NORFOLK, Va., Jan. 8, 2019—Coppin State redshirt sophomore guard Dejuan Clayton has been selected as the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) men’s basketball Player of the Week, it was announced today, while Norfolk State senior forward Jordan Butler was tabbed the Defensive Player of the Week and Florida A&M freshman guard M.J. Randolph the league’s Rookie of the Week.
 
Clayton (6-2, r-So., G, Bowie, Md.) led Coppin State to a 2-0 start in MEAC play for the first time since 2003-04, thanks to wins of 73-67 over Savannah State and 64-60 over Delaware State.  He averaged 23.0 points on the week along with 4.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists. Against Savannah State, Clayton netted 23 points, going 10-of-13 from the line, while grabbing a season-high seven rebounds. Against Delaware State, he again scored 23 points with four rebounds and two assists. He connected on 55 percent of his shots from the field and 78 percent of his field goal tries for the week.
 
Butler (6-6, Sr., F, Hartford, Conn.) had back-to-back 10-plus rebounding games, his second and third of the season. The senior forward had 10 rebounds, three blocked shots and three assists to go along with his 10 points in the Spartans’ 72-62 win over Florida A&M Monday night, after grabbing 11 rebounds and scoring nine points in NSU’s 77-63 win over Delaware State on Saturday.
 
Randolph (6-4, Fr., G, Pensacola, Fla.) had 13 points, four assists and three rebounds in two games over the weekend. His top outing was in the Rattlers’ 82-72 win at Howard, when he scored 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting, along with three rebounds and one assist.
 
Other Top Performers
Cletrell Pope (B-CU) garnered 20 rebounds, including 12 defensive boards and eight on offense, in his team’s 68-59 loss to North Carolina Central last Saturday night. The Northport, Ala. native scored 15 points and dished out one assist.
 
Kevin Larkin (DSU) averaged 19.0 points and 10.5 rebounds in a week that saw the Hornets fall to Norfolk State on Saturday night before losing to Coppin State Monday night. He had 20 points and seven rebounds in the NSU game and then posted a double-double against CSU, scoring 18 points and grabbing 13 boards.
 
Justin Ravenel (FAMU) scored 20 points, hitting four of seven 3-pointers with one rebound, two assists and two steals in the Rattlers’ 82-72 victory over Howard on Saturday. In the team’s Monday night loss to Norfolk State, he finished with 11 points, hitting two of four 3-pointers.
 
RJ Cole (HOW) posted averages of 22.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists in a week that saw the Bison fall to Florida A&M (82-72) before beating UMES (79-39). His top performance was a 26-point, seven-rebound and five-assist outburst in the win over UMES on Monday night.
 
Zion Cousins (HOW) grabbed 13 rebounds and one blocked shot to go along with six points in a win over Maryland Eastern Shore, in addition to five rebounds, one blocked shot and one steal with nine points and an assist in a loss to FAMU.
 
Derrik Jamerson (NSU) posted averages of 21.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.0 assists in wins over Delaware State on Saturday (77-63) and Florida A&M on Monday. He made nine 3-pointers in the two wins and had an overall excellent shooting performance, hitting 65 percent of his field goal tries, 64 percent of his shots from 3-point range and 100 percent of his free throws.
 
Qua Copeland (NCAT) scored 18 points during his team’s lone game of the week, all in the second half of the Aggies’ 80-77 overtime victory over South Carolina State last Saturday.
 
Raasean Davis (NCCU) scored 16 points on 7-for-7 shooting from the field in the Eagles’ win over Bethune-Cookman on Saturday. He added 12 rebounds, including 11 defensive boards, and blocked two shots while making one steal.