Big 12 names Jared Butler, Elijah Harkless Players of the Week
Baylor guard Jared Butler and Oklahoma guard Elijah Harkless were named the Big 12 Player of the Week and the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week for Jan. 25, respectively.
Butler was an easy choice for Player of the Week, but this is his first selection of the season.
After Butler poured 30 points — including seven 3-pointers — on Kansas last Monday game, there was little question he would be a contender for the weekly conference award. But then he scored 22 points against Oklahoma State on Saturday. For the week he averaged 25 points and seven assists, as he continued to solidify his credentials as a potential first-round NBA Draft pick and a Wooden Award contender.
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Harkless helped the Sooners beat Kansas State and then-No. 9 Kansas, and in doing so led the Big 12 last week in steals and rebounds, with six and 20, respectively. He also scored 7.5 points per game and dished out 4.5 assists per game last week, as he made half his shots from the floor. Against Kansas State he had 13 rebounds, six assists and three steals, making him the first major conference player to put up those numbers in a single game.
Big 12 Player of the Week
Nov. 30 – Derek Culver, West Virginia, F, Jr.
Dec. 7 – Matt Coleman III, Texas, G, Sr.
Dec. 14 – RJ Nembhard, TCU, G, Jr.
Dec. 21 – Kevin Samuel, TCU, C, Jr.
Dec. 28 – Christian Braun, Kansas, G, So.
Jan. 4 – Umoja Gibson, Oklahoma, G, Jr.
Jan. 11 – Andrew Jones, Texas, G, Jr.
Jan. 18 – Mac McClung, Texas Tech, G, Jr.
Jan. 25 – Jared Butler, Baylor, G, Jr.
Big 12 Newcomer of the Week
Nov. 30 – Mike Miles, TCU, G, Fr.
Dec. 7 – Cade Cunningham, Oklahoma State, G, Fr.
Dec. 14 – Cade Cunningham, Oklahoma State, G, Fr.
Dec. 21 – Greg Brown, Texas, F, Fr.
Dec. 28 — Mike Miles, TCU, G, Fr.
Jan. 4 – Umoja Gibson, Oklahoma, G, Jr.
Jan. 11 – Greg Brown, Texas, F, Fr.
Jan. 18 — Cade Cunningham, Oklahoma State, G, Fr.
Jan. 25 – Elijah Harkless, Oklahoma, G, Jr.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard. Send him a tweet with your question to be included in this week’s Big 12 Basketball Mailbag, which appears each Friday during the conference season.
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