By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – For the third time in the 2015-16 season, the Tennessee Tech men's basketball placed a representative of the team among the Ohio Valley Conference's weekly awards as junior guard Hakeem Rogers took home adidas OVC co-Newcomer of the Week honors Monday afternoon.
A transfer from Casper College, Rogers exploded offensively for the Golden Eagles over their past two contests, averaging 20 points per game while hitting 53.3 percent from 3-point range and 52.0 percent from the field. He also sunk all six of his free throw attempts while averaging just 23.5 minutes off the bench.
At Chattanooga, the junior guard dropped a career-high 21 points, connecting on 5-of-8 attempts from beyond the arc while also notching two steals and his first career block. He shot 57.1 percent from the field and 62.5 percent from downtown.
In Tech's win over Miami (Ohio), Rogers played a key role in the team's rally from a 12-point deficit. The Elizabeth, N.J. native scored 19 points on 45.5 percent shooting, including a 3-fo-7 performance from outside the arc. He corralled two rebounds and posted two more steals while sinking all six of his free throw attempts.
On the year, Rogers is averaging 9.6 points off the bench and owns an incredible 90.5 free throw percentage. He leads Tech in 3-point shooting, hitting 38.6 percent of his attempts through 12 games this season.
Rogers joins seniors Torrance Rowe and Ryan Martin as winners of weekly honors from the Ohio Valley Conference. Rowe captured OVC Player of the Week accolades (Nov. 30) while Martin took home OVC Newcomer of the Week honors twice already, (Nov. 30 & Dec. 7).
Tech will round out its non-conference slate Tuesday evening with a 7:30 p.m. CST match-up at Iowa.
Photo by Andy Mitchell
