Jan. 15, 2007
ATLANTA – Georgia Tech’s Javaris Crittenton was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Rookie of the Week for the first time this season after keying the Yellow Jackets’ victories over No. 11 Duke and Florida State last week.
Virginia Tech’s Zabian Dowell was named the ACC Player of the Week.
Tech’s 6-5 freshman from Atlanta produced big plays at critical moments in each game, first by scoring nine of his 11 points in the final four minutes of the Duke game, then by scoring baskets at three critical junctures Saturday to blunt Florida State surges.
Crittenton scored a career-high 23 points against the Seminoles, hit 8-of-11 shots from the floor, including three three-point field goals, went 4-for-4 from the foul line, had five assists and just one turnover in 30 minutes. Against the Blue Devils, he stole a rebound from Lance Thomas and dunked after Duke had pulled within 55-53, fed teammate Thaddeus Young for a layup on the next possession, then sealed the win with a layuup and free throw on a fast break. He scored 11 points in the game (4-of-8 from the floor, 3-of-3 from the line, five assists).
Dowdell averaged 20.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists as Virginia Tech posted wins over UNC Greensboro and No. 1 North Carolina this past week. The Pahokee, Fla., native had 17 points, four rebounds and three assists in a 74-51 win against the Spartans Wednesday in Greensboro. In Saturday’s 94-88 victory over the Tar Heels, the senior guard had a game-high 23 points to go along with three rebounds and three assists. For the week, Dowdell was 11-of-19 from the field, including six-of-eight from three-point range.
