USBWA Release
INDIANAPOLIS - Senior guard Zevi Samet of Yeshiva University has been named the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) Division III National Player of the Week following a historic two-game stretch that also earned him Skyline Conference Player of the Week and Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association Player of the Week honors.
Samet delivered one of the most explosive scoring weeks in the country, averaging 43.5 points per game while shooting a blistering 69 percent from the field, 61 percent from three-point range, and a perfect 7-for-7 from the free-throw line, leading the Maccabees to a pair of Skyline victories.
The Monsey native opened the week with 35 points on 15-of-22 shooting in a road win at St. Joseph’s-Long Island before turning in a program-record performance with 52 points on 18-of-26 shooting, including 10-of-15 from three, in a dominant victory over Merchant Marine. The 52-point outburst set a new Yeshiva single-game scoring record and capped one of the most efficient high-volume scoring weeks in Division III this season.
Samet’s national recognition marks the latest accolade in a standout senior campaign as he continues to lead the Maccabees atop the Skyline standings. The last player from the league to receive USBWA Division III National Player of the Week recognition was Gabriel Leifer of Yeshiva, who earned the award in March 2020.
Each Tuesday, the USBWA selects men's and women's Division III National Players of the Week. This is the 11th season that the USBWA will recognize national players of the week from Division III.
The U.S. Basketball Writers Association was formed in 1956 at the urging of then-NCAA Executive Director Walter Byers. With some 900 members worldwide, it is one of the most influential organizations in college basketball. It has selected an All-America team since the 1956-57 season. For more information on the USBWA and its award programs, contact executive director Malcolm Moran at 814-574-1485.
2025-26 USBWA Division III National Players of the Week
• Week ending Nov. 9: Sam Grieger, University of Wisconsin–La Crosse; Mary Schleusner, Washington & Lee University
• Week ending Nov. 16: Marcus Montagnino, Endicott College; Alexa Charles, Hunter College
• Week ending Nov. 23: Reph Stevenson, DePauw University; Elaina Beckett, McDaniel College
• Week ending Nov. 30: Quamir Ingram, Greensboro College; Caroline Peper, NYU
• Week ending Dec. 7: Joey Ramirez, Concordia University (Texas); Jaycie Christopher, University of Southern Maine
• Week ending Dec. 14: Elijah Kinney, Endicott College; Anna Giannopoulou, Guilford College
• Week ending Jan. 4: Scott Gyimesi, Tufts University; Elyse Warren, Millsaps College
• Week ending Jan. 11: Lamar Lovelace, Keuka College; Mary Schleusner, Washington & Lee University
• Week ending Jan. 18: Fletcher Bigham, Sewanee, The University of the South; Emma Shinney, Endicott College
• Week ending Jan. 25: Darren Rubin, New York University; Mary Schleusner, Washington & Lee University
• Week ending Feb. 1: Zevi Samet, Yeshiva University; Madi Zancan, Regis College