ACC Basketball: Players of the Week Announced 1/26

GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – Notre Dame’s Jerian Grant has been selected as the Atlantic Coast Conference Basketball Player of the Week in a vote of a select media panel, while Duke’s Tyus Jones and Florida State’s Xavier Rathan-Mayes were chosen as ACC Co-Rookies of the Week.

The ACC Player of the Week honor is the second of the season for Grant, while the ACC Rookie of the Week recognition is the second for Jones and the first for Rathan-Mayes.        

Grant, a senior guard from Bowie, Maryland, led the eighth-ranked Fighting Irish to a pair of ACC road wins at Virginia Tech and NC State. Grant averaged 21.5 points per game while shooting .500 percent from the floor. Against Virginia Tech, Grant scored 18 points, dished off six assists and made two steals while shooting 6-of-9 from the field and 2-of-4 from 3-point range. Grant’s 25 points in Sunday night’s 81-78 overtime at NC State marked his career-high for a conference game (ACC or BIG EAST). Grant, who made his 100th career start at Notre Dame, also grabbed three rebounds dished off four assists and made two steals while playing all 45 minutes against the Wolfpack. Grant has scored 20-plus points in seven games this season and 21 times during  his career.

Jones averaged 22.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game as Duke posted wins over Pittsburgh and St. John’s. He was 12-of-22 (.545) from the field, including 6-of-11 (.545) from three-point range, and 14-of-15 (.933) from the free throw line for the week. Jones matched a career high with 22 points to go along with two rebounds and four assists in last Monday’s win over Pittsburgh. He was 7-of-11 from the floor and made a season-best four three-point field goals. Jones posted another 22-point game in Sunday’s win over St. John’s to help Mike Krzyzewski earn his 1,000th career win. The Apple Valley, Minnesota, freshman knocked down two more three-point field goals and added four rebounds, six assists and a steal in 39 minutes of action. Jones knocked down all 10 free throw attempts in the contest and scored 11 points in the final 8:30 of play as Duke closed the game on a 26-7 run.

Florida State’s Rathan-Mayes averaged 26.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 3.0 steals while shooting .512 from the field and .400 from the 3-point line in two ACC games last week.  The Scarborough, Ontario, Canada, freshman played all but three total minutes in two road games (77 of 80 minutes) as the Seminoles won at Clemson and fell by four at No. 15 North Carolina. It was Rathan-Mayes’ 35-point, five rebound, four assists and two steals performance against the Tar Heels that was one for the record books.  His 35 points established the Florida State record for points in a game by a freshman, tied for the fifth highest point total in a game by a freshman in ACC history, tied for the fourth highest point total by a freshman in a game involving two ACC teams.  Rathan-Mayes scored the most points by an opponent in the Smith Center since J.J. Redick had 35 for Duke on Feb. 7, 2006, and only two other opponents to have scored 35 or more points in the Smith Center against UNC: Lionel Simmons of La Salle had 37 on Jan. 9, 1988 and Len Bias of Maryland had 35 on Feb. 20, 1986.