UCLA's outstanding freshman guard Lonzo Ball has brought a renewed excitement back to Westwood with playmaking abilities that already have Bruin fans envisioning another championship banner hanging up in Pauley Pavilion at the end of this season.
Today Ball was named the Pac-12 Men's Basketball Player of the Week after leading UCLA to three wins in The Wooden Legacy tournament.
Naismith, Wooden, and Cousy Award nominee Ball was named MVP of The Wooden Legacy over the weekend, helping UCLA capture its first outright in-season tournament title since 2007.
Ball averaged 15.7 points on 53 percent shooting (17-32), including 52 percent (11-21) behind the arc, along with 9.3 assists, 4.0 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and 1.0 steals in 31.0 minutes per game in victories over Portland, Nebraska and Texas A and M.
For the season, Ball is currently one of six Bruins averaging double-figure scoring at 16.0 points per game and leads the nation with 9.1 assists per game.
It marks just the fourth time since the creation of the Conference's weekly award in 1983 that freshmen have earned the honor in back-to-back weeks (2016-17: Lonzo Ball, Charlie Moore; 2014-15: Kevon Looney, Stanley Johnson; 2007-08: James Harden, Kevin Love; 2007-08: Jerryd Bayless, O.J. Mayo).
Other nominees: Lauri Markkanen, ARIZONA; Ivan Rabb, CALIFORNIA; Xavier Johnson, COLORADO; Tres Tinkle, OREGON STATE; Dorian Pickens, STANFORD; Elijah Stewart, USC; Devon Daniels, UTAH; Markelle Fultz, WASHINGTON; Josh Hawkinson, WASHINGTON STATE.
By Staff of TheDailySportsHerald.com and news services
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