Mocs Freshman Kevin Easley Named SoCon Player of the Week

(soconsports.com) SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Chattanooga freshman forward Kevin Easley has been named the Southern Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for all contests Jan. 15-21. The award is selected by the league office.

Easley averaged a double-double for the week, scoring 16.5 points per game and averaging 11.0 rebounds per contest as the Mocs defeated Mercer and The Citadel to move into fourth place in the league standings.

The rookie from Indianapolis, Indiana, opened his week with 11 points and 10 boards for his first career double-double Thursday as Chattanooga earned a 73-70 win over Mercer. With the Mocs nursing a one-point lead in the final minute of play, Easley converted both ends of a one-and-one to give Chattanooga three-point cushion and force the Bears to attempt a tying 3-pointer to end the game.

Two days later, Easley again came up clutch late in a one-possession win, this time a 73-71 victory over The Citadel. After a 7-2 run gave the Bulldogs the lead heading into the final minute of play, Easley hit a 3-pointer with 56 seconds left to put Chattanooga back on top for good. Easley finished with 22 points and a career-high 12 rebounds for his second straight-double.

The win over The Citadel pushed Chattanooga’s overall record to 10-10 on the season, equaling the squad’s win total from all of last season. At 5-2 in league play, the Mocs are already two wins ahead of last season’s total.

The Mocs, who improved to 8-1 at home this season with the wins, now embark on a two-game road swing, starting Thursday at Furman (15-4, 4-3 SoCon) before a Saturday date at league-leading Wofford (15-4, 7-0). Both contests are at 7 p.m. and will air on ESPN+, while the Saturday game will also air on select commercial stations as part of the league’s Nexstar broadcast package.

Other nominees: Daivien Williamson (ETSU), Ross Cummings (Mercer), James Dickey (UNCG), Josh Sharkey (Samford), Bubba Parham (VMI), Kameron Gibson (Western Carolina) and Fletcher Magee (Wofford).

2018-19 Southern Conference Men’s Basketball Players of the Week

Nov. 13    Josh Sharkey, Samford

Nov. 20    Jordan Lyons, Furman

Nov. 27    Lew Stallworth, The Citadel

Dec. 4     Lew Stallworth, The Citadel

Dec. 11    Jeromy Rodriguez, ETSU

Dec. 18    Matt Rafferty, Furman

Dec. 24    Francis Alonso, UNCG

Dec. 31    Jeromy Rodriguez, ETSU

Jan. 8      Matt Rafferty, Furman

Jan. 15    Ross Cummings, Mercer

Jan. 22    Kevin Easley, Chattanooga