BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Bucknell senior guard Xander Rice received Patriot League GEICO Men’s Basketball Player of the Week when the League office announced accolades on Monday. American freshman guard Geoff Sprouse captured his second straight rookie of the week.
Rice collected GEICO Men’s Basketball Player of the Week after averaging 17.0 points and 3.5 assists in Bucknell’s victories over Saint Francis (Pa.) and NJIT last week. He shot 71 percent (12-for-17) from the floor and 56 percent (5-for-9) from beyond the arc.
Sprouse captured GEICO Men’s Basketball Rookie of the Week for the second time in as many weeks after scoring a career-high 25 points on 10-of-11 shooting in the Eagles’ 88-62 victory over Albany.
American junior forward Matt Rogers, Army West Point junior guard Jalen Rucker, Boston University graduate student guard Jonas Harper, Lafayette junior forward Kyle Jenkins, Lehigh sophomore guard Tyler Whitney-Sidney and Loyola Maryland graduate student guard Kenneth Jones all received honorable mentions for their performances last week.
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.
2022-23 Patriot League Men’s Basketball Standings (as of 12.5.22)
| School |
Patriot League |
Pct. |
Overall |
Pct. |
| American |
0-0 |
.000 |
5-2 |
.714 |
| Bucknell |
0-0 |
.000 |
6-3 |
.667 |
| Navy |
0-0 |
.000 |
5-3 |
.625 |
| Boston University |
0-0 |
.000 |
5-4 |
.556 |
| Lehigh |
0-0 |
.000 |
4-4 |
.500 |
| Colgate |
0-0 |
.000 |
5-5 |
.500 |
| Army West Point |
0-0 |
.000 |
4-5 |
.444 |
| Loyola Maryland |
0-0 |
.000 |
4-5 |
.444 |
| Holy Cross |
0-0 |
.000 |
3-5 |
.333 |
| Lafayette |
0-0 |
.000 |
1-8 |
.111 |
ONLINE SCHEDULE |
ONLINE STATS
PATRIOT LEAGUE MEN’S BASKETBALL GEICO PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Xander Rice, Bucknell, Sr., G, West Long Branch, N.J./The Patrick School
*Rice averaged 17.0 points while shooting 71 percent (12-for-17) from the floor and 56 percent (5-for-9) from 3-point range in victories over Saint Francis (Pa.) and NJIT last week.
*On Wednesday, he finished with 20 points, four rebounds, and two assists in the Bison’s 89-65 victory over the Red Flash.
*The senior guard finished with 14 points and five assists to help Bucknell to a 79-63 road win at NJIT on Saturday.
PATRIOT LEAGUE MEN’S BASKETBALL GEICO ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Geoff Sprouse, American, Fr., G, Pembroke Pines, Fla./Pembroke Pines
*Sprouse scored a career-high 25 points on 10-of-11 shooting from the floor and 5-of-6 from beyond the arc in the Eagles’ 88-62 victory over Albany.
*The freshman guard did not miss a shot in the second half, going 5-for-5 from the field, to help American tie a program record by shooting 71.4 percent from the floor in the win against the Great Danes.
*He also contributed four assists, three rebounds and one steal in the Eagles’ largest margin of victory (26) since 2020.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Matt Rogers, American, Jr., F, Knoxville, Md./St. Maria Goretti
*Rogers scored a season-high 20 points on a perfect 8-for-8 shooting in the Eagles’ 88-62 victory over Albany. He pulled down eight boards and posted one steal in American’s largest margin of victory (26) since 2020.
Jalen Rucker, Army West Point, Jr., G, Baltimore, Md./Gilman (USMAPS)
*Rucker averaged 15.5 points, 4.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds to help Army West Point go 2-0 last week with wins over the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and Wagner. He shot 50 percent (11-for-22) from the floor in the two victories.
Jonas Harper, Boston University, Gr., G, Stamford, Conn./St. Luke’s
*Harper averaged a team-high 18.0 points while shooting 68.8 percent (11-for-16) from the floor and 54.5 percent (6-for-11) from 3-point range against UC Davis and Merrimack. He also contributed 2.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game.
Kyle Jenkins, Lafayette, Jr., F, Higganum, Conn./The Hotchkiss School
*Jenkins averaged 14.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists in games against Drexel and Cornell. He posted team-highs of 17 points and eight boards in the Leopards’ 73-68 loss against the Big Red.
Tyler Whitney-Sidney, Lehigh, So., G, Somerville, Mass./Brooks School
*Whitney-Sidney averaged 20.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals in games against Maryland Eastern Shore and UMBC. The sophomore guard shot 50 percent (12-for-24) from the floor and 67 percent (4-for-6) from beyond the arc.
Kenneth Jones, Loyola Maryland, Gr., G, Hillside, N.J./Mater Dei Prep
*Jones averaged 15.5 points, 6.5 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals to help Loyola Maryland split a pair of games last week with a win over Binghamton. His 10 assists in the Greyhounds’ 84-70 victory over the Bearcats was a Patriot League single-game high this season.
GEICO Men’s Basketball Player of the Week
11.14 – Walter Whyte, Boston University, Gr., F
11.21 – Tucker Richardson, Colgate, Sr., G
11.28 – Evan Taylor, Lehigh, Sr., G
12.5 – Xander Rice, Bucknell, Sr., G
GEICO Men’s Basketball Rookie of the Week
11.14 – Braeden Smith, Colgate., Fr., G
11.21 – Coleton Benson, Army West Point, Fr., G
11.28 – Geoff Sprouse, American, Fr., G
12.5 – Geoff Sprouse, American, Fr., G
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athlete 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.