James Kinney named WAC POW

San Jose State’s James Kinney has been named the Western Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Dec. 3-9.

Kinney, a senior guard from Champaign, Ill. (Eastern Utah), led the Spartans to a pair of wins last week. He scored 27 points with five rebounds, four steals and two assists in a 73-64 road win at UC Davis. He followed up that effort with a 20-point, six-rebound performance in a 62-57 win at home against Sacramento State. Kinney has now scored 20 or more points in six of San Jose State’s eight games this season, including. He has scored 20 or more points in five straight games. He had six three-point field goals on the week, which gives him 106 for his career, tying him for 10th all-time at SJSU.

On the week, Kinney averaged 23.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 3.0 steals per game. He shot 42.9 percent (18-of-42) from the field, 33.3 percent (6-of-18) from three-point range, and 62.5 percent (5-of-8) from the free throw line.

Other nominees:

* Denver sophomore forward Royce O’Neale scored 22 points with five rebounds in a win over Mercer

* Idaho junior guard/forward Stephen Madison scored 29 points with 10 rebounds in an overtime win at Eastern Washington

* Louisiana Tech sophomore guard Kenneth Smith tallied 14 assists and 11 steals over two games last week

* New Mexico State senior forward Bandja Sy recorded an 11-point, 14-rebound double-double in a win at South Alabama

* UTSA senior guard Kannon Burrage tallied 40 points over two games

* Texas State senior forward Matt Staff scored 21 points with seven rebounds in a win over Texas-Pan American

* Utah State freshman guard Marcel Davis scored 21 points and pulled down five rebounds in a win over Western Oregon