Samuels Selected as GNAC Player of the Week
WINTHROP, Mass. - After helping power the University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's basketball team to a perfect 2-0 start to the 2023-24 campaign, senior forward Jalen Samuels (Franklin, Mass.) was selected as the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Player of the Week, it was announced by the conference front office Monday afternoon in its first weekly report of the 2023-24 season. It marks the first career GNAC weekly honor for Samuels and the first weekly accolade for the Blue Jays this season.
Samuels filled up the stat sheet in the Blue Jays' first two games of the season, averaging 18.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 2.0 blocks, and 1.5 steals in 28.0 minutes of floor time per contest, to earn his first career GNAC Player of the Week nod. The reigning two-time GNAC Defensive Player of the Year was efficient offensively in the team's first two contests, connecting on 57.7% (15-26) of his shot attempts from the field. The senior forward opened the 2023-24 slate with 17 points (8-12 FG, 1-6 FT), four rebounds, two blocks, an assist and a steal in a thrilling 83-79 victory over Yeshiva at home on Wednesday night (Nov. 8). The Franklin, Mass. product followed that up with a career-high 20 points (7-14 FG, 1-2 3FG, 5-9 FT) to go along with six boards, three assists, two steals, and two blocks to help propel the Blue Jays past the NESCAC's nationally-ranked No. 24 Middlebury, 68-62, on the road Saturday afternoon (Nov. 11).
UP NEXT
Samuels and the USJ men's basketball team return home for another challenging matchup, welcoming Nichols College to James A. Calhoun Gymnasium on Tuesday, November 14. Tipoff between the Blue Jays and Bison is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. in West Hartford, Conn. Tickets to attend Tuesday night's contest can be purchased in advance online by visiting www.usjbluejays.com/tickets.
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