Luzerne Times

Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference issued the following announcement on Jan. 10.

The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference announced the first men’s basketball athletes of the week in 2022. From the PSAC East, Kiyon Hardy of Shippensburg and Hunter Healy of Bloomsburg were picked, while in the PSAC West, Slippery Rock’s Frankie Hughes and Cal U’s Philip Alston were picked. 

Eastern Division

Athlete of the Week

Shippensburg

Kiyon Hardy

Guard

Senior

Philadelphia, Pa. / The Shipley School (Kutztown)

Shippensburg posted a home win over Seton Hill and a road win at Millersville to run its winning streak to seven straight and remain atop the PSAC East. Hardy led the team in scoring with 39 points (19.5 per game), including a career-high 20 points in the win over Seton Hill and 19 points in the win at Millersville. His previous career high entering the week was 19 points, achieved earlier this season, and he did that in both games this week. Overall, Hardy averaged 19.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 steals per game. Against Seton Hill, Hardy made three three-pointers, his most as a Raider, and a total that ties his career high. He also dished out six assists, grabbed three rebounds and two steals. Against Millersville, Hardy had 19 points, including 13 in the first half. It's his fifth game in double figures this season and the 20th such game of his career. He added six rebounds and two steals.

Defensive Athlete of the Week

Bloomsburg

Hunter Healy

Center

Freshman

Quakertown, Pa. / Bishop McDevitt

 

Bloomsburg’s Hunter Healy had a solid overall day in the Huskies’ 86-79 PSAC win over Lock Haven. Defensively, he led all players in blocks with three, while also forcing one steal. He narrowly missed a double-double with 15 points and eight rebounds, five of them defensive. To compliment his solid defensive numbers, he was 7-for-8 from the floor and 1-of-1 from downtown.

Western Division

Athlete of the Week

Slippery Rock

Frankie Hughes

Guard

Graduate Student

Cleveland, Ohio / Garfield Heights.

 

Slippery Rock men’s basketball standout Frankie Hughes turned in the top single-game performance by a PSAC West athlete of the season in The Rock’s lone game last week, a tight shorthanded four-point loss to Pitt-Johnstown. Hughes exploded for 44 points all the while making six steals on defense while being forced to take on defensive reasonability’s at point guard. Hughes went 16-of-26 from the field overall including a stellar 10-of-17 effort from 3-point range and a perfect 2-for-2 showing at the foul line. The 44 points are the fourth most scored by a player in Division II this year and the fifth highest total by a PSAC athlete over the last six seasons. The PSAC’s leader in 3-pointers scored 30 points in the second half against the Mountain Cats while connecting on 8-of-11 3-pointers in the final 20 minutes of SRU’s near comeback victory.

Defensive Athlete of the Week

Cal U

Philip Alston

Forward

Junior

Columbus, Ohio / Westerville North

 

Cal U’s Alston averaged 14.0 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game, as the Vulcans split a pair of home league contests. He also averaged 15.5 points per game while recording a pair of double-doubles. Alston tallied 14 rebounds and four blocks on Sunday, plus scored 20 points, on Sunday in an 81-64 victory over Kutztown. The Ohio native posted 14 rebounds and three blocks, while also scoring 11 points, in an 84-71 loss at two-time, defending-PSAC Champion IUP on Wednesday.

ABOUT THE PSAC

Headquartered in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference is an NCAA Division II Conference comprised of 18 institutions in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The member institutions are Bloomsburg University, California University of Pennsylvania, Clarion University, East Stroudsburg University, Edinboro University, Gannon University, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Kutztown University, Lock Haven University, Mansfield University, Mercyhurst University, Millersville University, The University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, Seton Hill University, Shepherd University, Shippensburg University, Slippery Rock University and West Chester University.

Original source can be found here.