Fortson named SEC player of the week
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. –-Arkansas freshman Courtney Fortson recorded just the second triple-double in school history last week and now he’s earned his first Southeastern Conference player of the week award, the league announced on Monday.
He is the first freshman in school history to be recognized as the SEC’s player of the week.
In Wednesday’s 98-70 win over North Carolina Central, Fortson had 20 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists, and added two steals. He was 7-of-13 shooting, including 3-of-5 on threes.
Arkansas’ only other triple-double occurred on Jan. 19, 1984, when All-American Alvin Robertson had 23 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in a 70-66 victory at Texas.
Fortson has also had 11 assists in each of the last two games for a total of 22 against just five turnovers. He is the first Razorback to record double-digit assist totals in consecutive games since 1999 when Kareem Reid ended the season with 10 against Siena and 11 against Iowa in a pair of NCAA Tournament games.
For the year, Fortson leads the 6-1 Razorbacks in scoring with 15.4 points, in assists with 6.4 and in three-point shooting with a .522 percentage (12-23). He’s also third in rebounding with 5.4 and tied for second in overall field goal percentage at .514 (38-74).
He is the second Razorback to earn league player of the week honors this year. Junior forward Michael Washington was named the top player in the league the opening week of the season following his 30-point, 14-rebound effort in the win over Southeastern Louisiana.
Arkansas plays host to Austin Peay on Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. in the first game of the Jim Thorpe Classic, which consists of three single games on three nights. Austin Peay faces Stephen F. Austin at 7:05 p.m. on Friday in a game with free admission. On Saturday, Arkansas plays SFA at 7:05 p.m.
Both of Arkansas’ games in the tournament will be televised by Razorback Sports Properties (RSP), formerly ARSN. RSP affiliates are KFTA in Fayetteville, KATV in Little Rock and KAIT in Jonesboro.
