Another week, another American Athletic Conference Player of the Week honor for UConn senior point guard Shabazz Napier. This makes his fifth Player of the Week award after helping the Huskies to wins over USF and Cincinnati.
Details via UConnHuskies.com:
Napier averaged 17.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 2.0 steals for the two games, which upped the Huskies’ record to 23-6 overall and 11-5 in the AAC.
Napier scored 17 points, including 15 in the second half, with 7 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals as UConn rallied from behind in the second half to defeat USF, 61-56, in Tampa last Wednesday.
On Saturday, before a sellout crowd at the XL Center, Napier registered his sixth double-double of the season and the eighth of his career with 18 points and 11 rebounds, along with 2 assists and 2 steals, as UConn upended No. 11/12 Cincinnati, 51-45. Napier was 6-of-6 from the foul line down the stretch to help secure the victory.
Most impressive, perhaps, is that in addition to the honors, Napier has been named to the AAC's honor roll eight times. He's also been mentioned as an AAC Player of the Year candidate, and is in the national conversation for several player of the year awards.
Last October, he was named to the Bob Cousy watch list, the annual honor that goes to the best collegiate point guard in the country. In January, he was one of 25 candidates for the Wooden Award, which recognizes the nation's best player, and earlier this month he found himself on the midseason watch list along with 29 other candidates for the Naismith Men's Player of the Year Award, which also goes to the nation's best player.
And last week, Napier added his name to another honor, this time, along with 14 other players, the 2014 Oscar Robertson National Player of the Year Trophy.
