Thedford earns second CUSA Freshman of the Week nod

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU men’s basketball freshman guard Julius Thedford has been named Conference USA Freshman of the Week for the second time this season, the league announced on Monday. Thedford earns the weekly honor after helping lead the Hilltoppers to another unbeaten 2-0 week with wins over Seattle, 86-73, on Tuesday and Kentucky Wesleyan, 91-71, on Saturday.

Thedford posted double figures in back-to-back outings for the Tops last week, finishing with 15 points off a 4-for-8 (.500%) shooting clip from the field with seven rebounds and three assists in the team’s win over Seattle on Tuesday. The freshman guard followed the performance with 17 points off 6-for-13 (.462%) from the field and 3-of-7 (.429%) from beyond the arc in Saturday’s win facing Kentucky Wesleyan. Thedford added six rebounds, two assists and a block as WKU secured its sixth-straight victory.

With the pair of wins, the Hilltoppers have seen victory in nine of the team’s last 10 contests.

Thedford currently charts as the Hilltoppers’ third-leading scorer with 11.8 points per contest. The freshman native of Memphis also holds the team’s second-best three-point shooting clip at .423% (22-of-55) and ranks fourth on the team in rebounding with a total of 43 (3.6/G) on the year.

Thedford collects CUSA Freshman of the Week honors for the second time this year after previously earning the award on Dec. 2. The freshman posted a career-high 19-point performance in a home win over Marshall on Nov. 30 and 18 points in a hard-fought loss at No. 8 Kentucky on Nov. 26.

2024-25 CUSA Players of the Week
N11 Daniel Batcho, LA Tech
N18 Jaron Pierre Jr., Jax State
N25 Simeon Cottle, Kennesaw State
D2 Daniel Batcho, LA Tech
D9 Simeon Cottle, Kennesaw State
D16 Don McHenry, WKU

D23 Sean Newman Jr., LA Tech

2024-25 CUSA Freshmen of the Week
N11 Adrian Wooley, Kennesaw State
N18 Adrian Wooley, Kennesaw State
N25 Jamil Miller, Kennesaw State
D2 Julius Thedford, WKU
D9 Adrian Wooley, Kennesaw State
D16 AJ Bates, LA Tech

D23 Julius Thedford, WKU

WKU will have a break in action before wrapping non-conference play on the road at Michigan on Sunday, Dec. 29. Tipoff from Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Mich. is slated for 7 p.m. CT with the game set to be nationally televised live on the Big Ten Network.