Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Erves earns Xavier's fourth straight GCAC player award

DENZELL ERVES
NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Denzell Erves is the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Week in men's basketball for Jan. 16-22. It's the second time this season that Erves earned the honor and the fourth consecutive week that the Gold Rush received the award.

Erves, a 6-foot-7 junior forward from Vicksburg, Miss., and a graduate of Vicksburg High School, averaged 18.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks and shot 73.7 percent from the floor and 90 percent from the line during Xavier's 2-0 week. Erves had career highs of 23 points and 13 rebounds Jan. 16 in an 87-80 home victory against Philander Smith — 17 points and nine rebounds in the second half to help Xavier erase a seven-point halftime deficit — and 14 points in a 77-64 home victory against Talladega on Saturday. He scored five points against Talladega during an 11-2 second-half run which gave Xavier the lead for good.

Erves has started all 20 games this season and is averaging 8.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 24.8 minutes. He is shooting 56.2 percent from the floor and 78 percent from the line. Erves leads Xavier with 18 blocked shots.

Four XU players — the others are Cordell Hadnot, Nick Haywood and Anthony Simmons — have accounted for six of the GCAC's 11 player awards this season. Simmons won the award the previous two weeks, and Hadnot started the Gold Rush streak with a victory for Dec. 26-Jan. 1.

Xavier, 14-6 and ranked 19th in NAIA Division I, will play Dillard at 7 p.m. Saturday in the Crosstown Classic at The Barn.







Xavier's 2011-12 GCAC Players of the Week in Men's Basketball

Oct. 31-Nov. 6 Denzell Erves
Nov. 21-27 Nick Haywood
Dec. 26-Jan. 1 Cordell Hadnot
Jan. 2-8 Anthony Simmons
Jan. 9-15 Anthony Simmons
Jan. 16-22 Denzell Erves

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
VISIT: XULAATHLETICS 

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