Tuesday, February 15, 2011

MACON, Ga. – Mike Smith capped his career at the ETSU/MSHA Athletic Center with a career-best scoring performance to earn his fourth Atlantic Sun Player of the Week honor while Campbell’s Eric Griffin established a scoring high against Belmont to earn his first Newcomer of the Week honor, the conference announced on Tuesday.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Mike Smith, ETSU (Guard – Sr. – Vandalia, Mo. – Business)

• Fourth A-Sun Player of the Week award this year
• Averaged 25 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in home wins vs Jacksonville and UNF
• Set a career high for points in the Senior Day win against UNF, finishing with 29 points
• Collected a double-double against the Ospreys, grabbing 11 rebounds
• Scored 17 against Jacksonville and 18 against UNF in the first halves of those games
• Shot 49 percent from the floor, 38 percent from 3-point range, and 81 percent from the line

OTHER NOMINEES:

• Ian Clark (So., Belmont) - Scored a season-high 21 points on 8-for-11 shooting in leading Belmont past Campbell; Had a hand in 12 of points during a 19-2 run to close the game
• LaDaris Green (So., Kennesaw State) - Collected back-to-back double-doubles and made a game-winning shot to help the Owls triumph past Stetson
• Brian Mills (Sr., Mercer) - Strung together two games with 20 or more points last week to lead Mercer to home wins vs Stetson and FGCU
• Mezie Uzochukwu (Sr., USC Upstate) - Finished with a season-best 16 points as he fueled a Spartan rally against UNF; Shot 72.7 percent from the floor (8-11)

NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK:
Eric Griffin, Campbell (Guard – Jr. – Orlando, Fla. – Education)

• First A-Sun Newcomer of the Week award
• Scored career-high 28 points with four boards, two blocks and three steals vs Lipscomb
• Made career-best six 3-point field goals, in seven attempts, and went 8-of-12 overall
• Had 17 points, 11 rebounds, a career-high five blocks and two steals against Belmont
• Ranks among A-Sun leaders in scoring (13.4), rebounding (6.8), blocks (52) and FG Pct (.496)

OTHER NOMINEES:

• Aloys Cabell (Fr., Jacksonville) - Scored a career-high 12 points in the win at USC Upstate; Totaled five points, one assist, one steal, and two rebounds at ETSU
• Torrey Craig (Fr., USC Upstate) - Posted back-to-back double figure games against UNF and Jacksonville; Also finished with 10 rebounds vs the Ospreys, securing his fifth double-double

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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.