Weber State’s Dillon Jones, Winston Reid both win national player of week honors
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- LEFT: Dillon Jones dribbles on Nov. 7, 2023, in Ogden. RIGHT: Winston Reid (6) tackles CWU QB JJ Lemming on Aug. 31, 2023, in Ogden.
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- TOP: Dillon Jones dribbles on Nov. 7, 2023, in Ogden. BOTTOM: Winston Reid (6) tackles CWU QB JJ Lemming on Aug. 31, 2023, in Ogden.
Two Weber State athletes have earned national player of the week distinctions after their star performances last week.
Fourth-year men’s basketball forward Dillon Jones was named a national player of the week for his two-game performance in the opening week of the season, while senior football linebacker Winston Reid was named FCS national defensive player of the week for his play in a win over Idaho.
Jones averaged 27.5 points and 12 rebounds per game in two victories, scoring a career-high 29 points to help WSU defeat No. 23 Saint Mary’s on Sunday. He’s also 18 of 18 from the foul line this season and is shooting 63% from the field.
That earned him a national player of the week award from the U.S. Basketball Writers Association, the first time a WSU player has been so recognized since Damian Lillard in 2012. Jones is also the Big Sky player of the week, his ninth such honor from the conference.
Through Monday, Jones was third nationally in points per game, tied for 12th in total rebounding average, and first nationally in defensive rebounds per game.
With 1,193 career points, his first two games move him past Richard Smith (1976-80) and Davion Berry (2012-14) and into 20th place on WSU’s all-time scoring list — four points from passing Rico Washington (1987-89) in 19th place.
Now at 857 career rebounds, Jones is 17 away from surpassing Bruce Collins (1976-80) for fourth all-time at WSU.
WSU’s win was the program’s first victory over a team ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 since 2000, and the first such win for any Big Sky team since 2009.
Reid racked up 17 tackles in WSU football’s upset win over No. 4 Idaho, including 11 in the game’s first 18 minutes.
That’s the most single-game tackles at Weber State in nine years and ties for the most by any player in the Big Sky this season.
For that, he was named the FCS national defensive player of the week by STATS Perform.
He’s eighth in the country at 11 tackles per game. He’s four tackles away from entering WSU’s all-time top-10 leaderboard. He also forced a fumble against Idaho, the ninth of his career, which ties him for first all-time at Weber State.