Tuesday, February 08, 2011

MACON, Ga. – Markeith Cummings moved to the precipice of a scoring milestone in leading Kennesaw State to a win against Campbell while Stetson’s Corey Walden all-around week culminated with a game-winning basket against ETSU. Cummings won his third career Atlantic Sun Player of the Week award and Walden picked up his first Newcomer of the Week honor, the conference announced on Tuesday.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Markeith Cummings, Kennesaw State (Guard – So. – Birmingham, Ala. – Human Services)

• Third A-Sun Player of the Week award; First this year
• Scored a season-high 31 points on Monday, lifting the Owls to a 78-64 against Campbell
• Netted 17 points in the second half, including a perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line
• Totaled six assists, also a game-high; added six rebounds and three steals
• The performance was his ninth of the season in which he scored 20 or more points and his third 30-plus point performance of his career
• Enters the week just 13 points away from becoming the 12th player at Kennesaw State and the 135th player in A-Sun history to reach the 1,000-point mark

OTHER NOMINEES:

• Torrey Craig (Fr., USC Upstate) - Hit five second-half treys and finished with a game-high 20 points in a 72-59 win at Stetson; Pulled down 14 rebounds for his fourth career double-double; Averaged 14.5 ppg and 10.0 rpg
• Kerron Johnson (So., Belmont) - Averaged 11.0 ppg, 3.0 apg, and 2.5 spg as Belmont defeated Jacksonville and UNF; Tied his career high with a team-high 15 points at Jacksonville
• Russell Powell (So., Jacksonville) - His 13 points against Lipscomb featured three 3-pointers - the first time he hit multiple 3-pointer in a game; Averaged 12.5 ppg for the week
• Josh Slater (Sr., Lipscomb) - Set a Lipscomb NCAA-era record with eight steals at UNF; nearly post a triple-double (20 points, 10 rebounds, and seven steals) against Jacksonville

NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK:
Corey Walden, Stetson (Guard – Fr. – Ormond Beach, Fla. – General Studies)

• First A-Sun Newcomer of the Week award
• Led Stetson to upset win against ETSU Sunday by scoring winning basket in final seconds
• Became first Hatter since 2001 to play all 40 minutes of a game
• Led team in scoring with 15 points, rebounding with nine and steals with six
• Established career highs in rebounds and steals against the Buccaneers
• Distributed nine assists, had four steals and scored 13 points against USC Upstate

OTHER NOMINEES:

• Keith McDougald (Fr., Jacksonville) - Led JU with 15 points against Belmont - his second-straight game in double figures; scored seven points, grabbed six rebounds against Lipscomb
• Parker Smith (So., UNF) - Scored a UNF career-high 30 points including four three-pointers in a two-point loss to Belmont; Became first UNF player to score 30 points in exactly five years
• Christophe Varidel (Fr., FGCU) - Extended double figure streak to 10 with a game-high 19 against ETSU and 14 in a 32-point win against USC Upstate - FGCU’s largest in D-I history

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The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts five of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.