February 03, 2003
Texas A&M freshman Antoine Wright is the Phillips 66 Big 12 Rookie of the Week for the third time this season. The forward/guard averaged 14 points two games last week with 15 points and 10 rebounds in the Aggies win against Texas Tech.
Kansas senior Nick Collison etched his name into the Big 12 record book with 23 rebounds in the Jayhawks' 90-87 win against No. 3 Texas. Collison has been named Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week for the second time this season. Both honors are chosen by a media panel.
Wright scored 15 points with 10 rebounds in 64-59 win against Texas Tech last Saturday for his sixth double-double of the year. The San Bernardino, Calif., forward/guard scored 11 of his points in the second half, making three three-pointers and three steals against the Red Raiders. Last Wednesday, Wright scored 13 points with nine rebounds and two steals in a 75-68 loss at No. 6-ranked Oklahoma. For the week, Wright averaged 14.0 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals. Wright earns Phillips 66 Big 12 Rookie of the Week honors for the third time this season, which ties for third most in the seven-year history of the league. Aggie Clifton Cook holds the single-season rookie of the week record with being named five times during the 1998-99 campaign. Iowa State's Marcus Fizer was a four-time honoree in 1997-98.
Collison ranked second on the team in scoring for the week with 19 points per game and led KU with 16 rebounds per game along with 2.5 assists, 3.5 blocks and 1.5 steals. The Iowa Falls, Iowa, forward also shot an impressive 87.5 percent from the line in KU's wins over Texas and Nebraska. Collison scored 24 points and a career-high and Big 12 record 23 rebounds against Texas. It was the most boards by a KU player since 1970 and surpassed Colorado's Jamahl Mosely's 22 rebounds against Missouri on Jan. 10, 2001. Collison came back to have 14 points and nine boards in the 81-51 win at Nebraska. He now leads Kansas in scoring (19.1) and rebounding (9.0) on the year while ranking fifth on KU's all-time scoring list, fourth on the all-time rebounds chart and fourth on the all-time blocks list. Collison earns the honor for the fourth time in his career, which ties for the second most all-time in the seven-year history of the conference. Former Jayhawks Drew Gooden and Raef LaFrentz and Texas Tech's Cory Carr were also four-time honorees. Iowa State's Marcus Fizer leads all with being named player of the week six times.