Chris Olivier has done exactly what he was brought in to do: rebound and score inside the paint for the Eastern men’s basketball team.

The junior forward transfer from Northern Iowa sat out the fall semester of the 2013-14 season because of NCAA transfer rules.

But since he has been eligible, Olivier has found himself a home underneath the basket in Lantz Arena.

Olivier has averaged 10.3 points per game, third on the Panthers, and 6.2 rebounds per game in Ohio Valley Conference play, 10th in the league.

“He’s going to come in and get a lot of rebounds, help build up our energy and give us another pair of fresh feet when the bigs are tired,” forward Sherman Blanford said after the final game before Olivier’s Panther debut. “He can definitely score in the post. We will need that.”

And scored he has. Olivier leads the Panthers as he is shooting 50 percent from the field in his first seven games, while also averaging nearly 10 shots per game. He has scored team highs three times with 14, 19 and 15 points.

“He has helped us not eliminate our scoring droughts, but he has helped us limit them,” Eastern coach Jay Spoonhour said. “He is a good offensive player who scores around the basket.”

The 6-foot-8, 245-pound forward has caused matchup problems for opponents, Spoonhour said, the Panthers have been able to play a bigger lineup and allow forwards Josh Piper and Blanford to play the 3-position, while Olivier fills their usual 4-position.

Weekly awards

Tennessee State guard Patrick Miller won the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Week, as he averaged 29.5 points, 4.5 assists, two rebounds and 1.5 steals per game.

He started the week by scoring 22 points and dishing out two assists in a non-conference game with Middle Tennessee State.

He capped the week by scoring a career-high 37 points, the second-most points by an OVC player in a game this season, at Southeast Missouri. The senior made 12-of-21 field goals and 11-of-12 free throws, had seven assists, recorded four rebounds and nabbed three steals.

Miller leads the OVC in scoring with 21.8 points per game and is sixth in each assists (4.3 per game) and steals (1.8 per game).

Murray State’s Jarvis Williams earned OVC Newcomer of the Week honors for the second consecutive week after averaging 16.5 points, eight rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game, all while hitting 75 percent (15-of-20) from the field in two Racer wins.

The junior transfer from Gordon State College started the week with his seventh double-double of the season at Eastern Kentucky, making 9-of-9 field goals on his way to 19 points and also recording 11 rebounds. He capped the week with 14 points, five rebounds and two blocks in a victory over Austin Peay.

Williams currently ranks second in the OVC in rebounding with 10.5 per game, third in blocks with 1.6 per game, fifth in field-goal percentage with 61.4 percent and 11th in scoring with 14.1 points per game.

Fellow Racer Cameron Payne averaged 17 points, 6.5 assists, six rebounds, 2.5 steals and 1.5 blocks per game on his way to the OVC Freshman of the Week for the fourth time.

Payne opened the week with 19 points, seven rebounds, five assists, three steals and three blocks as the Racers topped the Colonels.

He closed the week with 15 points, a season-high eight assists, five rebounds and two blocks against Austin Peay.

Anthony Catezone can be reached at 581-2812 or ajcatezone@eiu.edu.