Atkins Earns Fourth ECC Defensive Player of the Week Honor

1/8/2024 3:32:00 PM

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

AMHERST, N.Y. – Joey Atkins (Watervliet, N.Y.) of the Daemen University men's basketball team has been honored by the East Coast Conference for his play in recent games. Atkins was selected as the ECC Men's Basketball Defensive Player of the Week for games played between Jan. 1-7. The announcement of award winners was made via the league's weekly sport report, which was released this afternoon.

It marks the fourth time this season that Atkins has collected the award. It is also the seventh time in his career that Atkins has collected a weekly honor from the ECC. He was named the ECC Player of the Week once and ECC Defensive Player of the Week twice last year. It also marks the eighth time this season a Daemen player has been selected for a major weekly award. Senior Justin Hemphill (Buffalo, N.Y.) is a one-time Player of the Week and two-time Defensive Player of the Week honoree, while senior Nick MacDonald (Amherst, N.Y.) earned Player of the Week honors today.

Atkins headed up a defense that limited its two opponents to just 105 points (52.5 per game) and 32-percent shooting from the field (40-of-126) in a pair of Daemen. He averaged 11.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 2.0 steals over the two games. A graduate student forward, he totaled 18 points, nine rebounds (eight defensive), two blocks, and two steals in a 71-55 win over 18th-ranked Post, the fewest points scored by the Eagles this season. He followed up with six points, two blocks, and two steals in limited minutes in a 90-50 win over Cheyney.

Atkins has started all 16 this season and is averaging 11.3 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. He also leads the ECC in blocks (27) and ranks second in steals (26). Atkins began his career at Jefferson University and has spent the past three seasons with the Wildcats. A first-team All-ECC selection last year and the 2023-24 ECC Preseason Player of the Year, he has started every game over the past two seasons and has totaled 644 points, 387 rebounds and 118 blocks over his career.

Daemen (12-4, 2-1 ECC) has won four-straight (and 11 of its last 13) games and is ranked fifth in the East Region by the D2 College Sports Communicators (D2CSC). The Wildcats return to action this weekend when the host they College of Staten Island (Jan. 12) and the University of the District of Columbia (Jan. 14) in ECC games.

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.

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