VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Hampton University men's basketball players Vincent Simpson and Theo Smalling each earned weekly awards from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), as announced by the conference office on Wednesday. Simpson was named MEAC Co-Player of the Week, while Smalling was named Defensive Player of the Week.
Simpson (Philadelphia, Pa.), a junior, averaged 24 points in Hampton's last three games
, including a career-high 34-point performance on Saturday against South Carolina State. Simpson shot 11-for-19 from the floor and 9-for-13 from 3-point range in that contest. He also scored 26 points in a nationally-televised double-overtime loss to Florida A&M on Jan. 12, and led the team with 12 points in Sunday's win over Winston-Salem State in the 2009 Freedom Classic Festival.
Smalling (Tampa, Fla.) pulled down 25 rebounds and had five blocked shots in that same span for the Pirates. The junior had a game-high 14 rebounds in the loss to Florida A&M, to go along with three blocks and one steal.
Corey Lyons of Norfolk State also earned MEAC Co-Player of the Week honors, while Morgan State freshman Kevin Thompson was named Rookie of the Week.
The Pirates will return to action on Saturday, when they travel to Baltimore to take on Coppin State at 4 p.m. For more information on Hampton University basketball, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at
www.hamptonpirates.com.