Kinney Named USBWA National Player of the Week
BEVERLY, Mass. — Endicott men's basketball junior forward Elijah Kinney (Nashville, Tenn.) has been named the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) National Player of the Week, the organization announced on Tuesday afternoon.
Each Tuesday, the USBWA is selecting 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.
Kinney averaged 34.0 points, 12.0 rebounds, 4.5 blocks, 1.5 steals, and 1.0 assists over the two-game stretch.
He shot at an extremely efficient rate, with percentages of 62.8% (27-43) from the field and 87.5% (14-16) from the charity stripe.
On Tuesday against Saint Joseph's College (Me.), Kinney poured in a then-career-high 33 points (12-19 FG, 9-11 FT) on a tremendous night from the field. He hauled down 12 rebounds (eight defensive, four offensive), batted away five shots, and also swiped two steals to lead the Gulls to a 99-84 win in his 36 minutes of play.
Then, on Saturday, he led the Gulls to an unbelievable comeback win inside MacDonald Gymnasium. After trailing by 16 to Salem State at the half, Kinney and the Gulls flipped the game completely on its head, and thanks to a huge second half, they pulled off a 90-82 win.
Kinney established yet another career high, as he logged a monster 35-point (15-24 FG, 5-5 FT), 12-rebound (seven defensive, five offensive), and four-block performance from the floor. He also snatched a steal in his 34 minutes of action.
Most memorably, with his bucket at the 4:46 mark of the second half, he crossed the 1,000 career point plateau. He is the 19th member of the men's basketball program to achieve that milestone.
Kinney is the third Gull in program history to be named USBWA National Player of the Week, and the second honoree this season.
He joins Marcus Montagnino (Gloucester, Mass.) and Keith Brown '20 (Pelham, N.H.) on the illustrious list.
Brown earned the awards on November 21, 2017 and November 20, 2018, while Montagnino most recently claimed the award on November 18 of this year.
Kinney and Montagnino are the first teammates ever to receive USBWA National Player of the Week accolades in the same season.
Across NCAA Division III, Kinney currently ranks first in field goals made (97), second in total points (268), second in rebounds (139), third in blocks (32), third in free throws (68), fourth in rebounds per game (12.6), 11th in free throw percentage (93.2%), and 12th in points per game (24.2).
So far this season, he has twice been named to the D3hoops.com Team of the Week (12/9/25, 12/16/25), and has garnered Conference of New England (CNE) Player of the Week honors on three occasions (11/24/25, 12/8/25, 12/15/25).
This marks his first career USBWA National Player of the Week honors.
WHAT'S NEXT
Endicott (10-1, 2-0 CNE) welcomes Curry to MacDonald Gymnasium on January 3, 2026, for a 3 PM CNE matchup.
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(Photo Credit - Bradley Griffin '28)