A McDonald’s All-American and playoff heroes on FAB 50-ranked teams headline tenth and final group of Student Sports National Player of the Week honorees in . These honorees are chosen based on performances from games played from March. 3 – March 7 with some from earlier this week and are based on the same geographical breakdowns as our regional Top 20 team rankings.
RELATED: Updated FAB 50 National Rankings | East Top 20 | Midwest Top 20 | Southwest Top 20 | Southeast Top 20 | West Top 20
Student Sports National
Players of the Week
East
Karl Towns Jr. (St. Joseph, Metuchen, N.J.)
Since this is the last installment in this series for the season, we wanted to get at least one McDonald’s All-American in the mix and it’s Towns.
In a 101-75 win over Notre Dame of Lawrenceville last week in the South Jersey Non-Public A playoffs, Towns nearly racked up a quadruple-double with 24 points, 17 rebounds, 10 blocks and six assists. He has had quadruple-doubles before (we found two from last season) and is as skilled as a 6-foot-11 big man can be at a young age.
With the win, St. Joseph improved to 25-2 and could be a major factor in the few weeks as New Jersey crowns a Tournament of Champions champion.
Towns also will play in this year’s Jordan Brand Classic and has signed with Kentucky. He played in the 2012 Olympics for the Dominican Republic.
Southeast
Isaiah Wilkins (Greater Atlanta Christian, Norcross, Ga.)
A 6-foot-7 senior forward headed to Virginia, Wilkins came up big with 29 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks to lead GAC past Calhoun (Ga.) 58-55 in the Georgia Class AA state championship.
In leading his team to the win, Wilkins assured that the Spartans would end the season no lower than No. 11 in the final FAB 50 national rankings. They capped a 32-0 run, won their second straight state crown and will take a 49-game win streak into next year. It also was the seventh state title for head coach Eddie Martin.
Wilkins has been one of the top players in Georgia the last two years. He is the adopted son of NBA superstar Dominique Wilkins.
Midwest
Chris Howell (Rufus King, Milwaukee, Wis.)
It was a big week for Howell and the Generals, who moved up to No. 49 in this week’s FAB 50 national rankings.
First in the Division I sectional semifinals, he scored 13 second-half points (finished with 17 overall) as King (24-2) knocked off previously unbeaten and previous FAB 50 No. 26 Brookfield Central 77-74 in overtime.
Then in the sectional final, the 6-foot-4 senior forward went nuts with 37 points and pulled down 18 rebounds in a 87-78 victory against Case of Racine. Howell had 27 points in the second half of that game and made 17 of 19 free throws.
Southwest
Ty Lazenby (Glencoe, Okla.)
With his father, John, directing things from the bench as Glencoe’s head coach, Ty was the dominant figure on the court with 37 points in a 57-39 triumph over Kiowa in the Oklahoma Class A state championship.
Ty, a 6-foot-5 junior point guard who is getting Division I college interest despite Glencoe’s small school status, also led the Panthers to their second straight state title plus a 29-0 season record.
No matter what happens in Oklahoma’s other state finals, Glencoe will be the state’s only unbeaten team this season.
West
T.J. Haws (Lone Peak, Highland, Utah)
The 6-foot-3 guard who has signed with BYU (where his brother, Tyler, is now playing) knocked down a career-high eight 3-pointers and finished with 29 points to lead his team past Pleasant Grove 84-66 in the Class 5A state championship.
Pleasant Grove was a team that earlier had a win over the Knights, but on this night Haws and his teammates were on a mission. They were out to become Utah’s first four-time state champ and won their fourth straight impressively.
Earlier in the state tournament, Haws poured in 42 points in a Lone Peak win.
The team moved up to No. 46 in this week’s FAB 50, but has to be ranked behind Redondo of Redondo Beach, Calif., due to a head-to-head loss.