DENVER – Louisiana Tech’s Olu Ashaolu has been named the Verizon Wireless Western Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Dec. 28-Jan. 3. The honor marks the first career WAC Player of the Week award for Ashaolu.

Ashaolu, a sophomore forward from Toronto, Ontario, Canada (Humble Christian Academy), helped the Bulldogs to a pair of wins over Houston (99-94) and Nevada (77-71) with a pair of double-doubles last week.  Ashaolu recorded 17 points with a career-high 21 rebounds against Houston. The 21 rebounds marks the first time that a Louisiana Tech player has recorded at least 20 rebounds since Paul Millsap notched 23 at Hawai‘i in 2006. Nine of Ashaolu’s 21 rebounds were offensive. Ashaolu also had 14 points and 12 rebounds in Louisiana Tech’s conference-opening win over Nevada. He now has seven double-doubles on the season.
On the week, Ashaolu averaged 15.5 points, 16.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 0.5 steals per game, while shooting 52.4 percent (11-of-21) from the field.

Other nominees included: Boise State junior forward Daequon Montreal … Fresno State sophomore guard Mychal Ladd … Hawai‘i senior center Paul Campbell … Idaho senior guard Mac Hopson … Nevada sophomore forward Luke Babbitt … New Mexico State senior guard Jonathan Gibson.