A perfect 4-0 start has the Miles men's basketball team in the spotlight in the early portion of the season.

After getting a win over Clayton State last week, the Golden Bears moved up one spot to No. 23 in the weekly NABC Division II men's basketball poll. Miles first in the SIAC and 12th in the nation in defensive field goal percentage, which is par for the course for a Fred Watson-coached team. But Miles is also shooting the ball well this season, second in the conference and top-50 (49th) nationally from the floor while leading the SIAC in margin of victory.

Several players have had strong performances during this run and have been feted for their work. This week, Najashi Tolefree was named Player of the Week by the SIAC and HBCU All-Stars, which presents the HBCU All-Star Games during Final Four weekend. Tolefree, a senior forward from Milwaukee, Wisc., scored a game-high 23 points on 10-of-18 shooting while adding nine rebounds, four assists, two steals and a blocked shot in Miles' win over Clayton State. On the season, he is averaging 19.8 points on 53 percent shooting, 7.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.0 steals and he has been named Player of the Week for two straight weeks by HBCU All-Stars.

Cameron Jernigan, a senior forward from Gary, Ind., was named SIAC Newcomer of the Week. In just 22 minutes, Jernigan posted a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds, and added four blocks, an assist and a steal in the Golden Bears' win over Clayton State. It was the fourth consecutive game that he had exactly four blocks. On the season, Jernigan is averaging 14.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 4.0 blocks per game , which is second in the nation.

Jernigan and Tolefree are among the Mileans on the HBCU All-Star Game Watch List, joined by guard Tyon Thompson and forward Elijah Terry. Thompson nearly had a triple-double against Clayton State (14 points, nine rebounds, eight assists) and is currently second on the team in scoring (16.0), third in rebounds (5.0) while leading the team in assists (4.5), which is second in the conference and helps him lead the league (and sixth in Division II) in assist/turnover ratio (6.0), just ahead of Tolefree (5.3, 10th in Division II). Terry is currently one of the top options off the bench for Miles, shooting 50 percent from the field and averaging 4.8 points per game in just under 11 minutes per contest.

The Golden Bears are back in action on Thursday, when they travel to face Morehouse.