SAINT PETER, Minn. – Gustavus sophomore Spencer Swanson (Waconia) earned two national awards on Tuesday. The U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) named Swanson its Division III Men’s Basketball National Player of the Week, while D3hoops.com selected Swanson to its Team of the Week.
Swanson averaged 32.5 points and 11.0 rebounds in two key conference victories for the Gusties last week. Swanson scored a career-high 38 points against Bethel in a 96-92 overtime win on Jan. 25, becoming just the fourth player in program history to score at least 38 points in a game. He shot 15-for-21 from the floor and led the team with eight rebounds and three assists. Swanson then scored 27 points with 14 rebounds in a two-point win against Augsburg on Jan. 28, posting his seventh double-double of the season. Between the two games, Swanson shot 65.9 percent from the floor, made 9-of-13 free throws with three assists, three steals, and two blocks.
Swanson is the first Gustavus men’s basketball player to earn National Player of the Week from the USBWA and joins Doug Espenson ’05 as the only two Gusties to earn D3hoops.com Team of the Week honors twice. Swanson was named to the D3hoops.com Team of the Week on Dec. 13 of this season.
Each Tuesday, the USBWA selects men’s and women’s Division III National Players of the Week. This is the eighth season that the USBWA is recognizing national players of the week from Division III.
The USBWA was formed in 1956 at the urging of then-NCAA Executive Director Walter Byers. With some 900 members worldwide, it is one of the most influential organizations in college basketball. It has selected an All-America team since the 1956-57 season.