Cal Maritime sweeps Player of the Week awards for the third week in a row

VALLEJO, Calif. – For the third time in as many opportunities, Cal Maritime captured both of the Cal Pac's Men's Basketball Player of the Week awards when Ivan Soto and Lawrence Long earned Offensive and Defensive honors, respectively.

This is the first weekly honor of Soto's career and the second one in as many weeks for Long, who earned the Defensive Player of the Week accolades for the first time as a Keelhauler when league officials announced last week's honorees.

The Cal Pac Conference bestowed six Player of the Week awards so far this season with a Cal Maritime student-athlete receiving each one. Jordan Morency (Offensive) and Nick Stone (Defensive) won the season's first pair with the latter earning Offensive distinction the following week.

Soto earned recognition for setting a slew of new career highs when the Keelhaulers traveled to Anaheim last week and defeated Bethesda to improve their record to 4-0 — the best start to a season since the 2017-18 campaign. 

The junior guard from Yuba City, California, recorded 19 points, six field goals made, three baskets from three-point territory, four made free throws, five assists, four total rebounds and four blocked shots. That blocks total is the ninth-highest single-game total in program history.

Long, who hails from Oakland, posted his first career double-double by recording 12 points and a career-high 13 total rebounds against the Angel Lions. Nine of his rebounds were on defense; since his team finished with 40, he was singlehandedly responsible for nearly one-fourth of that total.

The senior forward also earned a season-high five assists, one shy of his career high.

Following its 6:30 p.m. Wednesday night exhibition at Dominican, Cal Maritime will face an opportunity to solely hold the program record for the most successful start to a season when it faces Corban (5 p.m.) on Friday in the first of two games taking place in Redding, California, in as many days.

The team's weekend at Simpson University will conclude Saturday versus Bushnell (3 p.m.) in the fifth of eight straight games on the road for the Keelhaulers.