We’ve partnered with Urban Edge Network to highlight the best players in HBCU Division I men’s and women’s basketball each week.
February is here and the chances to win an HBCU Player of the Week award are dwindling.
So, it was a bit mean that two players who have already won the award this year decided to dominate again this week and secure the award… again. But athletes of this quality are never satisfied.
Here are Opta Analyst’s HBCU Players of the Week.
Men’s Player of the Week: Blake Harper, Howard
Howard lost its only game in heartbreaking fashion this week, falling to Hampton 80-79 in overtime. However, it’s hard to imagine Harper could’ve done more.
The freshman finished with a career-high 35 points on 7-of-15 shooting. If you’re wondering how seven field goals got Harper to 35 points, the answer lies in the fact that he was 20 of 22 from the free-throw line.
The 20 free throws made were the second most by a Division I player this year, just behind Wisconsin guard John Tonje’s 21 against Arizona.
Harper played 42 minutes in the loss and it’s hard to describe how difficult it is for a player to keep his energy level high enough to constantly draw fouls while playing that many minutes in a game. Time and time again, Hampton couldn’t keep defenders in front of Harper, and he drew enough contact to get to the line. And he made over 90% of his free throws when he got there.
It was Harper’s late-game heroics that got the game to overtime in the first place. He completed a 3-point play with 57 seconds left to tie the game. Then, after Hampton’s Noah Farrakhan made a pair of free throws, Harper drove for the game-tying layup with 33 seconds left. A defensive stop by Howard forced the game into OT.
In overtime, Harper scored nine of Howard’s 10 points, all on free throws, but a free throw by Wayne Bristol Jr. with 8 seconds left gave Hampton the win.
There isn’t another freshman in the MEAC close to Harper’s level. He’s averaging 19.4 points and Maryland East Shore’s Kyrell Shaw is second among MEAC freshmen in scoring average at 7.2. In fact, Harper is third in the NCAA in scoring average among qualified freshmen.
Women’s Player of the Week: Laila Lawrence, Coppin State
Lawrence has been a volume scorer for Coppin State for most of her career, but she reached new heights this week.
In a dominating 90-57 over Delaware State, Lawrence was the best player on the floor. She had 31 points while no one else on either team had more than 15.
The 31 points were a career high and that’s saying a lot coming from the second-best scorer in the MEAC this year. Lawrence was efficient, too, shooting 11 of 20 from the field and only turning the ball over once. She added 11 rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
Turnovers have been the Achilles’ heel for Lawrence this year, but she was able to avoid them in this game. It was only the fourth time this season Lawrence had had one turnover or fewer. When she’s able to avoid turning the ball over, she becomes an even deadlier offensive player for the Eagles.
Coming off a close win at Morgan State, it would have been easy for Coppin State to have a let down at home against Delaware State. But Lawrence made sure that didn’t happen, as the Eagles vaulted to third in the MEAC with a 4-2 conference record.
If she can continue to take care of the ball and drive the offense, the Eagles will continue to be a factor in the MEAC down the stretch.
