NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk State men's basketball team won its third straight MEAC Player of the Week award as senior forward Kris Bankston was recognized Tuesday by the conference.

Bankston averaged 14.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game while shooting 72.7 percent from the floor in the Spartans' wins over Regent, Hampton and Grambling in the last week. He also averaged one block and one steal per game.

Bankston especially shined in two wins in the Boost Mobile HBCU Challenge hosted by Chris Paul in Phoenix, averaging 19 points and 7.5 rebounds in NSU's victories over Hampton and Grambling. Against Hampton, he scored 18 points with five rebounds on 7-of-9 shooting. The following night, Bankston posted a season-high 20 points – matching his career high from his time at Little Rock – and grabbed 10 rebounds against Grambling. That was Bankston's second double-double of the season.

Bankston's award makes it 3-for-3 for Spartans winning the conference's top weekly honor this year. Joe Bryant Jr. was honored after the season's first week, and Christian Ings won the award last week.

The Spartans sit at 8-1 overall entering Wednesday's game at UNCW. The 8-1 start is NSU's best since 1995-96, when the Spartans were in Division II. NSU was ranked 23^rd in Monday's Mid-Major Top 25 Poll released by CollegeInsider.com.