The Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference announced its weekly award winners for the period of Monday, November 7 through Sunday, November 13 on Tuesday morning, and the Berkeley College basketball programs were well-represented. On the women's side, first-year standout Gianna Acosta was named the conference's Rookie of the Week, while men's sensations Stephon Jennings and Paul Johnson earned Honorable Mention praise.
Gianna Acosta was tabbed as the Rookie of the Week following her performances this past weekend against the University of Maine at Fort Kent and SUNY Delhi. In the Knights' defeat to the Bengals, the freshman forward put forth a very strong effort, as she knocked down seven of her 17 attempts from the floor (including 4-11 from three-point territory) and six of her seven shots from the charity stripe to finish with a game-high 24 points. She also grabbed seven rebounds as well.
A day later in Berkeley College's loss to SUNY Delhi, she was at it again, registering a game-high 26 points on nine-of-17 shooting. She also connected on all seven of her free throw attempts while posting a team-high six assists and grabbing four rebounds. Following the announcement of the award recipients, Head Coach Alex Kuchar, gave his thoughts.
"Gianna led us in every way possible this past weekend, so she is very deserving of his recognition," Kuchar said. "She is without question the heartbeat of our team, and I could not be more proud of her. I'm looking forward to seeing her continue to improve and establish herself as one of the better players in this conference."
Berkeley College's women's basketball team will return to action on Sunday afternoon, as the Knights will travel to King's Point, NY for a game against USMMA. Start-time for that contest is scheduled for 4:00pm.
Stephon Jennings earned a spot on the conference's Honor Roll list for his terrific performances this past weekend. In the Knights' come-from-behind victory over the Bengals, the senior standout posted a double-double, netting 17 points and 10 rebounds while recording three steals. A day later in Berkeley's 106-90 blowout win over the Broncos, Jennings posted another double-double, scoring 24 points and snatching 16 caroms.
Paul Johnson made a fantastic impression in his first two games as a Knight, as he scored eight points and dished a pair of assists in Berkeley's win over the University of Maine Fort Kent this past Saturday, and scored 23 points and snatched three rebounds in the Knights' 16-point win over SUNY Delhi. Head Coach Chris Christiansen had plenty of positive things to say about both student-athletes following the announcement of the awards.
"Stephon is a player that always gives 100 percent, and we love him for that," Christiansen said. "He leads by example through hard work, determination, and effort. As for Paul, I believe this young man is going to be an impact player for us very quickly. I was very impressed with the poise that he showed on the court. This team is a confident bunch, and they are very motivated by not only keeping the winning streak dating back to last season alive, but also by the goal of once again capturing Regional and National titles."
The men's basketball team will return to action on Saturday afternoon, as the Knights will travel to Media, PA to battle Central Penn in a rematch of the 2015-2016 USCAA National Championship game. Start-time is scheduled for 2:00pm.
