University of Notre Dame men’s basketball graduate forward Paul Atkinson Jr. has been named the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Week on Monday, February 7, 2022. The West Palm Beach, Florida, native led the Irish through a 2-1 week in ACC play by averaging a double-double (17 points, 10 rebounds) as Notre Dame moved into sole possession of second place in the league standings.
Atkinson Jr.’s week highlight was a 23-point, 11-rebounds dominating effort at Miami on February 2, which at the time was in first place in the league standings. He started the game by converting all seven of his first shots from the field, eventually finishing 11-for-16 from the field as the Irish defeated the Hurricanes 68-64.
๐พ๐พ๐พ๐พ๐พ๐พ๐พ๐ฟ! ๐ค
๐บ https://t.co/Ad5RlgDqP3@blakewesley0 | @paulwall561 pic.twitter.com/ztEEp0K9a0
— Notre Dame Basketball (@NDmbb) February 3, 2022
He was equally effective in the paint during the road victory at NC State on Saturday, leading the Irish with 15 points and 10 rebounds while logging a season-high 37 minutes.
๐ฒ๐พ๐พ๐บ๐ธ๐ฝ' ๐จโ๐ณ@_TDub3 dish โ @paulwall561 dunk
๐ก๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ 61 | ๐ก๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ 48 | 3:18 to play on @accnetwork pic.twitter.com/sw3P5Zt0LA
— Notre Dame Basketball (@NDmbb) February 5, 2022
Atkinson Jr. began the week with a 14-point, nine-rebound effort in the loss to No. 9/7 Duke. The award is the first ACC weekly award for the 2020 Ivy League Player of the Year (while he was at Yale).