Alabama’s Mitchell SEC Player Of Week

Word from the commonwealth reached the Southeastern Conference offices in Birmingham in time for a Crimson Tide basketball player to be duly honored.

Alabama forward Tony Mitchell was Most Valuable Player of the Puerto Rico Tipoff Classic in San Juan as he led the Crimson Tide to the tournament championship last weekend. For his efforts, he was named the SEC men’s basketball player of the week.

Meanwhile, the Alabama team of Coach Anthony Grant moved up two spots in this week’s USA Today Coaches Poll, from 15th to 13th.

Alabama returns to action Wednesday when the Crimson Tide hosts Alabama A&M in Coleman Coliseum at 7 p.m. CST.

Alabama posted convincing wins over Maryland, Wichita State, and Purdue in running its record to 5-0. Mitchell was named MVP after the junior from Swainsboro, Ga., averaged 19 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1.7 blocked shots per game in Puerto Rico. He shot 56.4 per cent from the field and 54.5 per cent on three-point shots.

He was the top scorer with 26 points against Wichita State and had double-double performances against Maryland (17 points, 11 rebounds) and against Purdue (14 points, 10 rebounds) in the championship game. His three-point field goal in the final minutes against Purdue effectively closed the door on any possible Boilermakers’ comeback.

Including last Monday’s contest against Oakland, he averaged 17.3 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.3 blocks per game on the week.

The honor is the second of Mitchell’s career.