DALLAS – WKU junior center Charles Bassey earned his seventh Conference USA Player of the Week honor after he averaged 17.3 points, 13.0 rebounds and 3.7 blocks per game in leading the Hilltoppers to a pair of wins and the East Division Championship. Louisiana Tech's Kenneth Lofton, Jr., a member of the West Division Champion Bulldogs, took Freshman of the Week honors for the ninth time after scoring 11 points with nine rebounds in just 15 minutes of action in his only appearance. Awards are voted on by the league's men's basketball communications directors. All C-USA weekly awards are presented by Surf & Turf Golf.
 
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
CHARLES BASSEY, WKU
JUNIOR, C, 6-11, 235, LAGOS, NIGERIA
Bassey averaged 17.3 points, 13.0 rebounds and 3.7 blocks per game, shooting 62.1%, as WKU claimed victories in two of their three games in six days, including an East Division Conference Championship. Against FIU, the Lagos, Nigeria, native shot 9-of -13 from the field, totaling 22 points and pulling down 15 boards, recording his 14th double-double of the year. Bassey also blocked five Panther shots and finished a perfect 4-for-4 at the charity stripe. In WKU’s loss to Old Dominion on Friday, the center logged his 15th double-double with 23 points and 15 rebounds. He shot 72.7% from the floor and added seven free throws. In the East Division title game, Bassey finished with seven points, nine boards and four blocks.
 
FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
KENNETH LOFTON, JR., LOUISIANA TECH
FRESHMAN, F, 6-7, 275, PORT ARTHUR, TX
Lofton, Jr. helped LA Tech close out the regular season with a victory as the Bulldogs enter the C-USA Tournament on a five-game winning streak and winners of nine of their last 10 games.  Facing the Our Lady of the Lake Saints, who beat the Sun Belt Conference regular season champion Texas State, Lofton, Jr. overpowered OLLU by going perfect from the field (5-for-5) and recording 11 points, nine rebounds, two assists and two blocks in just 15 minutes of action.  The forward only played three minutes at the start of the second half before being subbed out for the remainder of the game with LA Tech winning convincingly. 
 
C-USA Players of the Week
N30        Charles Bassey, WKU
D7           Taevion Kinsey, Marshall
D14        Charles Bassey, WKU
D21        Jahmir Young, Charlotte | Charles Bassey, WKU
D28        Luke Frampton, WKU
J4            Jahmir Young, Charlotte | Travis Evee, Rice
J11          Charles Bassey, WKU
J18          Charles Bassey, WKU
J25          Tavin Lovan, UAB | Charles Bassey, WKU
F1           Jahmir Young, Charlotte
F8           Quincy Olivari, Rice
F15         Jhivvan Jackson, UTSA
F22         Tae Hardy, Southern Miss
M1         Keaton Wallace, UTSA
M7         Charles Bassey, WKU
 
C-USA Freshmen of the Week
N30        Dayvion McKnight, WKU
D7           Kenneth Lofton, Jr., Louisiana Tech
D14        Jaron Pierre, Jr., Southern Miss
D21        Kenneth Lofton, Jr., Louisiana Tech
D28        Kenneth Lofton, Jr., Louisiana Tech
J4            Jaron Pierre, Jr., Southern Miss
J11          Rubin Jones, North Texas
J18          Jaron Pierre, Jr., Southern Miss
J25          Kenneth Lofton, Jr., Louisiana Tech
F1           Kenneth Lofton, Jr., Louisiana Tech
F8           Kenneth Lofton, Jr., Louisiana Tech
F15         Kenneth Lofton, Jr., Louisiana Tech
F22         No nominations
M1         Kenneth Lofton, Jr., Louisiana Tech
M7         Kenneth Lofton, Jr., Louisiana Tech