D3hoops.com selects Faafiti to its Team of the Week, first Bison in 10 years

MINNEAPOLIS - For the first time in over 10 years a Gallaudet University women's basketball player has been selected to the D3hoops.com Team of the Week, a national team of five position players, selected once a week during the regular-season by the national Web site. The honor is bestowed to junior center Easter Faafiti (Pittsburg, Calif.), a three-time Capital Athletic Conference Player of the Week, who was named to the January 4-10 D3hoops.com Team of the Week announced by the national Web site on Wednesday.

Faafiti is the first Bison to be named to the D3hoops.com Team of the Week since Gallaudet Hall of Famer Ronda Jo Miller was selected on Jan. 31-Feb. 6, 2000. That ends an astonishing streak of 111 weeks, over a decade, since Gallaudet had a player on the D3hoops.com Team of the Week. Faafiti is the first women's basketball player from the CAC to be honored this season.

The addition of Faafiti gives Gallaudet seven D3hoops.com Team of the Week honors since the Web site began the award during the 1997-98 season. The Web site was established in 1995. Miller was recognized four different times from 1998-2000 while her teammates Dawn Birley and fellow Gallaudet Hall of Famer Touria Ouahid were selected during that three-year run. (See complete listing below). GU has never had a D3hoops.com Team of the Week honoree from men's basketball or a representative on the D3football.com Team of the Week squads over the years.

Faafiti helped Gallaudet to a 2-1 record last week, averaging 18.3 points to go with 6.7 rebounds per game in the three games. She also averaged three steals per game. She netted 23 points, six boards, four steals and two assists as the Bison snapped a 22-game losing streak vs. Salisbury University as the Bison hung on to win 69-68. She contributed 13 points, 13 rebounds and two steals in a 45-36 loss at University of Mary Washington in a showdown for second place. She ended the week with a 19-point performance against Medgar Evers in 19 minutes of play. She has seven double-doubles in 11 games this season including one triple-double. Faafiti leads the CAC in scoring (18.6 per game), field goal percentage (.606), steals (4.5 per game), first in offensive rebounding (4.8 per game), fourth in free throw percentage (.714) and sixth in rebounding (9.5 per game). She ranks seventh in the nation in steals, 11th in field goal percentage, 31st in scoring and 60th in rebounding.

The complete D3hoops.com Team of the Week for Jan. 4-10, 2010 along with the archives can be found here; www.d3hoops.com/tow/. Players are nominated by their Sports Information Directors or coaches weekly for the D3hoops.com Team of the Week; which is selected by its national staff of reporters.

D3hoops.com Team of the Week honorees from Gallaudet University
Jan. 4-10, 2010 - Easter Faafiti
Jan. 31-Feb. 6, 2000 - Ronda Jo Miller
Jan. 25-31, 1999 - Touria Ouahid
Jan. 18-24, 1999 - Ronda Jo Miller
Feb. 9-15, 1998 - Ronda Jo Miller
Jan. 12-18, 1998 - Ronda Jo Miller
Jan. 5-11, 1998 - Dawn Birley