ST. LOUIS – Illinois State junior Milik Yarbrough has been named the Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week for the fifth time this season, which is tied for the fifth-most single-season newcomer awards in MVC history.
Yarbrough averaged 25 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.5 steals per game during the week. He made half of his 32 field goal attempts over the two games, and 15-of-18 (83.3 percent) from the free throw line.
He opened the week with a 25-point, six-rebound performance against Bradley, in which he made 8-of-15 shots from the field, and 8-of-9 from the charity stripe. He followed that with a 25-point, nine-assist, six-rebound, three-steal effort against UNI on Saturday. Against the Panthers he went 8-of-17 from the field and 7-of-9 from the charity stripe.
Yarbrough averages 16.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game on the season. Those averages put him in elite company, as there have been just 16 other student-athletes to average those numbers since 1992-93, including Grant Hill, Bub Sura, Ben Simmons, Evan Turner, and Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway.
The fifth honor for Yarbrough this season ties him with Dequon Miller (Missouri State, 2015-16) for the fifth-most Newcomer of the Week honors in a season. Creighton's Doug McDermott holds the single-season record having earned the honor seven times, while three others (Cleanthony Early, Marcellus Somerville, and Alize Johnson) earned the honor six times.
The Redbirds return to action on Wednesday, Feb. 21 when the team hosts Drake in the home finale, before traveling to Chicago to take on the Loyola Ramblers on Saturday, Feb. 24 in the season finale.
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