Nov. 28, 2016
Following his record-setting performance in Georgia Tech’s victory over Tulane Saturday night, freshman Josh Okogie was named Atlantic Coast Conference Rookie of the Week on Monday, Tech’s first such honoree since March 4, 2013.
Okogie, a 6-4 guard from Snellville, Ga., set a Georgia Tech freshman record for points in a game with his 38 in the Yellow Jackets’ 82-68 win over the Green Wave. He hit 12 of 20 shots from the floor and 13 of 18 from the free throw line (more than Tulane’s entire team, 12-of-17). Okogie scored 28 of his points in the second half.
It was the fourth-most points scored by a freshman in ACC history and the most since the 2013 ACC Tournament, when Boston College’s Olivier Hanlan scored 41 (the ACC freshman record) against Georgia Tech. There have been two other 40-point games by freshmen in ACC history – Harrison Barnes of North Carolina in 2011 and Tyler Hansbrough of North Carolina in 2006. Okogie eclipsed the previous Tech freshman mark of 33 by Mark Price against Virginia on March 12, 1983 (ACC Tournament) and Dion Glover against Seton Hall on March 11, 1998 (NIT).
Earlier in the week, Okogie was one of five Yellow Jackets in double figures with 16 points (5-10 FG, 5-7 FT) in Tech’s 81-73 win over Sam Houston State.
For the week, Okogie connected on 17 of 30 shots from the floor, two of five from three-point range and 18 of 25 from the foul line. He also grabbed eight rebounds and chipped in with four assists.
.@AndyDemetra checks in with @accmbb Rookie of the Week, Josh Okogie ahead of tomorrow's road game against Penn State pic.twitter.com/KjVD5IBnOr
— GT Men's Basketball (@GTMBB) November 28, 2016
Okogie’s 38 points against Tulane were the most by any Tech player since Kenny Anderson scored 42 vs. Howard on Jan. 2, 1991, and tied for the seventh-highest single-game scoring total in program history. He became the fifth different Tech freshman to score 30 points in a game (Kenny Anderson did it four times, Mark Price did it twice, Dion Glover and Thaddeus Young did it once each). The former all-state performer from Shiloh High School scored 14 straight points for Tech bridging intermission, including the last six points of the first half and the first eight of the second half. His spree helped Tech extend its lead from 31-30 to 45-32.
Pastner on Okogie’s performance against Tulane – “He’s just going to continue to get better. The reason he scored offensively was because he was at his best defensively as he’s been all year long. It translated to him being really locked in offensively. When he is not locked in defensively, he is not as effective offensively. Tonight he was his best defensively and it triggered and translated into him being great offensively.”
North Carolina junior Joel Berry II was named ACC Player of the Week after he earned MVP honors at the Maui Jim Maui Invitational, where the Tar Heels defeated Chaminade, previously undefeated Oklahoma State and 16th-ranked Wisconsin to win the championship. For the three games Berry totaled 54 points (18.0), 12 rebounds (4.0), 11 assists (3.7) and seven steals (2.3). He shot 19-of-30 from the floor (.633), including of 8-of14 from 3-point range and connected on all eight of his free-throw attempts.
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