Region IV Report

PALATINE, Ill. – Just this basketball season, Harper College men's basketball point guard Marcus Gatlin (Chicago, Ill./Curie) has already been named a NJCAA Division III Men's Basketball National Player of the Week, two-time NJCAA Region IV Division III Men's Basketball Player of the Week, and Harper College Athlete of the Week. Gatlin added to that list of accomplishments in the winter 2015-16 season, as he was named the NJCAA Region IV Division III Men's Basketball Player of the Week for a third time this season.

In two games last week, the sophomore averaged 25.0 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 6.0 APG, and 1.5 SPG while playing a full 40 minutes in each game. Gatlin put together perhaps his signature game of his Harper career at College of DuPage Feb. 10, scoring a career-high 33 points while also grabbing 11 rebounds and dishing out eight assists. He followed that performance up with a 17-point game at Joliet Junior College this past Saturday. He also added five rebounds and four assists.

The honor of Player of the Week is even more significant because of the strength of NJCAA Region IV Div. III basketball. Currently, three of the six teams (Rock Valley College, Milwaukee Area Technical College, Joliet Junior College) are either ranked in the top 10 of the national poll or are receiving votes.

Gatlin has started all 28 games in his sophomore campaign and holds averages of 17.9 PPG (second on team), 6.0 RPG (second on team), and 5.3 APG (first on team). He knocks down free throws at a 72.4 percent clip (155-of-214).

One of the underrated stats is the sheer amount of time Gatlin spends on the court. He has played 1,029 minutes this season (36.8/game, fourth in nation), which is the third-highest total in the nation. Gatlin has not played under 30 minutes in any game this season. To view all of his stats, click here.