Region IV Report

PALATINE, Ill. – When you put up big numbers on the court, the region certainly notices. This was the case for Harper College men's basketball player Marcus Gatlin (Chicago, Ill./Curie), as his play from last week earned him the honor of being named the NJCAA Region IV Division III Men's Basketball Player of the Week.

The sophomore point guard came to play last week. In two games, he averaged 24.0 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 8.0 APG, and 3.0 SPG. Gatlin was also very efficient, going 15-of-28 (53.6 percent) from the field while making 18-of-21 free throws (85.7 percent) in the two games.

Gatlin was the catalyst for the Hawks' 73-65 come-from-behind win over Oakton Community College on Dec. 8, scoring a career-high 27 points and dishing out eight assists. Additionally, he put up 21 points (5-of-10 shooting, 11-of-13 free throws), eight rebounds, and eight assists in an 89-78 win at Harry S. Truman College on Saturday. The win gave the team its first winning streak of the 2015-16 season and got the Hawks back to .500 with a 6-6 record.

"There's nobody on this team that deserves it more than he does. He's worked incredibly hard to get to this point," said Harper head coach Justin Welke. "He's a man of extremely high character, and I'm extremely proud of him. Hopefully this is the start of more accolades to come."

The award is the second time in Gatlin's Harper career that he has been named Player of the Week. He earned the same distinction on Feb. 16 of this year as a freshman. It's also the second time a Hawks player has been recognized this year, as Allias Burnett (Joliet, Ill. /Joliet West) was named NJCAA Region IV Div. III Men's Basketball Player of the Week on Nov. 30.