RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – Harding’s Hayden Johnson and Henderson State’s Destiny Smith received the Great American Conference’s Men’s and Women’s Basketball Players of the Week honors for their performances over the final week of the 2012-13 regular season.
 
GAC MEN’S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Hayden Johnson, Harding, F, Jr., Phoenix, Ariz.
Johnson helped the Bisons to a pair of victories that secured a share of the GAC regular-season title as well as the top seed for the upcoming GAC Tournament. In averaging 18.0 points per game against Arkansas Tech and Southeastern Oklahoma State, Johnson shot an incredible 82.6 percent from the floor as he connected on 14-of-17 shots. He shot 6-for-9 from the 3-point arc.
                                                                                                                                                                                        
GAC WOMEN’S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Destiny Smith, Henderson State, F, Sr., Mt. Pleasant, Texas
Smith closed out her Henderson State career by notching double-doubles in home victories against Ouachita Baptist and Southern Arkansas. Against the Tigers, Smith scored 21 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. On Senior Day against the Lady Muleriders, Smith totaled 20 points and pulled down 11 rebounds as the Lady Reddies notched their first three-game win streak in two months. She finished the regular season as one of just two players in the GAC to average a double-double.
 
NOTABLE MEN’S NOMINEES
- Rod Camphor, G, Jr., Southwestern Oklahoma State (Scored 18 of his 21 points in 2nd half; including 7 of SWOSU’s final 9)
- Kori Forge, G, Sr., Arkansas-Monticello (Became Boll Weevils’ 25th and the GAC’s first 1,000-point career scorer)
- Jonathan Freemyer, F, Sr., Northwestern Oklahoma State (Finished career in third on NWOSU’s scoring list – 1,499 points)
- Willie Kirkland, G, Sr., Arkansas Tech (Scored 24 points in finale to help Wonder Boys clinch a share of regular-season title)
- Steven Kohli, F, Sr., Southeastern Oklahoma State (Averaged 15.5 points and 11.5 rebounds; shot 62.5 percent from the field)
- Duke Reed, F, Jr., Southern Arkansas (Nearly averaged a double-double - 9.5 points, 9.0 rebounds - over two games)
- Braxton Reeves, F, Fr., East Central (Set career-highs for points, 17, and 3-pointers, five, against Southeastern)
 
NOTABLE WOMEN’S NOMINEES
- Montana Lewis, G, So., Harding (Nearly averaged a double-double - 13.0 PPG, 9.5 RPG; shot 50.0 percent from the floor)
- Alycea Price, F, Jr., East Central (Recorded her third double-double – 12 points, 14 rebounds – in win vs Southeastern)
- Catherine Puckett, F, So., Arkansas-Monticello (Scored a career-high 19 points against Ouachita Baptist)
- Roselis Silva, G, Sr., Arkansas Tech (Averaged 15.5 PPG, 9.5 RPG and 7.0 APG as Golden Suns clinched regular-season title)
- Bailey Welch, G, Sr., Southeastern Oklahoma State (Registered a 13:1 assist-turnover ratio over two games)
- Monica Williams, F/C, Sr., Ouachita Baptist (In final home game, scored 34 points and grabbed 11 rebounds vs UAM)