The University of Mississippi Athletics
Aaron Harper Named SEC Player Of The Week
1/27/2003 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 27, 2003
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Aaron Harper, a junior forward/guard on the Ole Miss Rebel basketball squad, has been named the Southeastern Conference Player of the Week for the week of Jan. 20-26, the league office announced Monday. Harper is the first Rebel to receive the honor since junior Justin Reed won the award in December of 2001.
Harper won the honor after averaging 21.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists in the Rebels' victories over No. 15/No. 13 ranked Alabama and Arkansas. He also shot 48.1 percent from the field, 53.8 percent from the three-point line and 81.8 percent from the charity stripe in the two wins.
Against Alabama, the Jackson, Miss., native scored a career-high 28 points and also grabbed 9 boards. He netted his 28 points on 9-of-15 from the floor, 4-of-6 from the arc and 6-of-7 from the foul line. The 9 field goals made tied a career best. In the second half of the contest, Harper scored 8 straight points in a run that extended a 56-47 Rebel lead to 64-47 and put the contest out of reach.
In the victory over Arkansas, Harper scored 14 points and dished out a career-high 8 assists. He also had 5 boards and 2 steals. He also came to the Rebels' rescue in that game. With Ole Miss holding on to a 47-46 advantage, Harper drilled a trey that started a 12-0 run en route to the win.
Harper leads the Rebels in scoring (14.6 ppg), field goal percentage (51.4 percent) and three-point field goal percentage (50.6 percent). He ranks among the conference leaders in scoring (13th), three-point field goal percentage (2nd) and three-pointers made per game (2nd).
The Rebels (12-4, 3-2 SEC) return to action Wednesday, Jan. 29 when they host rival Mississippi State (12-4, 2-3 SEC) in an SEC Western Division showdown. Game time is 7:00 p.m. (CT) at Tad Smith Coliseum.
