DES MOINES – For the fourth time this season, Iowa Wesleyan College senior Brett Humpal (Decorah, Iowa) has been named the Midwest Collegiate Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week, as announced Tuesday by MCC sports information director Molly Brown.
Last week Humpal had one of the biggest weeks yet of his star career at Iowa Wesleyan, leading the Tigers to three wins and a share of the conference lead. IWC defeated 20th-ranked William Penn University last Monday and added road wins at Clarke College and Ashford University to move to 9-2 in the MCC, 13-9 overall. With Grand View University’s loss to Viterbo (Wis.) University on Saturday, Wesleyan also moved into a tie for first place in the conference.
Humpal averaged 28 points, seven rebounds, 5.7 assists and 3.7 steals last week in the Tigers’ three wins. He also shot 63.6% from the field, making 29 of 46 shots, and also was 22 of 23 from the free throw line (95.7%).
Humpal’s week was highlighted by his reaching the 1,500-point mark for his career in Monday’s 92-85 win over William Penn. He posted 29 points, five rebounds, seven assists and three steals in that game and made all eight free throw attempts in the Tigers’ win over the Statesmen. Humpal came back with 20 points and eight rebounds in Thursday’s 94-84 win over Clarke, and then had a season-high 35 points on 12-for-15 shooting in an 88-66 win over Ashford. He also added eight rebounds, six assists and five steals against the Saints and made all nine of his free throw attempts as IWC Head Coach Alan Magnani won his 200th game at the school.
This is Humpal’s fourth MCC Player of the Week award for the 2008-09 season, and is also the tenth time in his career that he has received the conference’s weekly honor. The senior is currently leading the MCC in scoring at 19.6 points per game and is second in the league in assists (4.6 per game) and steals (2.8 per game). He also is third in the conference in rebounding (8.3 per game) and ranks in the top 12 in the conference in field goal percentage (48.0%) and free throw percentage (71.6%).
Humpal has also spent the season moving up the all-time career lists at Wesleyan in a number of categories. He currently has scored 1,576 points in his career, and against Ashford he passed Bob Gunter (1954-58) for sixth place on the school’s all-time scoring list. Humpal is 73 points from tying Doug Ferguson (1964-68) for fifth all-time in scoring at Iowa Wesleyan. He also is third on the IWC all-time rebounding list with 686 career boards, is sixth on the Wesleyan assists list (323) and is eighth all-time in three-point field goals made (161).
IWC has won five straight games and will go for its sixth straight win Wednesday night against St. Ambrose University. Game time at Wesleyan’s Ruble Arena will be 7:30 p.m. IWC will also be hosting Coaches vs. Cancer night Wednesday, with all gate proceeds going to the Coaches vs. Cancer initiative sponsored by the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches.
For more information regarding the IWC basketball programs or any of the Tiger athletic teams, contact sports information director Adam Glatczak (319-385-6306 phone; 319-385-6384 FAX; aglatczak@iwc.edu e-mail) or log on to IWC's athletics web site at www.iwc.edu/athletics.
