CAA Notes: Jan 9

The information below is from Rob Washburn, Assoc. Commissioner/Communications of the Colonial Athletic Association:

PLAYER OF THE WEEK:

Keith Rendleman, UNCW, Jr., F, 6-7, 215 – Iron Station, N.C./East Lincoln

Rendleman averaged 20.0 points and 12.0 rebounds to lead UNCW to a 3-0 week in CAA play. The junior forward posted double-doubles in wins over Delaware (24 points/career-high 18 rebounds) and Northeastern (17 points/10 rebounds) and had a team-high 19 points and eight boards in a triumph over Hofstra. Rendleman, who has 7 double-doubles this season, shot 61.3% from the floor and 84.6% from the line last week.

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK:

Marcus Thornton, William & Mary, Fr., G, 6-4, 170

Thornton averaged 19.3 points and was William & Mary’s leading scorer in all three games last week. The freshman guard poured in a career-high 23 points at George Mason, tallied a team-high 16 points in a 68-61 win over James Madison and had a game-high 19 points, four rebounds and three assists in a setback to Delaware. For the week, Thornton shot 44% from the floor, including 6-of-14 (42.9%) from 3-point range.

CONFERENCE NOTES:

Mason Moves Atop CAA Standings: George Mason moved atop the CAA standings at 4-0 after edging Georgia State, 61-58, last Saturday in a battle of unbeaten league squads. Mike Morrison had 14 points, a career-high 15 rebounds and 4 blocks for the Patriots, who won their fifth straight game. The Panthers, who got a game-high 19 points from Jihad Ali, had their school-record 11-game winning streak come to an end. Earlier last week, Mason posted its first victory at ODU’s Constant Center in eight years by beating the Monarchs 63-54, while GSU edged VCU 55-53, which snapped the Rams’ eight-game win streak and was its first win ever at VCU’s Siegel Center. Joining GSU in a tie for second are UNCW, which is 3-1 for the first time since 2005-06, Old Dominion and Delaware.

Streaking: Several CAA teams continue to play well. George Mason has won five in a row and 10 of its last 12. Georgia State has won 11 of its last 12 after having an 11-game win streak snapped by Mason last Saturday, while Drexel has captured eight of its last nine. Despite two losses last week, VCU has won 10 of its last 13. UNCW has won four in a row and seven of its last nine and Northeastern has won three of its last four.

Road Teams Have Early Success: Home court hasn’t been a big advantage through the early part of CAA play. Road teams won eight times last week and are 11-13 through 24 conference contests.

Mason Sets Record For Consecutive CAA Victories: George Mason has now won 18 consecutive CAA regular-season games, breaking the record of 17 set by Richmond (Feb., 1988-Feb. 1999). The Patriots closed last season with 14 straight victories in league play and are 4-0 in CAA play for the first time since 2008-09 this year. Mason had never won more than seven straight CAA games prior to the current streak.

Doing It With Defense: Defense has been outstanding in the CAA this season. Three teams (Drexel, Georgia State and VCU) are holding opponents to under 61 points per game, while GSU, George Mason, Delaware and Drexel are limiting foes to less than 40% FG shooting. Drexel is 6th nationally in 3-point FG defense (26.3%) and 9th in scoring defense (55.6 ppg), while GSU is 16th in FG% defense (37.5%) and 17th in scoring defense (57.7 ppg). VCU leads the CAA and ranks 6th in Division I with 9.9 steals per game and is 5th in opponent’s turnover rate (26.3%). GSU, Old Dominion and Northeastern are also averaging better than 8.4 steals per game. The Rams are 4th in Division I in turnover margin (+6.0 tpg).

UNCW’s Smith Ranked 3rd Among Freshmen Scorers: UNCW guard Adam Smith ranked third in scoring among all freshmen in Division I through games of Jan. 8. Smith, who is averaging 16.9 ppg, trails only Kyle Vinales of Central Connecticut (19.5 ppg) and Juan’ya Green of Niagara (19.1 ppg). Smith has scored double figures in 12 of 14 UNCW games, including a UNCW freshman-record 32 points at Wake Forest, a 27-point effort at Toledo and 23 points at Maryland.

Changing Of The Guard: It’s been a year of change around the CAA as many young players and newcomers are making an impact. As of Jan. 9, there were eight seniors among the league’s top 19 in scoring along with four sophomores and two freshmen. Last season, eight of the CAA’s top 10 scorers were seniors.

Freshmen Making An Impact: Freshmen are seeing significant playing time around the CAA this season. All 12 CAA teams have at least one freshman on their team who is averaging better than 16 minutes per game and JMU is the only team that hasn’t had a freshman start at least one game. Five freshmen are among the CAA’s top 30 in scoring – UNCW’s Adam Smith, Drexel’s Damion Lee, W&M’s Marcus Thornton, UD’s Kyle Anderson and NU’s Quincy Ford. Three are among the top 15 in assists – Towson’s Kris Walden, Mason’s Corey Edwards, and Delaware’s Khalid Lewis. Three are in the top 15 in steals – VCU’s Briante Weber, NU’s Ford and Mason’s Edwards. There are also two in the top 20 in rebounding – UNCW’s Cedrick Williams and NU’s Ford.

From CAA To NBA: The CAA is well-represented with five players on NBA rosters to start the season. Former CAA players include Northeastern’s J.J. Barea (Minnesota Timberwolves), Hofstra’s Charles Jenkins (Golden State Warriors), VCU’s Eric Maynor (Oklahoma City Thunder), Towson’s Gary Neal (San Antonio Spurs) and VCU’s Larry Sanders (Milwaukee Bucks).

UD’s Hagins Ranks 5th Nationally In Rebounding: Delaware junior Jamelle Hagins ranks fifth in the nation in rebounding at 11.8 rpg according to the latest NCAA stats through games of Jan 8. ODU’s Chris Cooper is 20th in rebounds (10.3 rpg) and UNCW’s Keith Rendleman is 21st (10.3 rpg). In other statistical categories, Hofstra’s Mike Moore is 8th in scoring (21.1 ppg), UD’s Devon Saddler is 27th (19.4 ppg) and Mason’s Ryan Pearson is 49th (18.2 ppg). GSU’s Eric Buckner is 16th in blocks (2.8 bpg) and VCU’s Briante Weber and ODU’s Kent Bazemore are 18th in steals (2.4 spg). In team categories, Drexel is 9th in the nation in scoring defense (55.6 ppg) and 6th in 3-pt FG percentage defense, Georgia State is 16th in FG% defense (37.5%) and 17th in scoring defense (57.7 ppg) and VCU is 6th in steals per game (9.9 spg). A complete list of CAA players among national leaders can be found on Page 4 of this release.

GSU’s Fields On Cousy Award Watch List: Georgia State senior guard James Fields is among the candidates for the Bob Cousy Collegiate Point Guard of the Year Award. Fields is contributing 8.9 ppg for the Panthers this season and has 41 assists with just 21 turnovers.

Doubling Up: Eleven CAA players have already recorded two or more double-doubles this season. ODU senior Chris Cooper has recorded nine double-doubles and Delaware junior Jamelle Hagins also has nine double-doubles, including seven that were recorded in consecutive games from Nov. 26-Dec. 19. Cooper and Hagins are tied for 8th in the nation in double-doubles this season. UNCW’s Keith Rendleman has seven double-doubles, George Mason’s Ryan Pearson has six and Towson’s Robert Nwankwo has four. Eleven of the 12 CAA teams have a player with at least one double-double.

VCU’s Burgess Leads Nation In Consecutive Starts: VCU senior Bradford Burgess has made 126 consecutive starts, which is the longest active streak in Division I basketball and is the VCU and CAA all-time record. With 17 more starts, Burgess would pass Patrick Ewing’s record of 142 straight starts at Georgetown. Burgess is also the CAA’s career scoring leader among active players with 1,427 points.

Smith’s FT Streak Ends: Northeastern’s Joel Smith was 20-for-20 at the FT line this season before missing against ODU on Dec. 3. Smith is shooting a league-best 93.5% (29-of-31) for the season.

Two CAA Teams In Mid-Major Top 25 Poll: Two CAA teams were ranked in the Mid-Major Top 25 poll released on Jan. 2 by CollegeInsider.com. George Mason was the top-ranked CAA squad at #13, while VCU was right behind at #14. Georgia State and Drexel got votes. The Missouri Valley led all conferences with four teams in the poll, followed by the West Coast with three. The CAA was among five other conferences with two teams ranked. A new poll will be released on Monday evening.