DALLAS – Old Dominion team captain B.J. Stith snagged his second Conference USA Player of the Week honor in a row after averaging 24 points and 12.5 boards in a pair of Monarch victories. Rising star Charles Bassey led the Topper charge in Fayetteville to guide WKU past the Hogs and net his third weekly award of the season. All C-USA weekly awards are presented by Top of the World. Awards are chosen by a vote from a media panel representing the 14 member schools.

Player of the Week
B.J. Stith, Old Dominion
RS-Senior, 6-5, 205, G, Lawrenceville, Va.
Stith led Old Dominion to two more big victories while averaging 24 points, 12.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1 block per game. For the week, he connected on 58.6% from the floor, 57.1% from three and 76.9 from the charity stripe. The redshirt senior is averaging 18.0 points and 8.8 rebounds per game (leads team) this season and has the Monarchs on a five-game winning-streak. It is the second C-USA weekly award in Stith’s decorated career.

Freshman of the Week
Charles Bassey, WKU
Freshman, 6-11, 245, C, Lagos, Nigeria
Bassey rose to the occasion on the big stage, averaging 19 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game in two road games, including crucial plays at the end of an upset win at Arkansas. The center shot 65 percent from the field across both games and shot 12-of-14 from the stripe (85.7 percent). Bassey recorded his fourth double-double at Missouri State with 17 points and 10 rebounds, but saved his best for WKU’s 78-77 win at Arkansas – leading the Hilltoppers with 21 points, nine rebounds and a career-high five blocks while going up against potential NBA lottery pick Daniel Gafford in front of double-digit scouts. Bassey’s blocks included swatting away Arkansas’ potential game-winner in the final seconds, and his lone assist was a toss out of a double team to teammate Marek Nelson for the winning basket with 19 seconds remaining. The win snapped the Razorbacks’ 28-game nonconference home winning streak, which was the longest active streak in the SEC. It is the third C-USA weekly award of Bassey’s budding career.