FLORENCE, S.C. - Francis Marion University sophomore forward Louis McCullough has been named the Peach Belt Conference men’s basketball “Player of the Week” for the week of Jan. 27-Feb. 2.

The 6-6, 215-pound Goose Creek native averaged 15.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in two games last week, while coming off the bench.  McCullough connected on 60.0 percent of his field goal attempts - including four of eight shots from beyond the three-point arc - and recorded four assists, two blocked shots, and three steals.

He scored a team-high 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds in a 65-54 road win over USC Spartanburg, and then tallied 17 points and eight rebounds in a last-second 73-71 loss at Georgia College & State University.  His three-pointer from the top-of-the-key had tied the game at 71-71 with 28.9 seconds left.

McCullough has flourished in the role of sixth man, leading or co-leading the squad in scoring in each of the past five games.

For the season, he leads the Patriots in scoring (13.4 ppg) and three-point shooting (49.1%), while ranking second in rebounding (7.2 rpg), total field goal percentage (51.7%), blocked shots (19), and steals (15) - all this while averaging only 24.0 minutes per game.  He has helped the young Patriot squad to a 9-9 record, already a five-win improvement over last season’s 4-23 mark.

McCullough, the half-brother of NBA superstar Kevin Garnett and cousin of former UNC player and current Boston Celtic Shammond Williams, averaged 16.1 points and 7.7 rebounds per game last year.

As a senior at Garrett Academy of Technology in North Charleston, he was the 2000 American General Mr. Basketball for Class AA, after averaging 29.4 ppg. He spent the 2000-01 season at Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia.

McCullough earned the PBC Player of the Week award once as freshman.

#91/2-4-03