Gathers Named Big 12 MBB Player of the Week
1/26/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
IRVING, Texas - Baylor junior forward Rico Gathers has been voted Phillips 66 Big 12 Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week, as announced Monday by the league office.
This is the first time Gathers has earned a Big 12 weekly award during his three-year career, and it marks the third time this season a Baylor player has been honored. Johnathan Motley and Lester Medford were each named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week, on Dec. 8 and Dec. 29, respectively.
Gathers averaged a double-double with 16.5 points and 18.0 rebounds per game as the Bears recorded wins over Huston-Tillotson and No. 19 Oklahoma. He began the week by setting Big 12 and Baylor single-game records with 28 rebounds versus HT, becoming the first Division I player since 2006 with that many boards in a game. He also had a career-high 25 points to make him the first player in league history to post a 25-point, 25-rebound effort.
In Saturday's win over Oklahoma, Gathers scored all eight of his points in the final 5:02 as part of BU's 23-9 run that secured the win. He made 13-of-24 (.542) shots for the week and went 7-of-10 (.700) from the free throw line.
Gathers is the 15th Baylor player to earn the league's Player of the Week award, and those players have been honored a total of 25 times. BU has had at least one honoree in four straight seasons and has picked up 14 honors over the last five seasons.
Kansas State's Nino Williams was also named Big 12 Player of the Week, and Kansas' Cliff Alexander was named Newcomer of the Week.
Baylor returns to action with a pair of conference games this week. The Bears travel to Oklahoma State for Tuesday's 8 p.m. CT tipoff on ESPNews and host Texas at the Ferrell Center at 5 p.m. Saturday on ESPN2.
BAYLOR BIG 12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONOREES
1997 - Patrick Hunter (2/17)
1998 - Patrick Hunter (1/4)
1998 - Brian Skinner (1/11)
1999 - Kish?Lewis (11/24)
2000 - Terry Black (1/3)
2001 - Terry Black (2/19)
2003 - Lawrence Roberts (2/17)
2008 - Curtis Jerrells (11/19)
2008 - Kevin Rogers (12/24)
2008 - Curtis Jerrells (1/28)
2008 - Kevin Rogers (3/3)
2010 - LaceDarius Dunn (11/16)
2010 - LaceDarius Dunn (1/4)
2010 - Ekpe Udoh (1/11)
2010 - LaceDarius Dunn (2/15)
2012 - Perry Jones?III?(12/19)
2012 - Perry Jones III?(1/16)
2013 - Cory?Jefferson (11/12)
2013 - Pierre Jackson (1/28)
2013 - Pierre Jackson (3/10)
2014 - Cory Jefferson (12/2)
2014 - Isaiah Austin (2/17)
2014 - Cory Jefferson (2/24)
2014 - Kenny Chery (3/9)
2015 - Rico Gathers (1/26)
