BYU’s Richie Saunders Named National Player of the Week
The U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) selected Saunders as one of their five Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week.
Saunders becomes the first BYU player to earn National Player of the Week honors since Elijah Bryant in February 2017.
Alongside Saunders, other USBWA National Players of the Week for the period ending February 23 include Alabama’s Mark Sears, Oregon’s Nate Bittle, Yale’s Bez Mbeng, and North Carolina A&T’s Jahnathan Lamothe.
Richie Saunders Earns USBWA National Player of the Week
Saunders played a key role in BYU’s flawless week, which included victories over powerhouse teams Kansas and Arizona.
The 6-foot-5, 200-pound junior averaged 22.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.5 steals.
He hit two free throws with three seconds left to secure the upset win over Arizona.
In addition to the USBWA National Player of the Week honor, Saunders was named Big 12 Player of the Week. He is the first BYU player to earn the Big 12 recognition since the team joined the conference in 2023.
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“His performance speaks for itself,” said BYU head coach Kevin Young about Saunders. “He has been incredibly consistent in every aspect of the game all year and has helped us defeat some top teams. As he gets more exposure, more people are recognizing what I’ve known for some time.”
BYU Basketball Thriving with Saunders Leading the Charge
Saunders has been effective all season for BYU, but last week featured some of his best performances. He shot 10-of-11 from inside the arc and 7-of-12 from 3-point range in the victories over major Big 12 teams.
The wins marked BYU’s first back-to-back victories over Top 25 teams since 1988.
Saunders’ leadership helped propel BYU into the AP Top 25 poll for the first time this season.
Saunders and BYU will face Arizona State in Tempe on Wednesday as they continue their season.
