HAVERFORD, Pa. – Jesse Turkson has been named the Centennial Conference Player of the Week after helping the Haverford College men's basketball team to a 2-0 week as the Fords will head into the break at 8-1 overall, including an undefeated 4-0 record in Centennial Conference play. Turkson's week was headlined by a 24 point, 11 rebound double-double against Muhlenberg as the Fords defeated a team receiving votes in the national polls for the first time since the 2008-09 season.
Turkson shot 10-of-17 from the field in the Fords' 68-62 win over Muhleneberg, including a pair of baskets from beyond the arc. Fourteen of the junior's 24 points came in the second half as the Fords outscored the Mules by a 40-32 margin over the final 20 minutes to continue their best Centennial Conference start in program history. The win against Muhlenberg was the sixth different Centennial Conference opponent that head coach Patrick Doherty's teams have defeated in his three seasons that the Fords did not have a win against since the 2014. The Fords have also added Dickinson, Franklin & Marshall, and Ursinus to that list in just this year alone.
Haverford's junior has been at his best in Centennial Conference action as he is leading the conference with 9.0 rebounds per contest and nine total steals in Centennial matchups while his 19.8 points per game in conference clashes is the second best average in the conference. Turkson also ranks among the top five players in the conference with 11 total blocks on the season.
Haverford started its week with a convincing 88-50 win at home against Bryn Athyn on Wednesday. In a very balanced team effort, only one player saw more than 20 minutes of playing time as Turkson secured seven rebounds and scored two points on just three shots from the field.
Men's basketball has nearly three weeks away from competition as the Fords are currently in final exam week before breaking for the holidays. Haverford will be back on the courts next year as the schedule resumes on Friday, January 3 with a home non-conference date against Delaware Valley that will tip at 4 p.m.