University of Notre Dame men’s basketball guard Blake Wesley has earned his third Atlantic Coast Conference Freshman of the Week Award, announced by the league on Monday, January 24, 2022.
Wesley helped the Irish through a 2-0 week which included the 71-68 MLK Classic victory at Howard and a second-half rally for a 82-70 victory at Louisville on Saturday afternoon. He averaged 17.5 points per game, shot 54 percent from the field while also pulling down 2.5 rebounds, dishing out 2.0 assists and taking away 1.5 steals per game.
The highlight of the week for the rookie from South Bend was an nine-point outburst during Notre Dame’s 20-3 run to take control of the Louisville game after trailing the Cardinals by seven at halftime. Wesley connected on two consecutive three point field goals, then earned a transition ‘and-one’ bucket to complete the nine-point run. He finished the contest with a game-high 22 points which is the fifth 20-point game of his rookie season.
Blake Wesley was electric against Louisville ⚡️
☘️ 22 points
☘️ 8-of-13 shooting
☘️ 3-of-4 from three-point range @blakewesley0 @ndmbb pic.twitter.com/Mgb5EUbMUs— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) January 23, 2022
Wesley has set the Notre Dame freshman record for consecutive double-digit scoring games, currently at 15 entering Wednesday night’s clash with NC State. He is second among all ACC players in true freshman scoring at 15.0 points per game (behind Duke’s Paolo Banchero, with whom he shares this week’s ACC rookie award), fourth among all major conference players and 11th in the nation.