MANHATTAN, Kan. (KStateSports.com) – Junior Arthur Kaluma was selected as the Big 12 Player of the Week on Monday afternoon (December 11) after averaging a double-double in helping Kansas State to wins over Villanova and LSU last week.
Kaluma averaged 21.5 points on 76.2 percent (16-of-21) shooting, including 85.7 percent (6-of-7) from 3-point range, to go with 10.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 39.6 minutes per game in a home overtime win over Villanova on Tuesday (December 5) and road win over LSU on Saturday (December 9).
Kaluma had his best night so far in a Wildcat uniform in overtime win over Villanova, as he scored a game and season-high 26 points on 10-of-13 shooting, including 3-of-3 from 3-point range, and 3-of-3 from the free throw line to go with 9 rebounds and 4 assists in a season-best 44 minutes. The 26 points was one shy of his career-high of 27 he had against BYU while playing at Creighton in 2022. It was his seventh career 20-point game, including his third this season. He scored 17 of his 26 points in the first half on 6-of-7 field goals.
Kaluma continued his impressive play in the road win at LSU, recording his fifth career double-double, including his second as a Wildcat, with 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range, to go with a game-high 11 rebounds in 35 minutes. He has now scored in double figures in 48 career games, including eight this season.
Kaluma is the first Wildcat to earn a weekly honor this season and the first since Markquis Nowell and Keyontae Johnson swept Player and Newcomer of the Week accolades on Feb. 27, 2023. Nowell (three times) and Johnson (five times) combined to win weekly honors nine times in 2022-23. Overall, it marks the school’s 36th Player of the Week honor since the inception of the Big 12 in 1997, including fourth under head coach Jerome Tang.
It is the third career weekly honor for Kaluma, who was named the BIG EAST Freshman of the Week on Feb. 14 and March 6, 2022, while playing at Creighton.
A 6-foot-7, 225-pound wing from Glendale, Ariz., Kaluma is currently averaging 16.6 points on 47.6 percent (49-of-103) from the field, including 38.9 percent (14-of-36) from 3-point range, and 82.2 percent (37-of-45) from the free throw line to go along with 8.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 34.8 minutes per game. He is one of just two players to rank in the Big 12’s top-10 in both scoring and rebounding, as he ranks 10th in scoring and fourth in rebounding.
K-State (8-2), winners of 5 in a row, will not play midweek due to semester exams and will return to the court on Sunday, December 17 when the Wildcats play host to former conference rival Nebraska (8-2) at 2 p.m., CT. The game is already a sellout, but fans can check third-party ticket provider Seat Geek for tickets here.
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