McKeesport, PA. – It was a big week for Penn State Greater Allegheny Men’s Basketball sophomore Koran Fleming (Wilkinsburg, PA./Westinghouse PA.). He hit the heroic half-court buzzer beater to help his team defeat PSU-Brandywine while scoring a combined 56 points while leading his team to a 2-2 record. All of his hard work was rewarded when the United States Collegiate Athletic Association announced Fleming as the Men’s Basketball Player of the Week.
Fleming’s big weekend started with a 13 point effort in his team’s 93-60 win over PSU-Lehigh Valley on Friday night. After scoring just five points in the first half, Fleming turned things on putting up eight points, including two big three-pointers that put the game out of reach, as his team picked up their ninth conference win and inched closer to a PSUAC playoff spot.
Then his big moment came on Saturday after scoring 13 points to lead the way throughout the first half, Brandywine started focusing on him and tried to take him out of the game. He had managed six points through the first 19 minutes of play before taking the feed from teammate George Prota with 2.6 showing on the clock. He rushed to half court and launched the ball towards the net and it went through. Fleming was mobbed at half court and it gave his team their 10th conference win and plenty of momentum heading into a matchup with the top team from the Penn State University Athletic Conference West Division.
Fleming finished the week off with a 16 point effort in that game against Wilkes Barre in what would turn out to be a 62-56 loss. It was a career week for Fleming and continued what has been a career year for the sophomore. He has already set new career highs in points (164), assists (40), and rebounds (48) with five games still left in the regular season.
It is the first time in Fleming’s career that he has been recognized on the national level and is the first collegiate weekly award of his career. Fleming is also the seventh PSUGA athlete to be named USCAA player of the week and the second person on his team to receive the award, teammate Jordon Payne has won it twice.
Fleming and his team hit the court once again tonight when they take on Penn State Beaver in their annual blackout game at 8 p.m. Watch Fleming and the rest of his team in action at bit.ly/PSUGAYT.