Opening week is in the books, and there is already plenty to celebrate! Ranked wins, late-game shots, a triple-double and a 45-point performance gave us a strong first group of winners.
Here is our Week 1 Recap by Categories, highlighting the opening-week performances from October 22–24, 2026. These are NAIA Hoops Report selections, not official NAIA weekly awards.
1. Best Win of the Week: LSU Alexandria
The Generals opened the Jake DuPree era with a statement: 85–84 over No. 14 Loyola. Andre Walker II delivered 29 points and eight rebounds, then scored the deciding layup with five seconds left. LSUA had led for most of the game before Loyola moved ahead in the closing seconds. The Generals answered anyway.
A ranked win on opening night, a late response after losing the lead, and a 38–30 advantage on the glass. That is a strong first entry on LSUA’s résumé!
2. Upset of the Week: Carroll
Carroll left California 2–0, closing the trip with a 74–70 road win over No. 20 Hope International. Isaac Round scored 23, Drew Jones had 20 and Kellen Harrison added 14. HIU erased a 13-point second-half deficit and briefly moved in front, but the Saints recovered and finished the job.
Winning on the road against a ranked team is a good way to get our attention. Doing it after the home team has made its big run makes this one even better. Big opening weekend for the Saints!
3. Best Game of the Week: Arizona Christian vs. LC State
No. 3 Arizona Christian 80, RV LC State 79. This one came down to the final seconds. The Firestorm trailed by as many as 11, and LC State still held a 79–76 advantage after scoring with 34 seconds left. Shaud Bradley split two free throws, ACU secured an offensive rebound, and Tayvion Wilson buried the winning three with one second showing.
Wilson finished with 17 points and Bradley added 16. LC State pushed a national contender to the brink, and ACU found one final answer. Opening-week hoops delivered a finish worth watching again.
Official box score or results.
4. Offense of the Week: Mount Marty
138 points. 58 made field goals. 36 assists. Mount Marty put up an enormous offensive line in its 138–64 opener against Maharishi. The Lancers shot 77.3% from the floor and made 12 of 21 from three. Zac Ryken scored 22, while Cooper Arend had 21 on a perfect 10-for-10 shooting night.
The opponent matters when evaluating what carries forward, but the ball movement and conversion rate deserve recognition. Thirty-six assists on 58 baskets is a whole lot of teammates creating good shots for one another.
5. MVP of the Week: Drew Jones | Carroll
Jones delivered across both wins on Carroll’s California trip: 23 points against Stanton, followed by 20 points and six assists against No. 20 Hope International. That is 43 points and nine assists over two games, or 21.5 points and 4.5 assists per outing. The reigning Frontier Conference Freshman of the Year, is off to a stellar Sophomore season!
The timing of those Saturday points mattered, too. All 20 came after halftime as Carroll withstood HIU’s rally and secured the ranked road win. Production in consecutive victories, plus a huge second half in the biggest game of the trip, earns Jones the opening-week MVP nod.
6. Defensive MVP of the Week: Brandon Williams | Kentucky Christian
Williams filled nearly every column in Kentucky Christian’s 84–82 win over Cumberland (TN): 20 points, six rebounds, five assists, four steals and three blocks. The four steals and three blocks are the headline for this award, but his offensive work helped KCU finish a tight game.
In a two-point result, those extra possessions and rim challenges carry real weight. Williams gave the Knights disruption on defense without disappearing on the other end. That is an impactful two-way opening performance.
Official box score or results.
7. Coach of the Week: Jake DuPree | LSU Alexandria
DuPree’s first game leading LSUA ended with an 85–84 victory over No. 14 Loyola. The Generals shot 9-for-18 from three, won the rebounding battle and responded after Loyola took the lead with 16 seconds remaining. Following a timeout, Andre Walker II drove for the winning basket.
There is plenty of season ahead, but that is quite an introduction. LSUA looked ready for a ranked opponent and executed with the game on the line. DuPree gets our first Coach of the Week honor.
8. Defense of the Week: SUNO
SUNO earned a 69–56 win over Xavier (LA) by tightening the game after halftime. XULA managed just 20 second-half points, and the Knights controlled the rebounding battle, 43–24. Jermaine Lawrence collected 15 rebounds and Dorian Booker added 11.
Finishing possessions matters, and SUNO did that on a night when its defense created a clear separation between the teams. A strong second half against a New Orleans opponent gives the Knights our team defensive honor to start the season.
Official box score or results.
9. Pippen of the Week: Kenny Ellis | Cumberland (TN)
A triple-double to open the conversation! Ellis recorded 20 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in Cumberland’s 84–82 loss to Kentucky Christian. The Phoenix came up two points short, but Ellis’s contribution went well beyond putting the ball in the basket.
He supplied scoring, helped finish possessions on the glass and created baskets for teammates. The Pippen nod goes to that all-around impact. This was Kenny Ellis of Cumberland (TN), and his complete stat line deserves its own spotlight despite the loss.
Official box score or results.
10. Onions of the Week: Tayvion Wilson | Arizona Christian
One shot, one second left, and a completely different ending. Wilson hit the game-winning three to lift No. 3 Arizona Christian past RV LC State, 80–79. He finished with 17 points, but it was the final three that sealed this award.
ACU had needed an offensive rebound to keep the late possession alive. Wilson then delivered under the pressure of a one-possession game against a quality opponent. That is exactly the kind of late-game moment this category celebrates. Onions!
Official box score or results.
11. Sniper of the Week: Curtis Stovall III | Bethany
Six attempts. Six makes. Stovall was a perfect 6-for-6 from three in Bethany’s 85–77 win over Dickinson State. He scored 31 points on 10-for-18 shooting overall and added five rebounds and two steals.
An eight-point game leaves little room to waste possessions, and Stovall’s perimeter accuracy gave the Swedes a major lift. This was more than a high-volume scoring night: every one of his three-point attempts went down. That is a Sniper of the Week performance.
Official box score or results.
12. Stock Riser of the Week: Warner
Warner went to Indiana and came home with a 2–0 road trip. The Royals beat RV Indiana South Bend, 84–78, then followed it with an 81–78 win at Goshen. Two away games, two single-digit finishes, two wins.
There is still a long way to go, but these are the kinds of early results that make us take a closer look. Warner handled consecutive road tests and showed it could finish tight games. The Royals are our opening-week Stock Riser.
Official schedule · Goshen box score.
13. Rodman of the Week: Patrick Johnson | Georgia Gwinnett
Johnson collected 24 rebounds in 44 total minutes across Georgia Gwinnett’s two wins. He opened with 10 boards against Columbia International, then followed with 19 points and 14 rebounds against Bryan. Seven of his 24 rebounds came on the offensive glass.
For the week, Johnson also supplied 28 points, five steals and two blocks as GGC won 96–54 and 96–78. That is a productive two-game stretch, but this award belongs to his work tracking down misses. Twelve rebounds per game earns the Rodman nod.
CIU box score · Bryan box score.
14. Sophomore of the Week: Kody Clancy | Marian
Marian pushed No. 2 Freed-Hardeman to a 76–75 finish, and Clancy played a major role. The redshirt sophomore scored 21 points, grabbed five rebounds and collected two steals. He made seven field goals and seven free throws.
The Knights did not get the win, but this was an impressive showing against one of the country’s top teams. Clancy gave Marian another scoring threat alongside Peyton Byrd’s 22-point, 10-rebound outing, helping make FHU work all the way to the final possession.
Official box score or results.
15. Freshman of the Week: Ty Price | Brescia
FORTY-FIVE. Brescia’s redshirt freshman scored 45 points in a 98–91 loss to Harris-Stowe. Price went 14-for-24 from the field, 6-for-11 from three and a perfect 11-for-11 at the line in 35 minutes.
That is scoring from all three levels, with efficient shooting and no misses at the stripe. The Bearcats fell short, but Price’s individual performance was impossible to overlook. A huge opening-week statement from the young Brescia guard earns our Freshman of the Week selection.
Official box score or results.
16. Dunk of the Week: Tristan Griffin | Stanton
Griffin takes our first Dunk of the Week honor for Stanton. The official play-by-play from the Carroll matchup records his fast-break dunk at the 12:11 mark of the first half!
His contribution was not limited to that moment. Griffin finished the game with 11 points, three rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block. The Elks did not get the result against Carroll, but Griffin gets his own place in the opening-week recap for the finish.
Official box score or results.
Keep up with the next round of games on our Scores & Schedules page.
NAIA hoops. Good at basketball.
