Hemphill Named ECC Defensive Player of the Week

1/9/2023 3:58:00 PM

By: CONTACT: Tom McDermott, Director of Athletics Communications | tmcdermo@daemen.edu

AMHERST, N.Y. – Justin Hemphill (Buffalo, N.Y.) of the Daemen University men's basketball team has been honored by the East Coast Conference for his play last week. Hemphill was selected the ECC Men's Basketball Defensive Player of the Week for games played Jan. 2-8. The announcement of award winners was made via the league's weekly sport report, which was released this afternoon. It marks the first time in Hemphill's three-year career that he has collected a weekly honor from the league.

It also marks the second-straight week that Daemen has produced the ECC Defensive Player of the Week, as redshirt senior Joey Atkins (Watervliet, N.Y.) collected the honor last week.

Hemphill helped Daemen limit its two opponents to 40-percent shooting (50-125) and an average of 63.0 points over two games. He totaled six points, a team-high nine rebounds (6 defensive) and a block in a 59-51 win at regionally-ranked Franklin Pierce and capped the week with 10 points, a team-high six rebounds, a career-high three blocks and two steals in a 79-75 win over Staten Island. He totaled 16 points and a team-high 15 rebounds over the two games.

A product of Cardinal O'Hara High School, Hemphill has proven to be a solid sixth man this season. Sidelined by injury most of his first two seasons, he has played in 14 of 15 games this season and is averaging 18 minutes off the bench. He scored a career-high 16 points in a win over Cheyney and totaled 13 points and a career-high 11 rebounds during a win over Alliance en route to his first career double-double. He is tied for the team lead in offensive rebounds (34), ranks second in total rebounds per game (5.9) and is averaging 7.2 points. He also ranks third on the team in steals (15).

Daemen stands at 9-6 overall and 2-3 in the ECC. The Wildcats closed out their non-conference schedule with an 88-74 win over Assumption this afternoon and have won six of their last seven games. Daemen returns to conference play Wednesday (Jan. 11) when it hosts rival Roberts Wesleyan.

Daemen University features the premier NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 17 intercollegiate teams. For the latest information on Daemen Athletics, follow the Wildcats via social media on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, or sign up to receive customizable news alerts, e-mail newsletters and weekly schedule alerts.

Follow the Daemen University men's basketball program on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @DaemenMBB.

Print Friendly Version