Big 12 Weekly Awards: Longhorn, Buff and Cyclone Honored

Damion James (Texas), Marcus Relphorde (Colorado) and Marquis Gilstrap (Iowa State) have been chosen as the Phillips 66 Big 12 Player and Rookie of the Week, respectively, for games of Jan. 11 - 17 in voting by a panel of media covering the Conference.  James wins player accolades for the second time this season and third time in his career.  Relphorde earns his first rookie honor, while Gilstrap is picked for the fourth time in 2009-10.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Damion James, Texas, F, Sr., 6-7, 225, Nacogdoches, Texas/Nacogdoches
James captures player honors after a week in which he became the Big 12 all-time rebounding leader with 1,159 rebounds.  In two games, he averaged 25.5 points, 13.0 rebounds and 2.5 blocks, while connecting on 17-of-36 (.472) from the field, including 4-of-8 (.500) from 3-point range.  The senior forward recorded 23 points and 14 boards in a 90-83 victory at Iowa State.  He followed that effort with a game-high 26 points to go along with 12 rebounds and three blocks in 40 minutes of a 72-67 overtime win over rival Texas A&M.  In that game, he did most of his damage after intermission, scoring 23 points in the second half, including seven in the overtime.  His 3-pointer with 58 seconds left gave the Longhorns the lead for good and he sealed the win with a block of an Aggie 3-point attempt with seven seconds remaining.  James tied the Big 12 all-time record for double-doubles in the contest, notching the 47th of his career.

ROOKIES OF THE WEEK
Marcus Relphorde, Colorado, G, Jr., 6-6, 220, Chicago, Ill./Indian Hills CC [Iowa]
Relphorde wins the first weekly recognition by a Colorado player this season after helping the Buffaloes to a 1-1 week against two nationally-ranked opponents.  He started with 17 points and seven rebounds as CU topped No. 22 Baylor, 78-71.  The junior guard then chipped in 18 points and three boards as Buffs dropped a 87-81 decision to No. 12 Kansas State.  In two outings, he averaged 17.5 points and 5.0 rebounds, shooting 57.9 percent (11-of-19) from the field.  He also made 4-of-7 (.571) from 3-point range while adding three assists and two steals.

Marquis Gilstrap, Iowa State, F, Sr., 6-7, 215, Covington, Ga./East Side/Gulf Coast CC [Fla.]
Gilstrap helped Iowa State split a pair of games last week, falling to No. 1 Texas (90-83) before rebounding to win at Nebraska (56-53).  The senior forward averaged 17.5 points and 12.5 boards, while shooting 46.9 percent (15-of-32).  He tallied a double-double in his Big 12 debut versus UT, with a team-high 20 points and 13 rebounds.  He then had a 15-point, 12-rebound effort at NU, as the Cyclones notched their first conference road victory since 2007.  Gilstrap has a team-high seven double-doubles this year and ranks sixth in the Big 12 in rebounding with 8.9 per game.

See past award winners after The Jump

via big12sports.org