A nice honor for the man who carried the UConn Huskies men's basketball team to a 3-0 week last week.
Here's the release from UConn:
STORRS, Conn. – University of Connecticut junior guard Shabazz Napier (Roxbury, Mass.) has been named BIG EAST Player of the Week on Monday, as announced by the BIG EAST Conference in Providence, R.I. Napier led the Huskies to a 3-0 week with 19.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.
Napier has hit for double digits in all four games this season as the Huskies have started out 4-0 and jumped to No. 23 in the national rankings.
Napier most recently tallied a career-high 29 points in an 89-83 double-overtime victory over Quinnipiac in the semifinal of the Paradise Jam. UConn's junior captain shot 11-12 from the free-throw line to go with five rebounds and two steals.
He opened the week with 13 points and four rebounds in a 67-49 win over Vermont at Gampel Pavilion on Tuesday, November 13.
In the opener of the Paradise Jam on Friday, November 16 against Wake Forest, Napier tallied 16 points and four rebounds to lead UConn, 77-71. Napier was sensational from the charity strip against Wake Forest as well, going 9-11.
On the week, he shot 25-29 for 86.2-percent from the free-throw line.
On the season, Napier is averaging 20.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 88.6-percent from the line.
Connecticut will play New Mexico in the championship of the Paradise Jam at 10 p.m. EST on Monday night. That game will be televised live on CBS College Sports Network.
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photo credit: thomas layer – special to hartford courant (no. 2 in gallery)