INDIANAPOLIS (USBWA) – Greg Rowson of the University of Mary Washington (Fredericksburg, Va.) and Anna Barry of Eastern Connecticut State University (Wilimantic, CT) were named the U.S. Basketball Writers Association Division III National Players of the Week for the week ending January 1.
Rowson, a 6-6 senior forward from Fairfax, Va., helped lead Mary Washington to the Washington & Lee Holiday Tournament Championship last week. In the opener against The College of New Jersey on Thursday, Rowson scored 22 points (7-of-12 FG, 5-of-6 FT, 3-of-6 3FG), grabbed seven rebounds, had four assists, and added a steal in the 84-62 victory. The next day against host Washington & Lee, he totaled 27 points (9-of-21 FG, 6-of-10 FT, 3-of-7 3FG), 10 rebounds, three assists, and a steal in a come-from-behind 103-95 double-overtime win. Rowson played 41 minutes and scored 16 points (including the 1,000th of his career) in the second half as Mary Washington overcame a 20-point deficit. Named Tournament MVP, Rowson finished the two games averaging 24.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.0 steals while shooting 48.4 percent (16-of-33) from the field, 68.8 percent (11-of-16) from the foul line and 46.2 percent (6-of-13) from three-point range. For his efforts, Rowson was also selected the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference (C2C) Player of the Week.
Barry, a 6-0 senior forward from Andover, Conn., led Eastern Connecticut State to a pair of victories at the Babson College Judy Pearson ’85 Memorial Tournament last weekend. On Friday, Barry scored 12 points (6-of-12 FG), collected 19 rebounds, had two assists, two steals, and a block in the Warriors’ 72-45 win over Endicott. The next day, she played 48 minutes in a 66-61 double-overtime victory against Middlebury. In that contest, Barry totaled 16 points (6-of-17 FG, 4-of-5 FT), a career-high 22 rebounds, two assists, three steals, and three blocks. She scored nine points in overtime, including a layup with 53 seconds remaining in the second OT that put Eastern Connecticut up by six. Over the two games, she averaged 14.0 points, 20.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 2.5 steals, and 2.0 blocks while shooting 41.3 percent (12-of-29) from the field and 66.7 percent (4-of-6) from the foul line. For her efforts, Barry was also selected the Little East Conference (LEC) Player of the Week.
Each Tuesday, the USBWA is selecting men's and women's Division III National Players of the Week. This week's announcement was dealyed a day by the New Year's Day holiday. This is the eighth season that the USBWA will recognize national players of the week from Division III.
The U.S. Basketball Writers Association was formed in 1956 at the urging of then-NCAA Executive Director Walter Byers. With some 900 members worldwide, it is one of the most influential organizations in college basketball. It has selected an All-America team since the 1956-57 season. For more information on the USBWA and its award programs, contact executive director Malcolm Moran at 814-574-1485.