EMCC freshman guard Mack Foster grabs MACJC Men’s Basketball Player of the Week honors

SCOOBA – East Mississippi Community College freshman guard Mack Foster has been named the MACJC Men's Basketball Player of the Week for his performances during last week's EMCC victories over a pair of rival schools.

Kaylan Hughes of Jones County Junior College claimed the MACJC's Women's Basketball Player of the Week honor.

Foster, a product of West Bolivar High School, stepped up in a big way to average 23.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.5 steals a week ago in helping lead the short-handed EMCC Lions to wins over East Central Community College and Meridian Community College.  With seven Lion players missing the week's activity due to a two-game suspension, the Beulah native connected on 9-of-13 (69%) shots from three-point range and 16-of-28 (57%) overall from the field for the week.

Foster capped the week by setting a career scoring high for the second straight game with 27 points on 6-of-7 accuracy from beyond the three-point arc and 9-of-14 shooting overall from the field during last Thursday's 67-63 triumph at Meridian.  He also pulled down a career-best eight rebounds for the second consecutive outing in the MCC contest.  The 6-foot-3, 195-pound backcourt performer began the week with 19 points (7-14 FGs & 3-6 treys), eight rebounds, four steals and two blocks in the Lions' 91-75 home win over East Central.

For the season, Foster is EMCC's No. 4 scorer at 8.4 points per game and the team's fifth-leading rebounder at 3.8 boards an outing.  With six starts on the year, he's also shooting 47 percent overall from the field, including 46 percent (17-of-37) from three-point land. 

Coach Mark White's 8-4 EMCC Lions resume MACJC North Division play by taking on Northeast Mississippi Community College Thursday evening at Bonner Arnold Coliseum in Booneville.  A 7:30 p.m. men's game will follow the 5:30 p.m. women's contest between head coach Sharon Thompson's 2-10 EMCC Lady Lions and the Lady Tigers of Northeast. 

Following Monday's postponement due to wintry weather conditions, the EMCC basketball teams will return home to play host to Mississippi Delta Community College during a re-scheduled doubleheader (2 & 4 p.m.) now set for this Saturday afternoon on the Scooba campus.  The Lions and Lady Lions will remain at home to entertain Itawamba Community College Tuesday evening (Jan. 22) with a 5:30 p.m. women's game followed by a 7:30 p.m. men's contest at EMCC's Keyes T. Currie Coliseum.   

All EMCC basketball games this week and throughout the 2012-13 season are slated to be video-streamed live on the school's Ustream channel at www.ustream.tv/channel/emcc-basketball, which can be easily accessed through the school's newly launched athletics website, www.EMCCAthletics.com.