Mouhamed Gueye closes season with fifth Pac-12 freshman of the week award

Mouhamed Gueye entered his first season at Washington State as one of the most touted basketball recruits in Cougar history.

It’s safe to say he’s lived up to the hype.

The Cougs’ standout big man out of Senegal turned in one of the program’s best rookie campaigns, as evidenced by his five Pac-12 freshman of the week awards.

Gueye earned his fifth weekly honor to close out the regular season, the conference announced Monday. He totaled 31 points, shooting 12 of 18 from the field, and pulled down 14 rebounds in three WSU wins last week.

No Cougar has earned more than two weekly awards in a single season in program history.

The 6-foot-11 Gueye tallied 19 points on 7 of 7 shooting in the Cougars’ overtime win over Oregon State in Corvallis, Oregon on Feb. 28. In a rematch three days later on the Palouse, he posted seven points and six boards, then capped the week with a five-point, three-board effort across just nine minutes in WSU’s rout of Oregon on Saturday.

Gueye added three blocks and three assists on the week.

For the season, he is averaging eight points, 5.4 rebounds and 0.9 blocks per game.

The Pac-12’s freshman of the year award will be announced in the coming days. Gueye and Stanford forward Harrison Ingram – who has earned a conference-high six freshman of the week awards this year – are the top candidates.

WSU (18-13, 11-9 Pac-12) meets Cal at 6 p.m. Wednesday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament.