We’ve partnered with Urban Edge Network to highlight the best players in HBCU Division I men’s and women’s basketball each week.
With the holiday season upon us, there were some HBCU players that were very generous delivering buckets.
Even though several schools only played one game the past week, there were still standout performances to consider when awarding the HBCU Players of the Week. But, after some deliberations, it became clear that two players’ dominance couldn’t be ignored. Here are your Men’s and Women’s HBCU Players of the Week.
Men’s HBCU Player of the Week: Robert Smith, Delaware State
After a 3-6 start to the season that included three games against power conference schools, Delaware State has won four games in a row. Two of those games came this week, and senior guard Robert Smith has led the way.
It didn’t start out like a week to remember for Smith, who only scored four points in the first half against Grambling State. The Hornets lead was just four at halftime, but Smith scored 12 points in the second half to give Delaware State a decisive 73-60 victory. He also tallied five rebounds and four assists.
Smith really lit up the scoreboard in a tough 83-80 win over Alabama State. When you look at the stats, you may be inclined to think that Delaware State had a great 3-point shooting night since the team shot 50% on 3s.
But, in actuality, almost all of that was Smith. He was 7 of 11 from behind the arc while the rest of the team hit just 2 of 7 from 3-point range.
That 3-point explosion gave Smith 26 points for the game, to go along with four rebounds and two assists. The 26 points were a point shy of Smith’s season high.
Smith is starting to find his shooting stroke. He’s hit three or more 3s in five of his last seven games after only hitting that many once in his first six games. The shooting is opening up his whole scoring arsenal and was the main reason for his Player of the Week Award.
Women’s HBCU Player of the Week: Lydia Freeman, Grambling State
Lydia Freeman has been an important player for Grambling State all season but took it to a whole new level on Wednesday.
Prior to Wednesday’s game, Freeman’s season-high in points was 14 and her season-high in rebounds was 10. Freeman blew past those numbers to the tune of 25 points and 20 rebounds in a 94-52 win over Arkansas Baptist. Thirteen of those rebounds were offensive, tied for the second-most in a game this season by any player in Division I.
Arkansas Baptist simply had no answer for Freeman down low as the primary option or cleaning up misses. Grambling State shot only 35.2% from the field but pulled down 37 offensive rebounds as a team, and Freeman was the biggest reason for that.
Only three players have a 25-point, 20-rebound game this season. The other two players who achieved this feat played at least 35 minutes. What makes Freeman’s game stand out is that she was able to accomplish this in just 19 minutes. So, she scored over a point a minute and pulled down over a rebound per minute.
Grambling State stopped an eight-game losing streak with the win Wednesday, the only game for the Lady Tigers until the calendar flips to 2025. Undoubtedly, Grambling State hopes it can take this version of Freeman into the new year.
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