DALLAS – After stuffing the turkey… I mean stat sheet in the Big Apple with a 25.8 scoring average across four contests, FIU junior guard Brian Beard, Jr. secured his second career C-USA weekly award. C-USA Freshman of the Week incumbent Charles Bassey successfully defended his seat with a double-double average and all-tournament honors at the Myrtle Beach Invitational. All C-USA weekly awards are presented by Top of the World Headwear.  
 
Player of the Week
Brian Beard, Jr., FIU
Junior, 5-10, 180, G, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
Beard, Jr. recorded a career week, while helping FIU to a 3-1 record, including a 2-1 ledger at the Johnny Bach Classic at Fordham University in the Bronx, New York. Beard, Jr. averaged 25.8 points in the four games along with 7.8 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 3.5 steals. Beard, Jr. poured in a career-high 36 points in FIU’s win over Youngstown State on 69.2 percent (9-of-13) from the field, 40 percent (2-of-5) from three-point range and 80 percent (16-for-20) from the charity stripe. The night before, against Columbia, he recorded his second-career double-double with a 26-point and career-high 10-rebound effort along with six rebounds and three steals. He scored 22 points in the tournament opener in addition to his team-high six rebounds, seven assists and six steals. He began the week with a 19-point, seven-assist night against Milwaukee. It is Beard Jr.’s second career C-USA weekly award (Feb. 5, 2018).

Freshman of the Week
Charles Bassey, WKU
Freshman, 6-11, 245, C, Lagos, Nigeria
Bassey was named to the All-Tournament team for the Myrtle Beach Invitational after averaging 15.3 points and 10.3 rebounds in WKU’s run to the championship game. Bassey shot 51.7 percent from the field and netted 15 of 25 free throws, while also recording five blocks and four steals in the week. He had 13 points and a career-high 15 rebounds on Friday against top-25 West Virginia, winning the post battle against First Team All-Big 12 center Sagaba Konate. In Sunday’s title game loss to UCF, Bassey scored a career-high 25 points on 10-of-18 shooting and gobbled up 10 rebounds. He scored WKU’s first 11 points of the game, including his first 3-pointer, and had 18 points before the break. Coming into Sunday, Bassey ranked third in the country among freshmen for rebounds per game. It is Bassey’s second career weekly award.
 
C-USA Players of the Week
N12:      Jon Davis, Charlotte
N19:      Brian Beard, Jr., FIU
 
C-USA Freshmen of the Week
N12:      Charles Bassey, WKU
N19:      Charles Bassey, WKU