ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: RYAN WEATHERSPOON

Ryan Weatherspoon

School: Scott City

Sport: Basketball

Coach: Derek McCord

Weekly Report: Weatherspoon, a 6-foot-6 senior post player, scored 78 points over four games and led Scott City to its first University High Christmas Tournament championship since 1963. Weatherspoon, who was named to the all-tournament team, scored 18 points in the championship game against Advance.

Season Report: Weatherspoon averages 18.4 points, 10 rebounds and 4.2 blocks per game and is one of the top big men in the region. He has posted three triple-doubles this season.

Coach's Comments: "Ryan is a player who leads by example, not by talk" said McCord. "He works very hard and goes all out on every drill. He's our best defender. Offensively, we've really worked hard on facing the basket and he's a much better shooter this year. And he's a much better free throw shooter this year at just under 70 percent. He's getting a lot of atention from area colleges and Ryan will be a great player at the next level. He's a great kid."