Achiuwa earns league Player of the Week

Memphis Men’s Basketball vs. University of Mississippi

Precious Achiuwa scored 25 points with 11 rebounds in Saturday's win over Ole Miss.

Photo by: Matthew A. Smith

Nov 25, 2019 | Men's Basketball

Tigers' freshman forward averaged 20.5 points and 11.5 rebounds in two wins

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – On the strength of posting double-doubles in back-to-back games, University of Memphis freshman forward Precious Achiuwa was named the American Athletic Conference Player of the Week Monday.

Achiuwa, a 6-foot-9 forward from Queens, N.Y., averaged 20.5 points and 11.5 rebounds in victories at FedExForum last week over Little Rock and Ole Miss. In the two games, Achiuwa made 16 of 29 shots. His contributions were significant in the absence of 7-foot-1 center James Wiseman, who is not eligible to play, per an NCAA ruling, until mid-January.

In the UofM's 68-58 win Wednesday over Little Rock, Achiuwa tallied 16 points with 12 rebounds and two steals in 30 minutes. In last weekend's 87-86 victory against Ole Miss, he led the team with 25 points, 11 rebounds and three steals in slightly more than 32 minutes.

Through six games, Achiuwa is averaging 15 points and 8.3 rebounds, second on the team to Wiseman who, in three games, is averaging a double-double of 19.7 points and 10.7 rebounds.

The 16^th-ranked Tigers (5-1) play Thursday against N.C. State in the Barclays Center Classic in Brooklyn, N.Y. The game tips off at 3 p.m. (CT) and will be carried by ESPN2. The UofM's next home game is Dec. 3 against Bradley.