SPARTANBURG, S.C. – VMI senior Jake Stephens has been named the Southern Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week presented by GEICO for all contests from Jan. 10-16 after posting career highs in points and rebounds and averaging 27 points, 14 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.5 blocks in a pair of league contests. The award is selected by the league office.
 
Stephens opened his week with a career-high 34 points in a 97-91 setback at Mercer on Thursday, going 13-for-20 from the floor (.650). The 6-11 center was 6-for-7 (.857) from 3-point range on the day and hit both of his free-throw attempts. Stephens added seven rebounds, two assists and a blocked shot in 37 minutes of action.
 
The Bunker Hill, West Virginia, native had another career effort at archrival The Citadel on Saturday, scoring 20 points and pulling down a career-best 21 rebounds, the most by a SoCon player this season and tied for seventh on the NCAA Division I game-high list this season. Stephens, who played all but two minutes, added five assists and four blocked shots in VMI’s 90-85 road win.
 
For the week, Stephens shot 55.9 percent from the floor (19-for-34), 70 percent from 3-point range (7-for-10) and 75 percent from the free-throw line (9-for-12).
 
The player of the week award is Stephens’s third of the season (Dec. 13, Jan. 3).
 
After a stretch of three of four on the road, VMI returns to Cameron Hall for a two-game homestand this week. The Keydets (10-8, 3-3 SoCon) host Samford (11-6, 1-4) on Thursday at 7 p.m. before welcoming league-leading Chattanooga (14-4, 4-1) on Saturday at 1 p.m. in the Ingles SoCon Game of the Week on select Nexstar affiliates.
 
Other nominees: Jason Roche (The Citadel), David Sloan (ETSU), Conley Garrison (Furman), Jalen Johnson (Mercer), De’Monte Buckingham (UNCG), Jaden Campbell (Samford), Malachi Smith (Chattanooga), Vonterius Woolbright (Western Carolina) and B.J. Mack (Wofford).
 
2021-22 SoCon Men’s Basketball Players of the Week presented by GEICO
Nov. 15             Mike Bothwell, Sr., G, Furman
Nov. 22             Malachi Smith, So., G, Chattanooga
Nov. 29             Max Klesmit, So., G, Wofford
Dec. 6              Jalen Slawson, Sr., F, Furman
Dec. 13             Jake Stephens, Sr., C, VMI
Dec. 20             Malachi Smith, So., G, Chattanooga
Dec. 27             Ques Glover, So., G, Samford
Jan. 3               Jake Stephens, Sr., C, VMI
Jan. 10             Malachi Smith, So., G, Chattanooga
Jan. 17             Jake Stephens, Sr., C, VMI