Dior Ford certainly grabbed the attention of the MIAC men's basketball world last week. When the Pipers played St. John's, Ford often had company, frequently being double-teamed. As a result, he took just eights shots and scored a season low six points.
No matter. He played solid defense, recorded a pair of steals and enjoyed a solid a 72-50 win over the Johnnies.
He broke loose on offense later in he week, getting 17 (including 7-for-7 from the Free Throw Line) in a loss at St. Thomas and then had a team high 18 at Concordia as the Pipers rallied for a 75-69 win.
Those numbers -- along with some impressive rebounding figures -- helped Ford be named the MIAC Men's Basketball Athlete Of The Week. The HU player to be so named was Carl Hipp during the 2010-11 season.
Ford heads to the holiday break second in the MIAC in Points (133) and Field Goals (49). He is third in Free Throw Percentage (88.5) and fourth in Points Per Game (16.6) Blocks (8) and Minutes Played (267).
His current mark of 16.6 points per game is three better than he record last year when he finished at 13.5 per game. At his current pace, he would end his Hamline career with 1300 points. His head coach, Jim Hayes, is ninth on the school's all-time list with 1240 career points.
He leads the Pipers in all the above categories. Hamline is 4-4 at the holiday break, 2-3 in the MIAC. They return to action December 29 when they meet Otterbein in the opening game of the Cal Lutheran Tournament. They will tangle with Ripon or the host school the next day before returning to MIAC action January 4 against Concordia.
