WSU’s Isaac Jones captures two national awards, Myles Rice earns third conference honor

PULLMAN – Washington State is back in the spotlight.

The Cougars earned it by capturing four awards, all announced Monday: Forward Isaac Jones was named the ESPN national player of the week, Naismith national player of the week and Pac-12 player of the week, and guard Myles Rice was named the Pac-12 freshman of the week, his third time winning that award this season.

Jones and Rice helped WSU capture two big wins, a 72-64 victory over USC last week and a 73-70 win over No. 8 Arizona on Saturday, the Cougs’ first home win over a top-10 foe in four calendar years.

It’s the first time in program history WSU has swept the Pac-12 weekly awards.

Jones, who transferred from nearby Idaho ahead of this season, did his part by posting back-to-back double-doubles: First a 26-point and 11-rebound outing against the Trojans, then a 24-point and 13-board showing against the Wildcats. Those gave him his 14th and 15th games scoring in double figures this season.

Rice chipped in by providing a steady scoring punch, supplying 12 points against USC and 18 against Arizona, including a key 3-pointer and a mid-range jumper to seal the game. He also dished out five assists in each game. He’s the conference’s second-leading scorer among freshmen.

Washington State (12-5, 3-3 Pac-12) heads to California this weekend, taking on Stanford on Thursday and Cal on Saturday.