Pac-12 Honors: Week One
Posted by AMurawa on November 19th, 2012We’ve got a 10-day week of basketball in the books and, while there have been some ups and downs around the conference, it’s plain to see that the Pac-12 of 2012-13 is a far sight better than last year’s version. But, without further ado, let’s get right to our first edition of our weekly honors.
Team of the Week – Colorado
Askia Booker Led The Way As Colorado Swept To A Charleston Classic Title and Three Key Wins (Patrick Ghidossi, BuffaloSportsNews)
The Buffaloes are the easy pick after taking home the Charleston Classic title last night, knocking off Murray State to complete a perfect start to the season. Sophomore guard Askia Booker led CU in scoring in each game in Charleston and even earned a vote for our Player of the Week award, while junior Andre Roberson led the way on the boards. Given the luxury, and the pressure, of getting the toughest opening round opponent, the Buffs leave South Carolina with three quality wins already on the season, along with earning the pleasure of getting revenge on Baylor, the team that knocked them out of the NCAA Tournament last season.
Player of the Week – Allen Crabbe, California
Allen Crabbe’s Been Unstoppable For The Golden Bears (credit: Jeff Gross)
It hasn’t been against the most quality opposition, but Crabbe has been on fire out of the gates this year. It’s not enough that he’s averaging 26.7 points per game, including a career-high 33 against Pepperdine on Tuesday, but he’s getting it done in an incredibly efficient manner. He’s shooting an effective field goal percentage of 68.1%, he’s stroking 58.8% of his three-point attempts and he’s knocking down 94.1% of his free-throw attempts. And, just to chip in on the glass for a thin and unproven frontline, Crabbe’s pulling down almost six boards per night. Combined with backcourt mate Justin Cobbs, the duo has accounted for better than 62% of the Golden Bears’ scoring thus far. The competition will take a step up this week, but provided Crabbe and Cobbs can keep up their excellence, they’ll be a tough out in Anaheim.
Newcomer of the Week – Jordan Adams, UCLA
Jordan Adams Became The First UCLA Freshman To Score 20 Or More Points In Three Consecutive Games (Jeff Gross, Getty Images)
In a year with numerous elite recruits around the Pac-12, Adams, a top-50 guy in his own right, sort of flew under the radar. But, after his first three games in a Bruin uniform, he’ll escape the limelight no more. On Thursday night when Adams went for 25 in a rout of James Madison, he became the first Bruin freshman to score 20 or more points in three consecutive games. And, much like Crabbe above, he’s earned his 24 points per game in a most efficient manner, connecting for a 64.7% eFG and a 96.6% rate from the charity stripe. And, just like Crabbe, his game is not limited to simply putting the ball in the bucket, as he has regularly given the Bruins a burst of energy off of the bench on both ends of the floor. It remains to be seen how Shabazz Muhammad’s debut will effect Adams’ playing time and role, but it is clear that he has earned a significant spot on this team going forward.
Andrew Murawa Likes Basketball.
