Washington is the first UK player to win a weekly award this season
BIRMINGHAM – November 22, 2021
After earning All-Kentucky Classic honors following a breakout week, Kentucky men’s basketball freshman TyTy Washington Jr. was named the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week on Monday. It is the first such honor of Washington’s career and the first conference accolade of the season for the Wildcats.
Washington averaged a team-high 18.0 points per game in two wins over Mount St. Mary’s and Ohio last week. He also added 7.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. The Phoenix native has increased his scoring output in every game of his career thus far.
Against Mount St. Mary’s, he poured in 16 points and drained two 3-pointers to go along with three assists. He followed that with 20 points and a game-high 12 rebounds for his first career double-double against Ohio. Washington dished out a career-high five assists and also recorded his first career block against the Bobcats.
According to ESPN Stats & Info, he is just the third player in the John Calipari era to record at least 20 points, at least 10 rebounds and at least five assists in a game, joining Isaiah Briscoe and James Young.
Washington’s prowess on the boards helped UK to a plus-36 rebound margin against the Bobcats. That was the best for any Calipari-coached team and the best for a Kentucky team since a plus-39 margin on Jan. 3, 1998 against Vanderbilt.
Washington is tied for the team lead in scoring with 13.8 points per game. He is shooting 45.1% from the floor.
Kentucky has dominated the weekly SEC awards with Calipari at the helm. UK has won more weekly SEC honors (111) than any other school during the Calipari era, including 86 SEC Freshman of the Week honors and 25 SEC Player of the Week awards.
The Wildcats have won three straight and are in the midst of a seven-game homestand. UK returns to action Monday at 7 p.m. against the University at Albany. The game will be streamed exclusively on SEC Network+ and ESPN+ and will not be available via traditional television. SECN+ is complementary to SEC Network viewers and accessible with your TV provider credentials. SECN+ can be accessed through the ESPN App on smartphones, tablets, connected streaming devices or via espn.com/watch.
