Brad Waldow was nearly unstoppable this week as St. Mary's defeated San Diego and BYU. The Shingle Springs, Calif. native has been named NetScouts Basketball's National Player of the Week for games from January 12th to January 18th.
Waldow, a 6-foot-9 forward, started with 25 points and six rebounds on 11-of-13 shooting as the Gaels topped San Diego. He then stepped up again versus BYU, finishing with 24 points, 14 rebounds, three assists and two blocks on 10-of-15 shooting. On the week, he averaged 25.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game while shooting 75 percent (21-of-28) from the field.
The senior is having a successful final year at St. Mary's, averaging 20.6 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. The Gaels are 15-3 on the season with a matchup looming against Gonzaga on Thursday. If they want to pull off the upset, Waldow will need to step up again on the big stage.
Another big man led his team to a pair of wins across the country, as Youssou Ndoye pushed St. Bonaventure past George Mason and Saint Joseph's. The Dakar, Senegal native has been named NetScouts Basketball's International Player of the Week for games from January 12th to January 18th.
The 7-foot senior posted 28 points, 13 rebounds, and three blocks in a 75-55 win over George Mason. He shot an outstanding 9-of-11 from the field and 10-of-11 from the free throw line. Ndoye then contributed 15 points, six rebounds, five assists and three blocks on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting against Saint Joseph's. He averaged 21.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 3.0 blocks per game in back-to-back wins while shooting 86.7 percent (13-of-15) from the floor and 81.0 percent (17-of-21) from the charity stripe.
St. Bonaventure has started 3-2 in Atlantic 10 play with Ndoye averaging 11.7 points along with team-highs of 10.7 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game. The Bonnies will need inspired play from Ndoye to spark them to some upset victories and contend for a finish in the upper-half of the conference.
Carl Berman is Managing Partner of NetScouts Basketball.