PacWest Weekly Awards (Dec. 13)

IRVINE, Calif. – Already known for their active defense this early in the 2021-22 season, that defensive presence showed up on the most recent trip for Academy of Art men's basketball, as ART U went 2-0 in Southern California and returned with the Pacific West Conference Defender of the Week in sophomore forward Latrell Williams. The award is for games played from Dec. 6-12. 

Despite playing on the road, the defensive effort of the Urban Knights was the primary reason that ART U remains undefeated in PacWest play, coming up with 11 steals in a 90-77 win over Concordia before grabbing another 10 in a close 76-74 victory over Point Loma. Strong on the glass in the victories was the PacWest's leading rebounder Williams, as he snatched a total of 15 defensive rebounds (22 total), with 12 of those coming against the Eagles to open the week (season-high in defensive rebounds). The streak of double-digit steals reaches four games in a row for ART U, while they have achieved that six times on the season, with Williams chipping in a total of four steals and two blocks (both of which came against PLNU, tying a season-high in a single game). 

This marks the third time this season (and second consecutive week) that an Urban Knight has been named the PacWest Defender of the Week, with graduate student guard Joshua Bagley claiming the honor on Dec. 6 after redshirt junior guard Christian Popoola Jr. claimed the initial one of the season on Nov. 15. It is the first time in proram history that more than one Urban Knight has been named the PacWest Defender of the Week in a single season, having captured exactly one such honor in each year starting with the 2013-14 campaign through 2017-18.