 75% from the free throw line. His best game was a 36 point, 14 rebound performance (including14 for 17 from the field and 8 for 10 from the foul line) in Carolina's 103 - 55 shellacking of Florida State on January 21st. He helped the Tar Heels to an 8 - 1 record in the month.
Source of photo: UNC Sports Information Office.
Diamond in the Rough:
Bonzi Wells, 6'5, 210, Ball State.
Many fans around the country may not know about Bonzi Wells. However, Ball State opponents, including conference foes in the Mid American Conference, could wax on very poetically about the many talents of Mr. Wells. Bonzi posted a season high 39 points on January 29th against conference foe Marshall which included a school record tying 28 points in the first half. He became Ball State's leading scorer on January 8th against Ohio as he surpassed current BSU head coach Ray McCallum's total of 2, 109 points. He is the first BSU player to score 2,000 points and grab 700 rebounds. He also became the MAC's career steals leader on January 5th against Kent. He surpassed former Miami of Ohio and current Chicago Bulls' G Ron Harper's steal total of 285. Bonzi's size, athleticism, solid work ethic, rebounding, and overall basketball skills have made him the top guard in the Roundball Review's top seniors for the '98 NBA Draft list.
Source of photo: Joe Hernandez, BSU Sports Information Director.
Freshman of the Month: Larry Hughes, G,
6'5, 185, Saint Louis.
Some people will argue that Larry Hughes is not only the Freshman of the Year in the NCAA; but, National Player of the Year as well. Larry scored an amazing 102 points in 3 consecutive games versus Conference USA foes: (30 vs. UAB), (32 at Louisville), and an astounding 40 on the road against defensive minded Marquette! On the season, he is averaging 21.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg, and 2.8 spg. However, in conference play, Larry is averaging 24.1 ppg. He has already surpassed the C-USA freshman season point total previously held by Louisville's Nate Johnson set just last year. Larry has guided the Billikens to a surprising 15 -6 overall record, including 6 -2, in conference through the month of January. All this while playing with a very sore right wrist.
Source of photo: Saint Louis University Media Relations Department.