SUNO, Oakwood, Virgin Islands win Week 9 HBCUAC MBB Weekly Awards

NEW ORLEANS - December 23, 2024 - Southern University at New Orleans men's basketball player Jamal Gibson garners Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week. Chase Jackson of Oakwood University takes home Freshman of the Week and Amayoa'ah Phillips of the University of the Virgin Islands claims Newcomer of the Week. The athletes were recognized for their performances from December 16-22, the conference announced on Monday.

Gibson helped lead the Knights to a 3-0 record at their home HBCUAC Crossover, capped by a 70-58 victory over first-place Stillman College. He scored a season-high 31 points and tallied a career-high four assists. Defensively, he provided 27 rebounds with 18 on defense, three steals and two blocks.  On Friday, Gibson provided 18 points and topped his career-high with five assists against National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I school Northwestern State University. He added 11 rebounds with eight defensive, three steals and a block. His performance aided SUNO in nearly overcoming a 20-point deficit. Gibson ranks second in the HBCUAC and fifth in the nation with 4.7 offensive rebounds per game. He leads the HBCUAC with 23.4 points per game during conference play. This is Gibson's fifth and sixth weekly honor.

Jackson supplied 10 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals in Oakwood's HBCUAC Crossover finale against Tougaloo College on Monday. He finished the first half of the season with 60 points, 20 steals - which ranks in the top 15 of the HBCUAC - and two blocks.

Phillips recorded his second and third consecutive 20-plus scoring games, helping the Buccaneers split their final games of the HBCUAC Crossover. He scored 25 points on seven made shots and contributed four rebounds and two assists in a 72-68 win over Wilberforce. Against Rust College, Phillips scored 24 points while contributing three rebounds, three steals and two assists. He ranks fourth in the conference with 19.7 points per game.

Additional men's basketball weekly nominees: Trevontay Alford (Wilberforce), Willie Anderson (Tougaloo), Jalen Bates (Wiley), Jordan Bell (Oakwood), Donte Briggs (SUNO), Derek Burditt (Talladega), Tory Cargo (Dillard), Doyel Cockrill III (Fisk), Cortez Collins (Wiley), Cali Davis (Wilberforce), Jordan Ealey (Tougaloo), Keshawn Evans (Voorhees), Calvin Finch Jr. (Stillman), Tayvion Fisher (Wiley), Gavin Harris (SUNO), Jalil Langston (Virgin Islands), Antonio Patterson (Tougaloo), Corey Sands (Talladega), Jaylon Taylor (Stillman), Arthur Williams (Talladega)

2024-25 Men's Basketball Players of the Week

-HBCUAC-

About HBCU Athletic Conference
The HBCU Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) is the only HBCU conference in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The HBCUAC membership includes Dillard University (LA), Fisk University (TN), Oakwood University (AL), Philander Smith University (AR), Rust College (MS), Southern University at New Orleans (LA), Stillman College (AL), Talladega College (AL), Tougaloo College (MS), University of the Virgin Islands (St. Thomas), Voorhees University (SC), Wilberforce University (OH), and Wiley University (TX). HBCUAC sponsors championships in men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's track and field, women's volleyball, softball, and baseball. In 2022, the HBCUAC secured the largest media rights deal in conference and NAIA history, signing a multimillion-dollar deal with Urban Edge Network. On July 1, 2024, the conference rebranded from the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) to the HBCU Athletic Conference, marking a new era for the conference that embodies the makeup of its membership. For more information, visit hbcuac.org.