Platek puts up third straight career-high; Walton, Francis settle in with new schools

By R.L. Bynum

Andrew Platek continues to be a consistent scorer and perimeter shooter as Siena heads to a Thursday game against Florida State, while Kerwin Walton and Jeremiah Francis are settling in at their new schools.

Platek has scored a career-high 15 points in the last three games as the Saints take a 2–2 record into an 11 a.m. game Thursday in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., against the Seminoles (ESPN2) in the ESPN Events Invitational.

After a 96–94 overtime home loss Wednesday to Army, the Saints lost 69–59 Sunday at Harvard.

“I didn’t have my best game by any means,” Platek told the Albany Times-Union after the Harvard loss in which leading point guard Javian McCollum was held to two points. “I was forcing a little too much with Javian not playing his best. So I was trying to take up the slack for him. I think I overdid it a little bit. I think we all overdid it. We’ve got to string together stops and still haven’t put together two full halves of basketball.”

Platek scored a career-high five 3-pointers against Army and three against Harvard. Platek has multiple 3-pointers in all four games and is 13 of 26 from outside the arc. He had multiple 3-pointers twice as a Tar Heel, with three against Western Carolina on Dec. 6, 2017, and two on Nov. 23, 2017, against Portland.

Given how the Seminoles’ season has gone, Siena should have a shot at winning. Florida State is 1–4 after an 81–72 victory Monday over Mercer.

After the Florida State game, Siena faces either Ole Miss or Stanford at 11 a.m. or 1:30 Friday and plays its third game in the event on Sunday against either Oklahoma, Nebraska, Memphis or Seton Hall.


Walton, in Maui for the Maui Invitational, is in his first season with Texas Tech. He has 19 points and is 2 of 11 from 3-point range in 94 minutes over the Red Raiders’ first five games.

He collected nine points and five rebounds in the opening-game 73–49 victory Nov. 7 over Northwestern State, and those stand as his season-highs in both categories.

After playing at least 22 minutes in the first three games, Walton logged only 11 minutes and was scoreless in Texas Tech’s  76–65 loss to No. 10 Creighton in its first-round game of the Maui Invitational on Monday.

In Tuesday’s 70–38 victory over Louisville, he was scoreless with a rebound and an assist in 12 minutes.

The Red Raiders (4–1) meet Ohio State on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. (ESPN2).

Last season for Carolina, Walton scored 106 points in 411 minutes over 31 games, making 23 of 65 3-point attempts. After scoring 11 points in 18 minutes against Pittsburgh on Feb. 16, he never played more than seven minutes after that, mostly because of his play on defense.


After scoring 20 points in 92 minutes over 12 games last season at New Mexico, Francis transferred to Division II Emmanuel College in Georgia. He started the Lions’ first three games before he missed Sunday’s game because of an illness.

Francis, who scored a season-high 13 points in a 69–68 Nov. 12 home win over Young Harris, is 4 of 7 from 3-point range on the season.

Emmanuel (3–2) won a home game Tuesday against Lees-McRae 90–65, but Francis also missed that game.

Checking in on 4 former Heels

Jeremiah Francis, Emmanuel College guard

6–1, 190 pounds | Junior | UNC 2019–20 (1 season)

75–73 Nov. 11 win vs. Georgia Southwestern — Started; 35 minutes, 9 points 4–9 FG, 1–3 3FG, 2 rebounds, 1 foul, 3 fouls, 6 turnovers
69–68 Nov. 12 loss vs. Young Harris —
Started; 27 minutes, 13 points 4–10 FG, 3–3 3FG, 2–2 FT, 2 rebounds, 3 fouls, 1 assist
73–71 Saturday loss vs. Georgia College — Started; 16 minutes, 0–4 FG, 0–1 3FG, 1 foul, 1 block, 1 steal
66–57 Sunday win at Clayton State and 90–65 home win Tuesday over Lees-McRae — Was sick and missed both games
Season statistics — 3 games, 3 starts, 7.3 points, 34.8% FG, 57.1 3FG, 1.3 rebounds; season total of 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 block
Up next — 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3 at UNC Pembroke; 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 5 at Chowan
———————————————

Anthony Harris, Rhode Island guard

6–4, 190 pounds | Junior | UNC 2019–22 (3 seasons)

Because of academic concerns, his season likely won’t start until the Rams’ Dec. 31 Atlantic 10 Conference opener against Duquesne.



———————————————

Andrew Platek, Siena guard

6–4, 208 pounds | Graduate student | UNC 2017–21 (4 seasons)

75–68 Nov. 1 win at Holy Cross — Started; 27 minutes, 13 points, 5–7 FG, 2–3 3FG, 1–4 FT, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 turnover
75–62 Nov. 12 win vs. Albany — Started; 28 minutes, 15 points, 6–11 FG, 3–7 3FG, 0–2 FT, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 2 turnovers, 1 foul
96–94 OT Wednesday loss vs. Army — Started; 34 minutes, 15 points, 5–8 FG, 5–7 3FG, 1 rebound, 4 assists, 1 steal, 3 turnovers, 2 fouls
69–59 Sunday loss at Harvard — Started; 15 points, 5–13 FG, 3–9 3FG, 2–2 FT, 3 rebounds, 1 foul, 2 assists, 2 turnovers, 1 steal
Season statistics —
4 games, 4 starts, 14.5 points, 53.8 FG%, 50.0 3FG%, 37.5 FT%, 2.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists
Up next — 11 a.m. Thursday vs. Florida State in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., ESPN2; 11 a.m. or 1:30 p.m. Friday vs. Ole Miss or Stanford in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., ESPN or ESPN News
———————————————

Kerwin Walton, Texas Tech guard

65, 200 pounds | Junior | UNC 2020–22 (2 seasons)

73–49 Nov. 7 win vs. Northwestern State — 24 minutes, 9 points, 4–7 FG, 0–3 3FG, 1–2 FT, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 2 fouls
78–54 Nov. 10 win vs. Texas Southern — 24 minutes, 5 points, 1–3 FG, 1–3 3FG, 0–2 FT, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 turnover, 2 fouls
64–55 Nov. 13 win vs. Louisiana Tech — 22 minutes, 5 points, 2–5 FG, 1–3 3FG, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 2 fouls
76–65 Monday loss vs. Creighton in Maui, Hawaii — 11 minutes, 0 points, 0–1 FG, 0–1 3FG, 1 assist, 2 turnovers, 2 fouls
70–38 Tuesday win vs. Louisville in Maui, Hawaii — 12 minutes, 0 points, 0–2 FG, 0–1 3FG, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 2 fouls
Season statistics —
5 games, 3.8 points, 38.8 FG%, 18.1 3FG%, 75.0 FT%, 2.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists
Up next — 2:30 Wednesday in Maui vs. Ohio State, ESPN2; 8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 30 vs. Georgetown, ESPN+

Photo courtesy of Siena College

1 Comment

Leave a reply to Todd Freeman Cancel reply