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Freije Named Co-SEC Player of the Week; 2/23/2004
Freije Named Co-SEC Player of the Week; Vanderbilt senior forward Matt Freije, who was named Co-Southeastern Conference Player of the Week by the league office today, continues to receive recognition as one of the top college basketball players in the nation. Along with his honor from the SEC (his second this season), Freije has been named a finalist for several National Player of the Year awards and recently was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division I All-District 7 First Team. Co-SEC Player of the Week Freije, who leads the SEC in scoring with 18.9 points a game, earned the league’s praise following two strong efforts against Alabama and No. 24 LSU last week. Freije tied a career-high when he netted 32 points in Vanderbilt’s 70-67 win at Alabama on Feb. 18. He made 7-of-18 field goal attempts, including 5-of-10 three-point tries. He also converted 13-of-15 free throw attempts, including four inside the final two minutes of the game to secure the win. Three days later, he led the Commodores with a game-high 22 points against LSU on Feb. 21. Freije made 9-of-20 field goal attempts, including a trio of three-pointers. Alabama’s Kennedy Winston shared the award with Freije. Winston posted career-highs with 31 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Crimson Tide to a 77-73 upset of No. 4 Mississippi State on Saturday. Frieje enters Wednesday’s game at Ole Miss needing six points to become Vanderbilt’s all-time leading scorer. The 6-10, 245-pound native of Overland Park, Kan., is currently tied for second place with former Commodore Ronnie McMahan (1992-95) with 1,719 career points. Phil Cox (1982-85) ranks first on the scoring list with 1,724 points. Freije also won SEC player of the week honors for the week of Jan. 26 — Feb. 1 when be recorded back-to-back double-doubles against nationally ranked South Carolina and Florida. National Accolades ? Freije has been chosen as one of 20 finalists for the Naismith College Basketball Player of the Year Award. The other 19 finalists include Josh Childress, Stanford; Ike Diogu, Arizona State; Chris Duhon, Duke; Andre Emmett, Texas Tech; Raymond Felton, North Carolina; Francisco Garcia, Louisville; Ryan Gomes, Providence; Ben Gordon, Connecticut; Devin Harris, Wisconsin; Julius Hodge, NC State; Jackson, Oregon; Jameer Nelson, Saint Joseph’s; Emeka Okafor, Connecticut; J.J. Redick, Duke; Lawrence Roberts, Mississippi State; Wayne Simien, Kansas; Turiaf, Gonzaga; Hakim Warrick, Syracuse; and Bracey Wright, Indiana. The Naismith Board of Selectors, which includes some of the country’s leading basketball coaches, journalists, and administrators, began the selection process earlier this year. They have reduced the number of finalists by balloting for the 20 top male players they feel most deserving of the award. The winners of the Naismith Awards will be honored in Atlanta on Friday, April 9, 2004. The Rupp All-American team and the five finalists for the Rupp Coach of the Year Award will be announced in early March. The Rupp Player of the Year and Coach of the Year will be announced at the Final Four on Thursday, April 1, in San Antonio. The selection committee consists of a 30-member panel of present and retired sports writers, coaches, TV-radio broadcasters, and administrators. The award is named after the legendary University of Kentucky coach, who retired in 1972 with 876 victories and four NCAA championships to his credit. ? Freije was one of the three SEC players named to the NABC Division I All-District 7 First Team. He was joined on the team by Erik Daniels, Kentucky; Gerald Fitch, Kentucky; Francisco Garcia, Louisville; and Cuthbert Victor, Murray State. It marks the second consecutive year Freije has been named to the team. |
