CHN Player of the Week, Feb. 8

Player of the Week: Jack McClinton, Miami (Fl.)

As we get closer to Selection Sunday and the postseason, standout performances are starting to pop up all over the country, and not just from the usual suspects. With so many teams attempting to make statements with wins over top teams or fellow conference championship contenders, there are plenty of opportunities for players to have a huge game and get consideration for Player of the Week.

This past week featured an abundance of marquee stat lines but no true stud that stood out from the rest. Toney Douglas of Florida State averaged 22.0 points in two much-needed wins over Georgia Tech and at Clemson, while Dante Cunningham of Villanova had back-to-back double-doubles against Providence and Syracuse. LSU’s Marcus Thornton dropped 52 points in two games this week, and Santa Clara’s John Bryant averaged 22.0 points and 17.5 rebounds. Player of the Year candidate James Harden of Arizona State had 36 points against Oregon, while Hasheem Thabeet had a huge week, averaging 15.5 points, 11.5 rebounds and 5.0 blocks against Louisville and Michigan. Ohio State’s Evan Turner helped lead the Buckeyes to wins over Purdue and Minnesota with averages of 22.0 points, 11.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game. Even UCLA’s Alfred Aboya got in the mix, putting up 16.5 points and 9.5 rebounds against USC and Notre Dame. However, the biggest week of them all belonged to Miami (Fl.)’s Jack McClinton.

McClinton, a 6-1 senior who transferred into the Hurricanes program from Siena after his freshman season, had a huge week, putting up 32 points in a win over Wake Forest and then dropping 34 in an overtime loss at Duke. Sure, most Player of the Week’s usually have two wins, but McClinton did everything he could to try to lift Miami to back-to-back wins over top-10 teams – and he got the ‘Canes back into the NCAA Tourney hunt. Against Wake Forest, McClinton hit six threes and also picked up three steals, while he five-of-six from behind the arc against Duke and chipped in with three boards and two assists. Overall, McClinton averaged 33.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game, while shooting 62 percent from the field and 69 percent from three-point range. One of the best shooters in the country, McClinton is averaging 19.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists on the season, while shooting 47 percent from deep.

Finalists:
- Toney Douglas, Florida State
- Evan Turner, Ohio State
- Hasheem Thabeet, Connecticut