Men's Basketball Defensive Player of the Week
Za'Quien Whitehead – Bellevue (Neb.)
Junior – Center – Columbus, Ga.
Whitehead provided a strong defensive presence in the paint as (RV) Bellevue (Neb.) opened the 2026-27 season with two victories at the Chick-fil-A Classic.
The junior center averaged six rebounds, including 5.5 defensive boards, and 2.5 blocked shots per game. He also contributed 5.5 points and 0.5 steals per contest while shooting 71.4 percent from the field.
Whitehead opened the weekend with an impressive defensive performance in Bellevue's 75-62 victory over Bethany Oct. 23. Coming off the bench, he recorded four blocked shots, six rebounds and one steal in just 13 minutes of action.
He also contributed nine points on perfect 4-of-4 shooting from the field in the victory.
Whitehead followed with another strong defensive effort in Bellevue's 58-57 victory over Doane Oct. 24. He collected six defensive rebounds and blocked one shot while altering numerous additional attempts in the paint.
His presence helped limit Doane to 39 percent shooting from the field as the Bruins secured the one-point victory.
This is Whitehead's first career Erck Hotels / Frontier Conference Player of the Week honor.