KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- Lincoln Memorial University senior guard Jalen Steele (pictured) averaged 25.3 points and 7.7 rebounds per game this past week to help the 13th-ranked Railsplitters (10-1) notch three convincing South Atlantic Conference victories. And with that ridiculous resume, Steele has been selected as the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) Division II Men's Basketball Player of the Week, it was announced on Tuesday evening, Dec. 22.

The highlight of Steele's week came this past Saturday, when the Knoxville, Tenn., native knocked down a program-record 10 three-pointers to rack up a career-high 40 points in the Railsplitters' 115-94 triumph at Newberry. The Mississippi State transfer went 10-of-12 from three-point range and 13-for-15 from the field while adding eight rebounds and three assists, becoming just the fifth player in South Atlantic Conference history to bury at least 10 three-pointers in a game. He surpassed both David Hopper and Mark Mattson for LMU's single-game record for triples. A graduate of Fulton High School in Knoxville, Steele opened his week by pouring in 23 points with nine rebounds, four assists and four steals in an 88-67 win at Brevard last Monday. He went 3-for-7 from three-point territory in that contest and finished a perfect 8-for-8 at the charity stripe. Two days after that, Steele logged 13 points, six rebounds, four assists and a steal in the Railsplitters' wire-to-wire 103-57 pounding of the Wingate Bulldogs at Tex Turner Arena. He connected on 3-of-8 from three-point range in that contest in 29 minutes of action. Steele is Lincoln Memorial's first-ever USBWA National Player of the Week recipient, as he rounded out the week with 16 three-pointers, 76 points, 23 rebounds and 11 assists over the course of three games. After a short hiatus for the holidays, Steele and the Railsplitters return to action on January 2 when they travel to Louisville, Ky. to square off against the Bellarmine Knights.

LMU Athletics Photo by Raymond Welch