WEEK of: FEBRUARY 4-10, 2008
junior All-America guard
DANA JOHN (Hillside, NJ/Pocono Mountain East (Pa.)) is the NJCU Men's Athlete of the Week for the second straight week, sixth time this year and 14th time in his three-year career and was also selected as the
PrestoSports/Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association (MBWA) Men’s Division I, II and III Player of the Week, after averaging 27.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 0.5 blocks per game for the Gothic Knights. He shot 59.4 percent from the field (19-32), 47.1 percent from three-point range (8-17) and 61.5 percent (8-13) from the line in a 1-1 week for NJCU.
John is the first NJCU men’s player to ever receive the MBWA award, which is voted on by a panel of eight media members based on nominations received from each of the 75 schools that play Division I, II or III college basketball in the tri-state area.
In NJCU’s 70-55 NJAC road victory over Rutgers-Camden on February 9, John scored 27 points for the second consecutive game, and the Gothic Knights guaranteed their 33rd consecutive winning season since 1975. John scored 16 of his 27 in the first half, while helping stake NJCU to a 40-23 lead at the break. He set a career-high by knocking down 10 field goals, shooting 10-of-14 overall, 3-of-6 from three-point range and 4-of-5 from the line with three steals in 33 minutes. His previous best was eight field goals at Rowan University on January 27, 2007. Now with 1,226 career points, John is just four points behind Hall-of-Famer John Celentano (1,230, 1971-74) for 15th place on the all-time list. NJCU is 19-5 all-time when John scores 20 in a game, including 7-3 this year. He also drilled the 198th three of his career.
Up 5-4 early, NJCU seized control in the first nine minutes of the game, using a 13-3 spurt to move in front by double figures, 18-7, on a John jumper at 12:13. He scored six of the 13 points that put the Knights in front by 11 and NJCU led by double figures for all but two possessions the remainder of the game. John shot 7-for-9 from the floor and 2-for-3 from three-point range in the opening 20 minutes as NJCU opened up a 17-point halftime lead. Camden cut the gap to nine, 49-40, with 11:50 left in the game. But in typical John fashion, he came right back to bury a three-pointer, and the Gothic Knights led by double digits the rest of the way.
In a 70-61 loss to Ramapo College on February 6, John scored a game-high 27 points (9-18 FG; 5-11 3FG) with four boards in 38 minutes, but NJCU’s five-game winning streak when he scores 20+ was snapped. John passed Bob Johnson for 16th place on NJCU’s all-time scoring list. John scored 12 of NJCU’s first 18 points and 14 of 27. John, who had 13 in the second half, tried to single-handedly will NJCU to victory, nailing back-to-back triples in a span of 23 seconds as the Knights pulled with two, 44-42, with 12:56 left in the game, and he pulled up for a fast-break three-pointer off a Ramapo giveaway to tie it 49-49 with 9:50 left. However, a late run allowed RCNJ to win the game.
Overall in the NJAC statistical leaders as of February 10, John, the league leader in threes made (54), is second in scoring (18.6, 391 points) and three-pointers per game (2.57), fourth in free-throw percentage (.810), steals (2.14) and minutes (31.24), 14th in defensive rebounding (3.48), and 19th in rebounding (4.4).
In NJAC games, John leads the conference in scoring (19.0), free throw percentage (.865), and steals (2.56).
