Boys Basketball – SSN Player of the Week for Week 3

Orthopaedic Institute of Central Jersey SSN Player of the Week

Ian O'Connor, Rumson-Fair Haven

Rumson-Fair Haven went into the offseason following 2015-16 knowing it needed to find a way to replace the best scorer in the history of the program. Over the first eight games of the season, the answer to their problem of the present is also an answer to their future as well.

O'Connor has stepped up one of the Bulldogs' top scoring options, mostly because of his vesatility. He is a 6-4 sophomore who has shown toughness inside and an ability to step out and hit a three-point shot.

Last week consisted of mostly steady performances for O'Connor, except for one standout effort. In a 75-57 win over Middletown South on Jan. 3, O'Connor erupted for a career-high 35 points on 13-for-15 shooting from the field.

He also scored 11 points in a win over Red Bank Regional, and hit four clutch free-throws in an eight-point outing against Marlboro at the Hoop Group Boardwalk Showcase this past weekend. The sophomore is averaging 13.1 points in Rumson's eight games and 16 over the team's last six.

O'Connor drew 45 percent of the vote to beat out Shore Regional sophomore Chris Panduri, who racked up nearly 25 percent of the 4,756 votes cast. Neptune junior Jared Kimbrough finished third with just shy of 15 percent and Ranney sophomore sensation Scottie Lewis picked up just short of seven percent of the vote.