Alabama Athletics
Alabama guard Kira Lewis Jr. Named co-SEC Player of the Week
University of Alabama sophomore guard Kira Lewis Jr. was named the co-Player of the Week by the Southeastern Conference, the first time he's won the award.
Lewis averaged 21.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.5 blocks while leading the Crimson Tide to a pair of wins over Vanderbilt and Kansas State.
Specifically, he had 16 points, seven rebounds and team highs of five assists and two steals in the 77-62 victory over the Commodores. It was Alabama's largest victory at Memorial Gymnasium since 1985 and the first time the Tide has won three-straight games over the Commodores in more than 30 years.
Lewis subsequently had game-high 26 points to go along with seven rebounds, three assists, two steals and a career-high three blocks – all of which led the team – in the 77-74 victory over Kansas State in the Big 12/SEC Challenge. Bruce Weber coached Lewis on Team USA, which won the gold medal at the FIBA Men's Basketball U-19 World Cup.
With the win, Alabama claimed its eighth consecutive home win which is the longest such streak since 2014.
Overall, the Crimson Tide has won four straight.
He's the second Alabama player to land the honor this season, as junior wing John Petty Jr. earned the award for the week of Dec. 23. It's the second time Lewis has earned one of the league's weekly honors as he was named the SEC Freshman of the Week last season for the week of Dec. 10, 2018.
The 6-foot-2, 165-pound sophomore from Meridianville, Ala., shared the award with Kentucky forward Nick Richards, who also led his team to back-to-back wins.
Richards, a 6-foot-11, 247-pound junior from Kingston, Jamaica, averaged 22.5 points, 11 rebounds and 3.5 blocks in wins against Georgia and at No. 18 Texas Tech. He tied his career-high with 25 points to go with 14 rebound for his eighth double-double of the season against Texas Tech.
Also of note was that LSU forward Trendon Watford, a 6-foot-9, 235-pound freshman from Birmingham, Ala., was named the SEC Freshman of the Week. He averaged 18 points, six rebounds, two assists and a block in wins over Florida and at Texas. He scored a career-high 22 points and made a pair of late free throws to help seal the win at Texas.
Alabama visits No. 22 LSU on Wednesday (6 p.m., ESPN2).
