TSWA names college players of the week - Feb. 13

February 13, 2024 Forrest Freeman

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – John Zhao continues to put up big numbers for Carson-Newman and, in this past week, he was electric, leading the Eagles to a pair of victories and earning the nod for the Tennessee Sports Writers Association’s Men’s Basketball Player of the Week.

Zhao, a junior guard from Sevierville, averaged 28.0 points and 9.0 rebounds as C-N put together two road victories at Mars Hill and Lenoir-Rhyne. Against Lenoir-Rhyne, Zhao had 33 points and eight rebounds as he shot 11-for-15 from the field, including seven 3-pointers, for his fourth 30-point game of his career.

He also recorded his first career double-double in the victory over Mars Hill, collecting 23 points and 10 rebounds.

On the season, Zhao is averaging 20.6 points and 5.1 rebounds.

On the women’s side, Lipscomb junior guard Claira McGowan collected the Women’s Basketball Player of the Week honor after an incredible week, averaging 27 points and 10 rebounds with victories over North Florida and Jacksonville.

McGowan, a Murfreesboro product, set Lipscomb’s NCAA-era single-game scoring record with 37 points in the Bisons’ double-overtime win over North Florida. She also collected her first career double-double against Jacksonville with 17 points and 11 rebounds.

For the week, McGowan shot 55 percent from the floor and 87 percent from the line, while she is currently averaging 15.7 points and 5.5 rebounds in Atlantic Sun play.

College players of the week honored - Feb. 6

February 6, 2024 Forrest Freeman

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Jordan Sears was a force for UT Martin this week as the Ohio Valley Conference’s scoring leader continued to put up big numbers, earning the nod for the Tennessee Sports Writers Association’s Men’s Basketball Player of the Week.

Sears, a Daytona Beach, Fla., native, put together 59 points in two games this week, leading UTM to a 76-59 win at Eastern Illinois and a 90-79 win at SIUE. He was efficient from the field, shooting 15-of-29 from the floor (.517) and nearly perfect at the line with 21 makes on 25 tries.

The junior guard tied his career high in scoring with a 34-point outing against the Cougars, adding six assists, four rebounds and three steals. Two nights earlier, Sears had 25 points, six rebounds and five assists against the Panthers.

On the women’s side, Sewanee sophomore guard Olivia Falvey picked up her second and third double-doubles of the season, averaging 24.0 points and 11.0 rebounds on the week.

Falvey, a Boston product, recorded a career-high 26 points and 10 rebounds in an 85-80 loss to Millsaps. She knocked down four 3-pointers and went 6-for-7 at the free-throw line.

In an 81-77 victory over Birmingham-Southern on Sunday, Falvey scored 22 points and pulled down 12 rebounds. For the week, she also had seven assists and a steal.

Memphis sweeps TSWA's college football player, coach of the year awards

February 5, 2024 Forrest Freeman

NASHVILLE – The Memphis Tigers turned in one of their best seasons in program history, and that combination has coach Ryan Silverfield and his quarterback, Seth Henigan, collecting honors as the Tennessee Sports Writers Association’s 2023 college football coach and player of the year.

The awards announced Monday come after Memphis went 10-3 and capped only the fifth 10-win season in program history with a 36-26 win over Iowa State in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.

Silverfield now has 31 victories, second-most in program history for a Memphis coach in his first four seasons. That mark also ties for fourth nationally among head coaches hired in 2020. He had nine Tigers earn All-American Athletic Conference honors, led by running back Blake Watson and linebacker Chandler Martin, most for Memphis since 2019.

Henigan set Memphis records, completing 318 of his 476 passes and tied the Tigers’ mark for completion percentage at .668. He threw for 3,883 yards and 32 touchdowns while also running for five scores. He was named MVP of the Liberty Bowl after throwing four TD passes and running for another. The bowl win marked Memphis’ fourth straight bowl victory.

He also became the program’s career leader with 838 completions and 10,773 yards passing.

Past winners of the TSWA football coach and player of the year awards may be found at https://www.tswaonline.com/alltime-playerscoaches-of-year.

TSWA recognizes college players of the week - Jan. 30

January 30, 2024 Forrest Freeman

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – John Zhao had an incredible week for Carson-Newman as he averaged 32 points across two games last week, leading the Eagles to a pair of victories and this week’s selection as the Tennessee Sports Writers Association’s Men’s Basketball Player of the Week.

In a 106-99 overtime win over Emory and Henry, the junior guard from Sevierville led all scorers with 38 points as he went 15-for-17 from the field and 8-for-9 from 3-point range. The point tally was the seventh-most in program history, while also matching the Eagles’ single-game record for 3-point percentage at an 88.9 completion rate.

He followed that performance up leading all scorers again as C-N defeated Coker 120-81 in a matchup between two 7-3 teams in the South Atlantic Conference. Zhao was efficient once again, knocking down 11 of his 14 shots, while also pulling down seven boards.

On the women’s side, UT Martin sophomore forward Anaya Brown was selected as the women’s player of the week as she averaged a double-double with a 13.5-point and 12.5-rebound pace for the week, while also collecting seven blocks and two assists.

The Lexington, Ky., native recorded 14 points and 20 rebounds in a 52-44 victory over Ohio Valley Conference foe Southeast Missouri, becoming only the third Skyhawk player in program history to collect 20 or more caroms in a single game. It was the highest total by an OVC student-athlete this season, earning an ‘Elite Performance’ nod by the NCAA.

Brown continued her double-double effort with 13 points and 12 rebounds as she played all 40 minutes in a 73-68 loss to Lindenwood.

College players of the week announced - Jan. 23

January 23, 2024 Forrest Freeman

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – King University freshman Mikhail Pocknett picked up his second straight double-double in as many games as the Wilmington, N.C., native earned this week’s Tennessee Sports Writers Association Men’s Basketball Player of the Week honor for the week of Jan. 15-21.

Against Barton, Pocknett scored 27 points in the contest, while also collecting 11 rebounds. He also set a new personal best in blocked shots with four. Pocknett shot 11-for-23 from the field and also went 5-for-7 at the free-throw line in 37 minutes of action.

The game was his third double-double of the season.

For the season, the freshman is leading the Tornado with a 16.1-point, 6.9-rebound average, collecting 21 assists, 25 steals and 14 blocks to go along with his .449 shooting percentage.

On the women’s side, Tennessee Tech sophomore Reghan Grimes earned the player of the week nod after scoring a career-best 31 points on an efficient shooting night in the Golden Eagles’ lone action of the week in a 86-81 victory at Tennessee State.

The Nashville native shot 10-for-15 from the floor, including one 3-pointer, while she also hit 10 of her 11 tosses at the free-throw line. In addition to her first career double-double, Grimes also collected four assists and had two steals in the conference victory.

The 31 points is the most scored by a Tech player this season and becomes the first Golden Eagle to score that or better since Jordan Brock against UT Martin on Feb. 6, 2021.