Jan. 30, 2017
Greensboro, N.C. – Following his 35-point performance against No. 6 Florida State and buzzer-beating shot to defeat No. 14 Notre Dame, freshman Josh Okogie was named Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s Basketball Rookie of the Week on Monday, earning the honor for the fourth time this season.
Okogie came up big twice last week to help Georgia Tech topple a pair of top-15 teams at home. First, he scored 35 points to help Tech down No. 6 Florida State, 78-56, on Wednesday night. The 6-foot-4 Okogie scored 17 of his points in the first half, out-scoring the entire Seminole team (15) in the first 20 minutes. He also grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds in the game, posting his first career double-double, and added five assists and two steals in 33 minutes. He made 10 of 17 shots from the floor and 14 of 17 from the foul line. The Snellville, Ga., product became just the third freshman in Tech history to post multiple 30-point games, joining Mark Price and Kenny Anderson.
On Saturday against No. 14 Notre Dame, Okogie scored eight points and grabbed six rebounds as foul trouble limited him to 18 minutes. Though he scored just eight points, six of them came in the second half, including the game-winning layup on a run-out just ahead of the final horn to lift Tech over the Fighting Irish at home.
Okogie ranks eighth in the ACC, and second among ACC freshmen, in scoring average against the conference at 17.9 points per game. He has a 26-point effort against No. 9 North Carolina to his credit, as well as the 27-point game at NC State on conference play.
Okogie was named Rookie of the Week the first time on Nov. 28 following a Tech freshman-record 38-point performance against Tulane, was named again on Jan. 3 after he scored 26 points in the Yellow Jackets’ win over North Carolina, and earned the honor yet again Jan. 16 after scoring 27 in a Tech win at NC State and 13 in a win over Clemson the previous week.
He becomes the ninth Tech freshman to be named ACC Rookie of the Week four times or more. Six of the previous eight went on to be named ACC Rookie of the Year. Only three have earned the honor five or more times.
Louisville sophomore Donovan Mitchell was selected as the ACC Basketball Player of the Week. In a pair of Louisville victories last week, Mitchell averaged 28.5 points, five rebounds, four assists and shot 60 percent from the field, including 67 percent from the 3-point line (12-of-18).
ACC basketball weekly honors are determined by a vote of a 15-member media panel.
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Georgia Tech’s men’s basketball team is in its first year under head coach Josh Pastner. Tech has been a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference since 1979, won three ACC Championships (1985, 1990, 1993), played in the NCAA Tournament 16 times and played in two Final Fours (1990, 2004). Connect with Georgia Tech Men’s Basketball on social media by liking their Facebook Page, or following on Twitter (@GTMBB) and Instagram.
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