Bucknell University Athletics
Photo by: Justin Lafleur
Bucknell Men’s Basketball Team Awards Announced, Meeks Named MVP
5/14/2021 1:54:00 PM | Men's Basketball
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bucknell head men's basketball coach Nathan Davis has announced the team award winners for the 2020-21 season. Five players have been honored, with senior John Meeks receiving the Benton A. Kribbs Award as the team's Most Valuable Player.
Junior Andrew Funk received the Malcolm E. Musser Award for Leadership; sophomore Xander Rice received the Thomas A. Thompson Award for "spirit, intensity and outstanding defensive play"; and seniors Jordan Sechan and Paul Newman both received the Coaches' Award for outstanding contributions to the program.
Meeks played in six games during the abbreviated 2020-21 season, but he averaged an eye-popping 25.3 points per game while shooting 49.5 percent from the field, 38.5 percent from 3-point range and 85.1 percent from the free-throw line. He also averaged 6.8 rebounds per game. Meeks was a Third Team All-Patriot League and First Team All-District 13 selection.
After missing the first four games of the season due to injury, Meeks scored 12 points against Lehigh in his debut on Jan. 16. From that point forward, he tallied at least 23 points in his next five games, including three contests where he scored 30 or more. Meeks had a 31-point, 11-rebound game against Lehigh on Jan. 17, a career-high 32-point game against Lehigh on Jan. 31, and another 31-point, 11-rebound showing in a win over Lafayette in the Patriot League Tournament quarterfinals. He became the first Bison ever to have three 30-point games in a span of four appearances.
Meeks tallied a team-high 23 points in a Patriot League Tournament semifinal loss to Colgate, marking the first time all season Bucknell lost a game with him in the lineup. The Bison were 5-1 with Meeks on the floor, 0-6 without him.
Funk was Bucknell's second-leading scorer at 12.9 ppg, and for the second year in a row he was named to the Academic All-Patriot League Team. Funk scored at least seven points in every game this season and hit double figures in 10 of the 12 contests, including a season-high 18 in a win over Lehigh.
Funk finished the season ranked 13th in the Patriot League in scoring, sixth in free-throw percentage (.854) and fifth in minutes played per game (33.8).
Rice enjoyed a breakthrough sophomore campaign as Bucknell's lead point guard. He averaged 10.5 points per game while shooting 50.0 percent from the field and 42.4 percent from 3-point range. He was also one of the Patriot League's top ball-handlers, ranking sixth in the conference in assists per game (3.3) and third in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.2).
Rice started all 12 games this season and scored in double figures six times, with a career high of 23 points coming at Lafayette on Jan. 10. He also hit four 3-pointers and scored 19 points in Bucknell's win at Lafayette in the Patriot League Tournament quarterfinals.
Newman was Bucknell's starting center this season, and he shot 62.2 percent from the field while averaging 5.2 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. Newman scored a season-high 11 points against Lafayette and American, and he grabbed a season-high nine rebounds against American.
Newman appeared in 96 career games for the Bison, including 32 starts in the post.
Sechan joined the Bison as a walk-on in 2017-18 and was valuable member of the program as a reserve guard for the last four years. He played in 25 career games, including his first start this past season.
Each of Bucknell's three seniors will be continuing their college playing careers as graduate students next year. Sechan and Meeks are both headed to the College of Charleston, while Newman will be playing for Albany.
Junior Andrew Funk received the Malcolm E. Musser Award for Leadership; sophomore Xander Rice received the Thomas A. Thompson Award for "spirit, intensity and outstanding defensive play"; and seniors Jordan Sechan and Paul Newman both received the Coaches' Award for outstanding contributions to the program.
Meeks played in six games during the abbreviated 2020-21 season, but he averaged an eye-popping 25.3 points per game while shooting 49.5 percent from the field, 38.5 percent from 3-point range and 85.1 percent from the free-throw line. He also averaged 6.8 rebounds per game. Meeks was a Third Team All-Patriot League and First Team All-District 13 selection.
After missing the first four games of the season due to injury, Meeks scored 12 points against Lehigh in his debut on Jan. 16. From that point forward, he tallied at least 23 points in his next five games, including three contests where he scored 30 or more. Meeks had a 31-point, 11-rebound game against Lehigh on Jan. 17, a career-high 32-point game against Lehigh on Jan. 31, and another 31-point, 11-rebound showing in a win over Lafayette in the Patriot League Tournament quarterfinals. He became the first Bison ever to have three 30-point games in a span of four appearances.
Meeks tallied a team-high 23 points in a Patriot League Tournament semifinal loss to Colgate, marking the first time all season Bucknell lost a game with him in the lineup. The Bison were 5-1 with Meeks on the floor, 0-6 without him.
Funk was Bucknell's second-leading scorer at 12.9 ppg, and for the second year in a row he was named to the Academic All-Patriot League Team. Funk scored at least seven points in every game this season and hit double figures in 10 of the 12 contests, including a season-high 18 in a win over Lehigh.
Funk finished the season ranked 13th in the Patriot League in scoring, sixth in free-throw percentage (.854) and fifth in minutes played per game (33.8).
Rice enjoyed a breakthrough sophomore campaign as Bucknell's lead point guard. He averaged 10.5 points per game while shooting 50.0 percent from the field and 42.4 percent from 3-point range. He was also one of the Patriot League's top ball-handlers, ranking sixth in the conference in assists per game (3.3) and third in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.2).
Rice started all 12 games this season and scored in double figures six times, with a career high of 23 points coming at Lafayette on Jan. 10. He also hit four 3-pointers and scored 19 points in Bucknell's win at Lafayette in the Patriot League Tournament quarterfinals.
Newman was Bucknell's starting center this season, and he shot 62.2 percent from the field while averaging 5.2 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. Newman scored a season-high 11 points against Lafayette and American, and he grabbed a season-high nine rebounds against American.
Newman appeared in 96 career games for the Bison, including 32 starts in the post.
Sechan joined the Bison as a walk-on in 2017-18 and was valuable member of the program as a reserve guard for the last four years. He played in 25 career games, including his first start this past season.
Each of Bucknell's three seniors will be continuing their college playing careers as graduate students next year. Sechan and Meeks are both headed to the College of Charleston, while Newman will be playing for Albany.
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