Strong Claims Third ODAC Player of the Week Prize
Greensboro, N.C. (1/2/06) -- Guilford College's Ben Strong won the Old Dominion Athletic Conference's Men's Basketball Player of the Week Award Tuesday, league officials announced. Strong, a junior center, won the award for the third time this season and the sixth time in his career. He also received Guilford's Student-Athlete of the Week prize, presented by the school's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), for the third time this year.
Strong averaged 26.5 points and 13.0 rebounds per game in Guilford's wins Dec. 18 and Dec. 30. He tallied 12 points, nine rebounds and three blocks in the Quakers' 70-58 home triumph over Shenandoah University Dec. 18. Strong established career highs with 41 points, 17 rebounds, 17 field goals and four assists in Guilford's 108-102 double-overtime victory at Methodist University Dec. 30. His 41 points marked the most by a Guilford student in the school's NCAA Division III history.
Strong leads the ODAC in scoring (23.4 ppg.), rebounding (10.8 rpg.) and blocked shots (2.8 bpg.). He has five double-doubles through Guilford first eight games, matching a career high.
Coach Tom Palombo's Quakers (8-0) are off to their best start since the 1967 club opened with 13 straight wins. Guilford's eight wins in a row mark it's longest Division III winning streak. The Quakers visit unbeaten Averett (9-0) Tuesday in a nonconference game. The Cougars are ranked 12th in the current D3hoops.com national poll.
Guilford's SAAC is comprised of representatives from each of the school's 16 varsity teams. The group meets regularly to discuss the state of Guilford Athletics and seeks to build community among student-athletes and non-student-athletes on the campus. Recent Guilford SAAC activities include a canned-food drive to benefit local charities and dodgeball competitions among representatives from Guilford's administration and athletic teams.