Denzel Valentine Named Player of the Week

Feb. 15, 2016

For the second consecutive week and fourth time this season, senior guard Denzel Valentine was named the Big Ten's Player of the Week as announced by the league office on Monday. Valentine averaged 28.5 points, 11.5 assists, 6.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game in the Spartans' split versus nationally ranked Purdue and Indiana.

He opened the week with a near triple-double, totaling 27 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds in a one-point loss at Purdue. Against Indiana, he scored 30 points, while dishing out a career-high 13 assists and grabbing five rebounds. Sunday's game vs. the Hoosiers marked his fourth 25-point, 10-assist and five-rebound game of the year - the most in the nation since 2010-11.

Valentine is averaging 19.5 points, 7.7 rebounds and 7.1 assists in 22 games this season and ranks first in the Big Ten in scoring (19.5) and assists (7.1) and tied for sixth in rebounds (7.1).

The Lansing native is the only player in Big Ten history to record 1,300 points, 700 rebounds and 500 assists in his career.

Valentine was named to the Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Top 20, the John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 and is one of 10 finalists for the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award.

Three different Spartans have garnered weekly accolades from the Big Ten. Freshman forward Deyonta Davis was named the Freshman of the Week on Nov. 30 and Feb. 1, senior guard Bryn Forbes was the conference's Player of the Week on Dec. 28, while Valentine has earned the honor on Nov. 23, Nov. 30 and Feb. 8 previously.

Michigan State returns to action on Thursday, Feb. 18, at home vs. Wisconsin. Tipoff from East Lansing is slated for 9 p.m. on ESPN.