PacWest Weekly Awards (Jan. 10)

IRVINE, Calif. – Thanks to an average of 5.0 steals per game during a week in which ART U went 1-1 in rematches with Point Loma and Concordia, the Pacific West Conference has picked Academy of Art men's basketball junior guard Klay Brown as the PacWest Defender of the Week. The award is for games played from Jan. 3-9. 

Entering last week as the conference leader in steals, Brown added onto his totals with his active hands this week, producing five steals in a double overtime effort against Point Loma before doing so again during ART U's convincing 85-71 win over Concordia. He now averages 2.5 steals per game with a total of 32 on the season, is the only player in the PacWest to average higher than 2.0 steals per game, and has been key in helping the Knights to reach 10+ steals in eight straight contests. Additionally, Brown averaged 5.5 defensive rebounds as well as 1.0 block in those two matchups. 

Though it is the first time Brown is receiving a PacWest honor in his career, he is now the fourth different Urban Knight to be named the PacWest Defender of the Week this season, joining teammates Christian Popoola Jr. (Nov. 15), Joshua Bagley (Dec. 6), and Latrell Williams (Dec. 13). This honor further extends the new program record number of selections in a single season, topping the previous record of one which ART U had done each year starting with the 2013-14 campaign through 2017-18.