Long Beach State senior Mike Caffey (Corona, Calif./Centennial HS) turned in two outstanding performances to begin conference play as he garnered the Big West Men’s Basketball Player of the Week award.
A 6-0 point guard, Caffey averaged 28.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 3.5 steals to help the 49ers knock off preseason favorite UC Irvine on the road and take upstart UC Davis to overtime.
Caffey also shot 57.1 (20-of-35) percent from the field, including 53.3 (8-of-15) from distance.
He scored 27 points to go along with four rebounds and two steals in an 88-82 victory against the Anteaters. He made five three-pointers in the game, including one with 3:41 to go that cut LBSU’s deficit to two and another with 1:19 remaining to give the 49ers a four-point lead.
In a 73-67 loss to the Aggies, Caffey accounted for nearly half of his team’s offense as he poured in a career-high 29 points on 11-of-23 shooting. He added six rebounds, five assists and five steals.
Caffey finished the game among an exclusive 49er club as he became just one of five players all-time to amass 1,000 career points and 400 assists.
Others nominated: Brian Bennett (Cal Poly); Lanerryl Johnson (Cal State Fullerton); Corey Hawkins (UC Davis); Alex Young (UC Irvine); Taylor Johns (UC Riverside); Alan Williams (UC Santa Barbara); Aaron Valdes (Hawai‘i)