Artis named ACC Player of the Week after two-game outburst

For the first time this season, a Pitt men’s basketball player has taken home an ACC weekly honor.

Sophomore forward Jamel Artis was named ACC Player of the Week for his performances against Bryant and Syracuse.

As it’s Pitt’s second year in the conference, Artis is only the second Panther recognized as ACC Player of the Week. Lamar Patterson earned the honor three times during the 2013-2014 season. 

He is the first sophomore Pitt player to earn a conference weekly award since Ashton Gibbs took home the Big East Player of the Week award in January of 2010.

Artis averaged 26 points, 8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3 steals over the two contests, including a career-high 32-point outburst on Monday against Bryant. The 32 points were the most individually scored by a Pitt player since 2009, when Sam Young also tallied 32 in an NCAA tournament victory over Oklahoma State.

Artis continued his surge on Saturday against the Orange, notching his first career double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds, while tallying three steals for the second consecutive contest. His late contested 3-pointer all but sealed the victory for the Panthers against their longtime rivals.

Artis has led the Panthers in scoring for seven consecutive games. The sophomore is averaging 12.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game on the season, while shooting 48.9 percent from the field and 39.3 percent from beyond the arc.

The Panthers and Artis will look to continue their recent run of success with a tough matchup on Wednesday when they travel to the KFC Yum! Center to take on the No. 9 Louisville Cardinals.