POW MCC

Mott's Kevin Tiggs honored as National Player of the Week

By Jared Field

18 January 2007

greatlakeshoops.com

Port Huron-- Coach Steve Schmidt made his way over to the scorer's table before his team took to the floor against St. Clair, and quickly handed me a sheet of paper folded into quarters.

His normal pre-game intensity was put off for a moment, as he couldn't help but crack a smile.

The Mott Community College Bears’ sensational sophomore forward, Kevin Tiggs, was named the NJCAA division II player of the week--Schmidt had just gotten the news.

After the game, a 14-point win, Schmidt made it clear that the team already had a win before the game had even started. 

The 6-4 swingman has been invaluable to the seventh-ranked Bears in the midst of their 12 game winning streak.

“An award like this means everything to me,” said Tiggs after scoring 12 points and pulling down nine boards in a win over St. Clair. “Especially coming from where I’m from, it means a whole lot.”

Last week, Tiggs led the Bears to victory in three games against Delta, Macomb and Oakland, vaulting the Bears to the seven spot in the latest national poll.

Tiggs poured in 34 points on 17-20 shooting and grabbed 14 rebounds in Mott’s win over Delta to start the week—a performance that was a portent of things to come.

Against Macomb, Tiggs scored 22 points on 10-12 shooting with eight rebounds.

The capper came against Oakland on Saturday when Tiggs exploded for 31 points on 13-15 shooting. 

All told, Tiggs missed a jaw-dropping seven shots, shooting 40-47 in three games while averaging 29 points per contest.

“I’ve been getting better as the season has progressed,” Tiggs said. “And as long as I’m still good once March comes along, we’ll be alright.”

It is the first time a Mott player has been honored with the distinction, and Mott head coach, Steve Schmidt, couldn’t be happier.

“I was thrilled for Kevin,” said Schmidt. “There’s nobody more worthy of being recognized than him. The entire locker room was happy for Kevin and if he keeps playing the way he’s playing, I might have to nominate him again next week.”

Tiggs is currently being recruited by numerous division one universities, including Ole Miss, Cleveland State and Northern Illinois—and more letters are arriving daily.

Tiggs is the prototypical unassuming superstar who came from relative obscurity to becoming one of the most highly sought-after junior college prospects in the country.

He's listed as a forward, but he is very capable of playing all five positions on the floor; not at once, of course, but his nickname is "Superman."

Tiggs possesses a solid mid-range jumper, amazingly quick feet and bounce, and the kind of hands you only see in an NFL receiving corps.  Add to his physical tools his love for the game and his unparalleled energy on offense and defense, and you've got one heck of a basketball player.