IRVING, Texas – Baylor sophomore forward Tristan Clark was named the Big 12 Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week, as voted on by a panel of media members and announced Monday by the conference office.
Clark was selected after posting game-highs of 17 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks in Baylor’s 84-44 win over New Orleans on Saturday. Clark played 29 minutes and went 8-of-9 from the field, improving his nation-leading field goal percentage to .780.
The San Antonio, Texas, product recorded his third game this season with five or more blocks and blocked multiple shots for the 11th time in 12 games. He leads the Big 12 Conference and ranks 10th nationally with 2.8 blocks per game, and his 33 blocks on the season are more than 79 Division I teams.
Clark’s .780 field goal percentage is on pace to make him the fifth player in NCAA Division I history to record a single-season field goal percentage above .700 while meeting the required average of at least five field goals made per game. Previous players to accomplish that feat were UNC Wilmington’s Devontae Cook (.800 in 2016-17), Kansas’ Udoka Azubuike (.7701 in 2017-18), Belmont’s Evan Bradds (.7143 in 2015-16) and Belmont’s Adam Mark (.7075 in 2001-02).
Additionally, Clark’s career .672 field goal percentage is on pace to break Josh Lomers’ program record of .663 once he reaches the 200 field goals made minimum (164-of-244).
Clark is the fifth underclassmen in program history to earn a Big 12 Player of the Week Award. He joins Lawrence Roberts (2002-03), Perry Jones III (2011-12), Isaiah Austin (2013-14) and Johnathan Motley (2015-16). Motley earned the award as a redshirt sophomore, while Clark, Roberts, Jones III and Austin were all true sophomores.
Baylor players have earned multiple Big 12 Player of the Week honors in seven consecutive seasons entering 2018-19. Manu Lecomte and Terry Maston were the most recent honorees, earning the recognition on consecutive weeks in mid-February last season.
BU has earned 29 Big 12 Player of the Week honors in the last 12 seasons, more than four-times as many as the seven such awards earned by Baylor players in the league’s first 11 years. All told, 20 different Baylor players have earned 36 total Big 12 Player of the Week awards during the league’s 23-year history.
Baylor enters 2019 Big 12 play with an 8-4 mark after recording marquee wins at Arizona and at home against Oregon in December. The Bears start conference play with a road trip to TCU on Saturday. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT on ESPNU. Baylor’s first Big 12 home game is at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 8 against Iowa State. Tickets information is available at www.BaylorBears.com/1TGF.
2019 BIG 12 PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Nov. 12 – Dedric Lawson, Kansas
Nov. 19 – Lagerald Vick, Kansas
Nov. 26 – Dedric Lawson, Kansas
Dec. 3 – Lagerald Vick, Kansas
Dec. 10 – Christian James, Oklahoma
Dec. 17 – Jarrett Culver, Texas Tech
Dec. 26 – Dedric Lawson, Kansas
Dec. 30 – Tristan Clark, Baylor
2019 BIG 12 NEWCOMERS OF THE WEEK
Nov. 12 – Quentin Grimes, Kansas
Nov. 19 – Talen Horton-Tucker, Iowa State and Jaxson Hayes, Texas
Nov. 26 – Jaxson Hayes, Texas
Dec. 3 – Dedric Lawson, Kansas
Dec. 10 – Tyrese Haliburton, Iowa State
Dec. 17 – Dedric Lawson, Kansas
Dec. 26 – Miles Reynolds, Oklahoma and Curtis Jones, Oklahoma State
Dec. 30 – Devon Dotson, Kansas
BAYLOR BIG 12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONOREES
1997 – Patrick Hunter (2/17)
1998 – Patrick Hunter (1/4)
1998 – Brian Skinner (1/11)
1999 – Kish?Lewis (11/24)
2000 – Terry Black (1/3)
2001 – Terry Black (2/19)
2003 – Lawrence Roberts (2/17)
2008 – Curtis Jerrells (11/19)
2008 – Kevin Rogers (12/24)
2008 – Curtis Jerrells (1/28)
2008 – Kevin Rogers (3/3)
2010 – LaceDarius Dunn (11/16)
2010 – LaceDarius Dunn (1/4)
2010 – Ekpe Udoh (1/11)
2010 – LaceDarius Dunn (2/15)
2012 – Perry Jones?III?(12/19)
2012 – Perry Jones III?(1/16)
2013 – Cory?Jefferson (11/12)
2013 – Pierre Jackson (1/28)
2013 – Pierre Jackson (3/10)
2014 – Cory Jefferson (12/2)
2014 – Isaiah Austin (2/17)
2014 – Cory Jefferson (2/24)
2014 – Kenny Chery (3/9)
2015 – Rico Gathers (1/26)
2015 – Rico Gathers (2/9)
2016 – Rico Gathers (11/16)
2016 – Taurean Prince (12/7)
2016 – Johnathan Motley (2/22)
2017 – Johnathan Motley (11/28)
2017 – Manu Lecomte (12/5)
2017 – Johnathan Motley (1/9)
2017 – Johnathan Motley (1/23)
2018 – Manu Lecomte (2/12)
2018 – Terry Maston (2/19)
2019 – Tristan Clark (12/31)
