Oklahoma basketball: Christian James earns Big 12 Player of the Week honors
By Chip Rouse
Oklahoma basketball senior Christian James earned Big 12 Player of the Week honors on Monday in leading the Sooners to a pair of wins last week.
It was the first weekly Big 12 basketball award bestowed upon an OU player for 2018-19.
James averaged 19.5 points and 11.5 rebounds in wins over Notre Dame and Wichita State last week. The Sooners defeated Notre Dame 85-80 in the Jimmy V Classic at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, and on Saturday OU steamrolled the Shockers of Wichita State 80-48 in Oklahoma City.
The 6-foot, 4-inch guard from Houston contributed 14 points and a career-high 13 rebounds in the Sooners victory over Wichita State. James is one of four Oklahoma players to record at least 13 points and 13 rebounds in a game in the Big 12 era.
Oklahoma Sooners Basketball
In the win over Notre Dame, James had a game-high 25 points and added 10 boards. Sixteen of his 25 points against the Fighting Irish came in the second half, including the Sooners final nine points in the game.
James currently stands second in the Big 12 with a 19.2 scoring average through nine games, and his 2.9 made three-pointers per game ranks third in the conference. He has failed to reach double digits in points just once this season. He has scored 20 or more points in four of his nine games.
James began the season with a 7.4 career scoring average and 3.2 rebounds per game.
He had a career-high 29 points in Oklahoma’s season-opening win over the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley.
Oklahoma is off to an 8-1 record this season, including wins over Florida, Dayton, Notre Dame and Wichita State. This is the third time the Sooners have begun the season with an 8-1 record or better through the opening nine games.
OU is next in action on Saturday night, when the Sooners host USC in Tulsa.