Michigan State University Athletics
Valentine, Davis Earn Big Ten Weekly Honors
11/30/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State senior guard Denzel Valentine and freshman forward Deyonta Davis both received Big Ten Conference honors this week, announced the league office on Monday. Valentine was named Player of the Week, while Davis was named Freshman of the Week. The awards come after the Spartans picked up four wins en route to claiming the Wooden Legacy title.
Valentine was named the most valuable player at the Wooden Legacy, averaging 22.5 points, 8.8 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game last week. He shot 51.9 percent (28-of-54) from the field and set the Wooden Legacy record for most made 3-point field goals with 15 over the three day event.
The senior recorded his second-career triple-double with 29 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists against Boston College on Nov. 26, the same game that coach Tom Izzo recorded his 500th career win. The Big Ten weekly honor is the second of Valentine's season and career.
Davis averaged 12.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game, while averaging 17.3 minutes per game. For the week, he shot 80.0 percent (24-of-30) from the floor and totaled seven blocks. He scored a career-high 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting and recorded five blocks against Eastern Michigan on Nov. 23. Davis knocked down 5-of-5 against Boston College, and he chipped in 12 points against both Boise State and Providence.
The Muskegon, Michigan, native is the first Spartan freshman to earn the conference freshman of the week honor since Gary Harris accomplished the feat in Feb. 2013.
No. 3 Michigan State hosts No. 24 Louisville on Wednesday, Dec. 2, at 7:15 p.m. for the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
