AJ Brodeur named Ivy Player of the Week after big-time performances in Big Apple

Ryan Betley is no longer the only Penn men's basketball sophomore to win two Ivy League Basketball Player of the Week awards.

Sophomore forward AJ Brodeur joined his sharpshooting classmate after boasting averages of 17.5 points and five rebounds per game over the weekend in wins against Columbia and Cornell. 

Unsurprisingly, those numbers led the Quakers. However, Brodeur also led Penn in assists, outpacing point guard Darnell Foreman with four assists per game compared to the starting guard’s 2.5.

On the season, Brodeur (2.6 apg) is second on the team assists behind Foreman (3.5 apg). 

His ability to pass out of the post has been a huge asset for the Red and Blue this season. After a strong freshman season, opponents have strategized to try and limit Brodeur as a scoring threat. Though his points per game (12.6) are slightly down this season, his assists per 40 minutes shot up to 3.3 this season, up .8 from his freshman season average of 2.5.

His all-around play was critical for the Quakers, who look to keep pace with Harvard for first place in the Ivy league and a number one seed in the upcoming conference tournament.

Against Columbia, the sophomore forward was the only Quakers starter to reach double figures. While the other starters shot 26 percent from the field, Brodeur shot seven of 10 from the field for 14 points.

The next day, he dominated Cornell, putting up 21 points on 80 percent shooting from the field, while going five for five from the charity stripe. 

As the season progresses, Brodeur’s play keeps getting better. In conference play, he is averaging 15.7 points and 8.0 rebounds, both improvements from his non-conference slate. If he keeps his play up, individual awards are not the only thing the Quakers could garner this season.