IRVINE, Calif. – This week’s PacWest Men’s Basketball Players of the Week are Mike Crawley (Fresno Pacific), Michael Smith (California Baptist), Uchenna Okeneme (Academy of Art) and Sterling Somers (Point Loma). The awards are based on games played Jan. 2-8.
 
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Mike Crawley (Fresno Pacific)
F – Jr. – Pittsburg Calif./Fresno City College
 
Crawley averaged 25.5 points and 15.5 rebounds per game, and totaled nine assists, four blocks and four steals in two games for the Sunbirds. He had 16 points, a career-high 17 rebounds, two steals and two blocks in a three-point loss to PacWest leader Dixie State. He then scored a career-high 35 points on 17-of-23 shooting and had 14 rebounds in a win over Holy Names. His 17 field goals were an FPU DII record and the most in the conference this year, highlighted by an alley-oop dunk on the Sunbirds’ first possession. Over the last five games, Crawley is averaging 20.3 points per game.
 
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Michael Smith (CBU)
G – Sr. – South San Francisco, Calif./El Camino
 
Smith earned his second weekly conference honor by leading No. 7 CBU to two big road wins, averaging 26.0 points and 4.5 assists per game. He recorded his second double-double of the year with 28 points and 10 rebounds in CBU’s showdown with No. 18 Hawai’i Pacific to knock off the unbeaten Sharks, 80-70. He then had 24 points, eight rebounds and five assists at Chaminade to snap the Silverswords’ five-game winning streak. Smith has scored at least 20 points in nine of his last 11 games, and ranks fifth in the nation in scoring (24.7 ppg).
 
DEFENDER OF THE WEEK
Uchenna Okeneme (Academy of Art)
G – Jr. – Carson, Calif./Narbonne
 
Okeneme had 10 points and three steals in each of Academy of Art’s games against Dixie State and Dominican. He added six rebounds against Dixie State and five rebounds against Dominican. Okeneme has 13 steals in the last four games to move into fourth in the PacWest in steals per game (1.9 spg).
 
FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Sterling Somers (Point Loma)
F – Fr. – Lynden, Wash./Lynden
 
Somers won his third-consecutive Freshman of the Week honor, averaging 13.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in two Bay Area wins for the Sea Lions. He scored a career-high 16 points with seven free throws against Holy Names. Somers has scored in double-figures in five-consecutive games, averaging 13.0 points per game during that stretch.