Tigers fearsome Freshmen earning honors
Jeffries, Achiuwa garner accolades for Memphis basketball program From the University of Memphis gotigersgo.com MEMPHIS, Tenn. — University of Memphis freshman forward D.J.
Jeffries is the American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Week.
Jeffries earned the honor by scoring a team-high 18 points in Thursday’s 60-49 American Athletic Conference victory over Cincinnati at FedEx-Forum. Jeffries had his best game since missing the Tigers’ Jan. 4 home game against Georgia.
In each of his previous two games, Jeffries scored only three points. He opened the Cincinnati game by matching that twogame total with a pair of 3-pointers for an early 6-0 UofM lead.
In the second half, Jeffries stepped up when the Tigers needed a spark. After the Bearcats rallied from a 15-point deficit to take a 38-37 lead, Jeffires made a 3-pointer for a 42-38 advantage. He capped a 10-0 run with another 3-pointer to give the Tigers a 47-38 lead.
In addition, freshman forward Precious Achiuwa was recognized for the fifth consecutive week. Achiuwa earned a spot on the AAC Honor Roll after backto- back weeks being selected Freshman of the Week. He has been honored six times this season, including Player of the Week in late November.
Achiuwa is attracting national attention for his contributions to the Tigers’ strong start.
Achiuwa has been named to the Sporting News 2019-20 Midseason College Basketball All-America Team. A 6-foot-9 forward from Queens, New York, Achiuwa was named to the third team along with the Kansas duo of Devon Dotson and Udoka Azubuike, Minnesota’s Daniel Oturu and Butler’s Kamar Baldwin.
The first team consists of: Dayton’s Obi Toppin; Marquette’s Markus Howard; Seton Hall’s Myles Powell; Oregon’s Payton Pritchard and Iowa’s Luka Garza. Second- team members are: Duke’s Vernon Carey; San Diego State’s Malachi Flynn; Louisville’s Jordan Nwora; Michigan State’s Cassius Winston and Georgia’s Anthony Edwards.
Achiuwa is averaging 15.4 points and 10.4 rebounds through 17 games for the No. 22 Tigers, who are 14-3 after Thursday’s American Athletic Conference win over Cincinnati.
Achiuwa has produced All-America numbers, including a string of six straight double-doubles, an American Athletic Conference record. He has had 10 or more rebounds in 12 of the past 13 games and nine games with two or more blocks.
In four AAC games, Achiuwa is averaging 17.5 points, 11.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocks.
Achiuwa posted his sixth consecutive double- double to establish a league record. He finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds for his 10th double-double of the season. He is the only player in the conference averaging a double-double.
The Tigers, ranked No. 19 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll, return home Saturday to play SMU in a game that tips off at 3 p.m. at FedExForum.
