INDIANAPOLIS – Sophomore forward Patrick Cartier of 11th-ranked Hillsdale College has been named the U.S. Basketball Writers Association Men’s Division II National Player of the Week for his performance in the week of games between Feb. 1-7, 2021.
 
The sophomore forward averaged 28.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3 assists while leading Hillsdale to victories over Cedarville and No. 6-ranked Findlay last week. Cartier scored 30 points and grabbed 8 rebounds to lead Hillsdale to an 83-79 double-overtime win over Cedarville, and he scored 27 points with 7 rebounds and 3 assists to give the Chargers a Top-10 win with an 82-71 victory over No. 6-ranked Findlay on Feb. 6.
 
Cartier shot 75 percent (18-for-24) from the field for the week, missing just 3 attempts in each contest, and he was 77 percent (20-for-26) from the free throw line on the week. With the victories, Hillsdale improved to 13-1 on the season and extended its winning streak to 10 games while claiming sole possession of first place in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference standings.
 
Cartier, a 6-foot-8, 220-pound forward from Brookfield, Wis., claimed his fourth Great Midwest Athletic Conference Player of the Week award with his performance, and he is the league leader in scoring average (19.9 points per game) and field goal percentage (.643). He ranks 11th nationally in field goal percentage, and he is the national leader in field goal percentage among players with at least 100 field goals made. 
 
Cartier is the first Great Midwest men’s basketball player to receive USBWA national weekly honors since Ohio Dominican’s Hasan Varence in December of 2019. Two different women’s basketball players from the league have already received USBWA National Player of the Week, Sydney Kin of Findlay and Mayci Sales of Walsh.
 
2020-21 USBWA Men’s Division II National Player of the Week
Jan. 11: Chandler Jacobs, Dallas Baptist University (Lone Star Conference)
Jan. 18: Chandler Jacobs, Dallas Baptist University (Lone Star Conference)
Jan. 25: Parker Fox, Northern State University (Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference)
Feb. 1: Cam Martin, Missouri Southern State University (Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association)
Feb. 8: Patrick Cartier, Hillsdale College (Great Midwest Athletic Conference)