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DARRELL MIHO / SPECIAL TO THE STAR-ADVERTISER
UH Rainbow Warrior Stefan Jankovic gets past Cal State Northridge Matador Tavrion Dawson during a game at the Matadome. UH won the game 69-63.
Following another perfect road trip, Hawaii basketball forward Stefan Jankovic picked up some conference and national recognition today.
He received his second Big West Player of the Week award this season, then got the nod for CollegeInsider.com’s Lou Henson Award, given weekly to a player from a mid-major conference.
UH’s 6-foot-11 junior sizzled in wins at Cal State Northridge and UC Irvine last Thursday and Saturday, averaging 29.5 points and 7.0 rebounds on 76 percent shooting in the victories, including a career-high 34 points at CSUN on 12-for-13 shooting.
By improving to 6-0 on the conference road, UH (22-3, 11-1 BWC) maintained a tight grip on first place — a two-game lead — with four regular-season games to play.
Jankovic joined point guard Roderick Bobbitt as Rainbow Warriors to receive multiple Big West weekly honors this season. It was the fifth time a UH player received it; Isaac Fleming picked up one.
It is the first time in program history UH received a conference player of the week award more than four times in a season, including the Rainbows’ days in the WAC.
A Big West player has received the Henson Award two times this season; Long Beach State’s Nick Faust got it on Feb. 1.
UH next hosts UC Riverside on Thursday at the Stan Sheriff Center.
Congratulations to Stefan Jankovic and the rest of the Warrior basketball team, who knows how to step up his play on the road. These past two road game wins were very impressive, especially the last one at UC Irvine over the Anteaters. I have to admit, while watching the game, I thought the Warrios were going to lose but they showed great heart and stepped up their play at the end. Tough to do on the road! They have tremendous heart and competitive grit. Go Warriors!!! Keep up the fight!!!
Congrats on the well-deserved award! Really like Jankovik – wonder what pro team will pick him? (OK THUNDER… yeah!)
So, I see UH so far set to recruiting two more guards, one being a 3star gem.
Need another jumping bean like Valdes who gets up there; more three point shooters like Tummala would be nice as well. A rock solid big man like, Stefan who has the moves to score against bigger, slower centers. And no matter what happens with NCAA penalties, ALL these players should stick it out together. Transferring to another program won’t bring them the satisfaction of another successful year, and possible NBA draft possibilities.
I was really impressed with win over Irvine. It seems HAWAII had to overcome the tall players and the short ones wearing stripes . It showed at the end where they had to shoot to score and not from the free throw line. Hawaii very poised and made the buckets when counted at the end.