Men's Basketball | 2/9/2026 2:17:00 PM

Zion Russell and Skylar Wicks, members of the Saint Francis men's basketball team, have been named NEC Prime Performers for the week of February 2-8. It is the seventh time that Wicks has earned the distinction, and the second time for Russell.

Russell averaged 15.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game in the two games. The redshirt senior shot 55.6 percent (10-for-18) from the floor, 75.0 percent from behind(6-for-8), and 71.4 percent from the free throw line (5-for-7). He posted 16 points against Mercyhurst on Thursday and 15 points against Le Moyne on Saturday.  Dating back to December 1, the redshirt senior has 11 10+ point games in 13 contests and is averaging 12.6 points per game in that span. With a 10+ point game at Chicago State, he would tie a career high with five consecutive games in double figures, which he posted during his last 13 tilts.

Wicks averaged 23.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game for the Red Flash. He registered a season-high 27 points and six rebounds against Le Moyne on Saturday and tied the game at 84 with 3.8 seconds left from way downtown as part of a 9-2 run that he fueled with six points. It was the most points he has scored in a Red Flash uniform and the sixth time in his career that he has scored more than 25 points in his career. It was the first time this season a player hit six from downtown, the first time since Jeremy Clayville hit six triples against Penn State Schuylkill on November 20, 2024, and the most points scored since Riley Parker had 28 points against FDU on February 22, 2025. The previous five times occurred with Wicks playing at Incarnate Word in 2023-24, including a career-high 29 points against Schreiner on November 14. He added 19 points and seven rebounds against Le Moyne on Thursday. He shot 41.0 percent (16-for-39) from the floor and 47.1 percent from behind the arc (8-for-17) in the two games. He also had seven assists and four steals in the two games.

Freshman Paris Papadatos was named the NEC Rookie of the Week for the week of December 1-7 after scoring 19 points against Penn State Shenango on December 3 and 15 points at Radford on December 7. 

Wicks leads the team with eight NEC Prime Performer distinctions, while Russell has a pair, and seniors Ahmad Harrison and Chris Moncrief each have one recognition.

Saint Francis will tip off against Chicago State at 4 p.m. EST on Monday.