BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – For the second straight week the Lee men's basketball team has swept the Gulf South Conference East Weekly Awards after a two road wins at No. 5 Valdosta State.
Quay Kennedy was named the division's top player for the second consecutive week after scoring 48 points and pulling down 14 rebounds in Lee's sweep of the Blazers. Kennedy tallied nine of his 22 points on Saturday in the final two minutes to seal the 77-74 victory for the Flames.
"Quay continues to provide our team with consistency and leadership, and I thought he had a great weekend. He made some big plays down the stretch and made his free throws late with the game on the line," said Lee head coach Bubba Smith.
Makhi McGuire was named the GSC East Freshman of the Week for the second time this season after averaging 8.5 points and 3.5 rebounds last weekend in Valdosta.
"I thought as a team we shot the ball from three on Saturday the best we have all year. Makhi is a big part of that. He has NBA range and really stretches the defense," noted Smith. "We haven't had to rely on the three to score this year but needed it on Saturday and a lot of guys made some big ones, including Makhi. He also had a really good defensive weekend. He's improved each time we played this year and has shown a lot of growth on that side of the ball since last year," added Smith.
FINALLY AT HOME
After celebrating two huge road wins over previously unbeaten and 5th-ranked Valdosta State, the Lee men's basketball team will return to the playing court inside Walker Arena and host a home game for the first time since last March 3rd when Shorter University visits for the 7 p.m. tip.
"I was really proud of our guys and how we competed this past weekend," Smith remarked. "Getting two wins at Valdosta is difficult, and not many teams have done that. I think the bigger question now is how we handle a little success. We have to keep having a growth mindset and keep finding ways to improve, even with a quick turnaround."
The (4-1) Flames were scheduled to entertain Shorter (Dec. 16), Valdosta (Dec. 19) and University of Montevallo (Jan. 2&3) before COVID became a main player and forced postponements. The Shorter game marks the first of makeup dates. The Shorter Hawks are 1-3 and hold its only GSC victory over West Georgia (75-70). Defeats have come twice against Valdosta and once against West Georgia. This past weekend Shorter games with Auburn Montgomery were postponed due to COVID.
"We are excited to be playing in Walker Arena tomorrow. It has been a while. Even though it is with limited attendance, there is something about being in your own gym," explained Coach Smith. "Shorter is much improved. They have some playmakers that can win them games. They proved that against West Georgia. We must have the same defensive mindset we took into Valdosta. It is a game we have to be mentally and physically ready, prepare and play like we are on the road and eliminate distractions."
Hawk Leaders:
Six players have shared most of the minutes in its four contests. Senior guard Charles Botchway is the scoring leader with a 20.8 per game average and is playing over 36 minutes in each game. Sophomore guard Kelan Walker averages 16.5 scores per game. Another guard, sophomore Ricky Knight Jr. is also in double figures at 10.8 ppg. Junior guard Jay Shropshire (9 ppg), freshman forward Jaden Dunham (8.5 ppg) and senior guard Kendale Chambers Jr. (6.5 ppg) round out most of the scoring. Dunham is a top rebounder (6.8 rpg). In just two appearances, redshirt junior Ja'Cori Wilson (7.0 rpg) and junior forward Bentley Grove is a main force on the glass (4.8 rpg) in four starts.
Flame Leaders:
After five games and averaging almost 30 minutes per contest, Kennedy is scoring (20.4 ppg) and (5.6 rpg). He's shooting 46% from the field and making a solid 81% of his free throws, including two freebies that helped ice wins overs over Valdosta this past weekend. Sophomore Beyuan Hendricks stands at (12.3 ppg) in Lee's balanced scoring. Back from last-season surgery, redshirt junior Michael McGuirk is at (10.6 ppg), redshirt sophomore Jayce Willingham (9.2 ppg), redshirt freshman McGuire (8 ppg) and senior forward Jason Landman (6.8 ppg). McGuirk is also the leader on the glass (6.8 rpg) while Kennedy pulls down (5.6 rpg) and Willingham (5.2 rpg). The Flames are shooting almost 46% from the field and holding opponents to 43%. They are also knocking down over 76% of their charity tosses and outrebounding opponents by an average of 37.2 to 32.6. The GSC competition is strong as shown by the Flames outscoring their foes 73.20 to 69.80 over five games.
Looking at GSC standings:
Montevallo is the only unbeaten team in the GSC but they have only played one game as the league continues to struggle with COVID testing issues. The Flames (4-1) jumped in the standings with a pair of wins over Valdosta State over the weekend. Valdosta drops to 6-2. West Florida, which visits Lee this weekend, stands at 2-3, West Georgia 2-5 and Auburn Montgomery 1-3 to wrap up the East side of the conference.
In the West Division, Alabama Huntsville is off to a 6-0 conference start. West Alabama follows at 3-1 while Union is 5-3. Christian Brothers, Delta State and Mississippi College are winless.
