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

A very early analysis

The samplings are too thin for any rushing to issue judgements and bellowing proclamations but here are a few names and how they are performing so far:

New Mexico State's Banja Sy is being counted on to play with consistency this season, given the absence of Wendell McKines, but the results to date aren't solid.

* 31 minutes with three points and three boards versus Bucknell
* 34 minutes with five points and 10 boards versus SE LA
* 38 minutes with 12 points and nine boards versus Oregon St.

Sy is shooting 26% overall, 15% from long distance

As for Chili Nephawe:

* 19 minutes with zero points and two boards versus Bucknell
* 20 minutes with eight points and zero rebounds versus SE LA
* 22 minutes with nine points and seven boards versus Oregon State

Nephawe is shooting 36% overall and averaging three rebounds a game.

New Mexico State won't be able to maintain its usual high WAC ranking without these two stepping up. 

+++++

San Jose State University's James Kinney is leading the Spartans in scoring at 22 points per game but his ability to produce points isn't a question. Doing so efficiently is. Kinney is shooting 43% overall, 32% from long distance and is underwater in assist-to-turnover ration with 5/10.

Last season, he finished at 41% overall shooting, 40% from three-point range with 85/92 assist-to-turnover numbers.

What also deserves noting that Kinney is averaging just under 6.7 rebounds a contest.

+++++

Texas State's Joel Wright, a  6-foot-7 JC newcomer, sits at 22 points and just under eight boards a game, with more offensive rebounds than defensive to date.

+++++

Seattle's 6-foot-7 Deshaun Sunderhaus, a redshirt freshman, is tops in scoring and rebounding for the Redhawks with 11.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. On a team shooting just 36%, he's at 53%.

PTW will rustle up a few more surprising -- good and bad -- for other WAC players in the next few days.