Patriot League Announces Men’s Basketball Player and Rookie of the Week (1.21.19)
CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – Loyola Maryland junior guard Andrew Kostecka was named the Patriot League Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for the third time this season while Navy freshman guard John Carter Jr. claimed his third rookie of the week honor when the League office announced weekly awards on Monday.
Kostecka led the Greyhounds to a pair of League victories last week, averaging 27.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.5 steals. He scored the overtime game-winner on Saturday against Holy Cross with 0.2 seconds remaining in a 67-65 victory. Kostecka is leading the Patriot League in scoring with 20.4 points per game.
Carter Jr. scored a career-high 18 points to lead Navy to an 85-77 win against Lafayette on Wednesday before pulling down eight rebounds, his highest total in a League game, against Army on Saturday. The three-time rookie of the week leads all Patriot League freshmen with 7.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game.
American senior guard Sa’eed Nelson, Army West Point junior guard Tommy Funk, Bucknell senior center Nate Sestina and Lafayette senior forward Paulius Zalys each earned weekly honorable mention.
The Patriot League men’s basketball players of the week are selected in a vote by League media members and each school’s sports information director, who are not eligible to vote for their student-athletes.
PATRIOT LEAGUE MEN’S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Andrew Kostecka, Loyola Maryland, Jr., G, Germantown, Md./Clarksburg
*Kostecka averaged 27.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.5 steals to lead Loyola Maryland to League wins against Boston University and Holy Cross last week. The Greyhounds’ three-game win streak is their longest of the season.
*The junior guard scored a game-high 26 points, including the overtime game-winner with 0.2 seconds remaining, in a 67-65 win over the Crusaders on Saturday.
*Kostecka scored a game-high 28 points, connecting on 11-of-18 field goal attempts, to defeat the Terriers, 81-73.
PATRIOT LEAGUE MEN’S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
John Carter Jr., Navy, Fr., G, Spring Hill, Tenn./Summit
*Carter Jr. averaged 11.5 points and 6.0 rebounds to help Navy go 1-1, including a win over Lafayette last week.
*The freshman guard scored a career-high 18 points and pulled down four rebounds in the 85-77 victory over the Leopards on Wednesday.
*Carter Jr. pulled down eight rebounds, his highest total in a League game, to go with five points against Army on Saturday.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Sa’eed Nelson, American, Jr., G, Pleasantville, N.J./Saint Augustine Prep
*Nelson averaged 22.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 3.0 steals for the Eagles over two games.
*The junior guard finished with 26 points, eight rebounds and five assists against Lehigh on Wednesday.
Tommy Funk, Army West Point, Jr., G, Warrington, Pa./Archbishop Wood
*Funk averaged 23.5 points, shooting 78 percent (7-for-9) from beyond the arc, and adding 4.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists to lead the Black Knights to League wins over Colgate and Navy last week.
*He scored a career-high 25 points in a 91-81 win over Colgate, then scored 22 points with six rebounds and seven assists in a 72-61 victory against Navy.
Nate Sestina, Bucknell, Sr., C, Emporium, Pa./Cameron County
*Sestina scored a career-high 32 points and tied the Patriot League single-game record for most field goals without a miss going 11-for-11 from floor. He also made 9-of-10 free throws in a 93-78 victory over Holy Cross on Monday.
*He averaged 21.0 points and 7.0 rebounds while shooting 80 percent (16-of-20) from the floor during a 2-0 week with wins over the Crusaders and Lehigh.
Paulius Zalys, Lafayette, Sr., F, Kaunas, Lithuania/The Perkiomen School
*Zalys averaged 19.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.5 steals to help the Leopards go 1-1 with an overtime win over American last week.
* The senior forward led Lafayette with 21 points, seven rebounds and six assists in an 84-79 overtime win over the Eagles on Saturday.
Player of the Week
11.12 – Jordan Burns, Colgate, So., G
11.19 – Jacob Grandison, Holy Cross, So., G/F
11.26 – Andrew Kostecka, Loyola Maryland, Jr., G
12.3 – Andrew Kostecka, Loyola Maryland Jr., G
12.10 – Sam Iorio, American, So., F
12.17 – Max Mahoney, Boston University, Jr., F
12.24 – Jehyve Floyd, Holy Cross, Sr., F
12.31 – Jacob Grandison, Holy Cross, So., F
1.7 – Nate Sestina, Bucknell, Sr., F
1.14 – Jehyve Floyd, Holy Cross, Sr., F
1.21 – Andrew Kostecka, Loyola Maryland, Jr., G
Rookie of the Week
11.12 – Nic Lynch, Lehigh, Fr. C
11.19 – John Carter Jr., Navy, Fr., G
11.26 – Jeameril Wilson, Lehigh, Fr., F
12.3 – Jack Hemphill, Boston University, Fr., F
12.10 – John Carter Jr., Navy, Fr., G
12.17 – Jordan Guest, Boston University, Fr., F
12.24 – Josh Alexander, American, Fr., F
12.31 – Andrew Funk, Bucknell, Fr., G
1.7 – Tucker Richardson, Colgate, Fr., G
1.14 – Jonas Harper, Boston University, Fr.,
1.21 – John Carter Jr., Navy, Fr., G
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its third decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes that are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.