ST. LOUIS (USBWA) – The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has announced its selection of Morrisville State junior forward Kevin Dennis (Bronx, N.Y.) and senior forward Hannah Norlin (University of Wisconsin – Superior) as the Division III National Players of the Week for the week ending December 2.
Dennis, a 6-4 junior forward for the Mustangs had a stellar week on the court for Morrisville State, which included an NCAA-season-high (all divisions) and team-record 32 rebounds in a 91-89 double-overtime win against SUNY Polytechnic Institute on Saturday.
In that same contest, Dennis also scored a career-high 35 points (10-of-18 FG, 15-of-19 FT), including 12 in the two overtimes. He played 46 minutes and added three steals, two assists and two blocks while collecting 10 of his rebounds in the overtime sessions. Saturday's contest marked his fifth straight double-double this season.
"Kevin had a tremendous performance in a hard fought game against conference rival SUNY Polytechnic," head coach Joseph Smith said. "He is as good of a rebounder as I have ever coached."
Earlier in the week, Dennis recorded another double-double of 26 points (9-of-13 FG, 8-of-8 FT) and 11 rebounds in the Mustangs' (4-2) 78-63 loss to No. 12 (D3hoops.com) Middlebury. He added two assists, two blocks and a steal in that contest.
Overall, Dennis averaged 30.5 ppg, 21.5 rpg, and 2.0 assists, blocks and steals per game while shooting 61.3 percent (19-of-31) from the field and 85.2 percent (23-of-27) from the foul line. For his efforts, Dennis was also named the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) Player of the Week and was a D3hoops.com National Team of the Week selection at forward.
"Kevin is a great teammate and a fierce competitor and I am happy for him to receive this honor," Smith stated. "The team worked hard to get him the ball and because of that he was very effective for us across the week."
Dennis is the first Mustang in program history to nab the accolade; his double-double against Poly was also a school record for rebounds in a single game, while recording the highest total double-double for the program in NCAA history.
The criminal justice major at SUNY Morrisville is a graduate of Harry S. Truman High. He is the son of Monique Davis of the Bronx.
The U.S. Basketball Writers Association was formed in 1956 at the urging of then-NCAA Executive Director Walter Byers. With some 900 members worldwide, it is one of the most influential organizations in college basketball. It has selected an All-America team since the 1956-57 season.
Morrisville State College's curricula are enriched with applied learning and pave the way for opportunity at both the Morrisville and Norwich campuses. An action-oriented, interactive learning lab, the college is a national leader in technology and has been lauded for its exemplary, innovative and effective community service programs.
The college was ranked among the Best Regional Colleges in the North by U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges 2018 issue and was also recognized in the Top Public Schools, Regional Colleges North in the 2018 Best Colleges rankings. For more information about Morrisville State College, visit www.morrisville.edu.
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