SAN BRUNO, Calif. - Santa Clara men's basketball forward Allen Graves has been named the West Coast Conference Men's Basketball Freshman of the Week for the week of Dec. 8. It is the first weekly award honor of the season for a Bronco and the first since Elijah Mahi was the league's player of the week on Feb. 8 last season. 
  A redshirt freshman from Ponchatoula, La., Graves got the starting nod for both of the Broncos' games against Utah Tech and New Mexico where he averaged 12.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.5 blocks while shooting 47.8 percent from the floor. The big man began the week by stuffing the stat sheet against the Trailblazers of Utah Tech with a season high-tying 13 points on 6-of-12 shooting to go with eight rebounds, four steals, three blocks and three assists. He followed up with a 12-point, 6-rebound night on the road against New Mexico.

Graves has scored 10 or more in six consecutive games and seven of the last eight outings. He pulled down four offensive rebounds in both games this week to increase his season average to 2.9 per game, which ranks second in the WCC. He also ranks second in the conference in steals with an average of 1.9 per outing. Through 10 games this season, Graves is the team's third-leading scorer at 9.7 points and is second in rebounding at 6.2 per game. 

Graves is the first Bronco to win WCC Men's Basketball Freshman of the Week honors since the conference first began recognizing freshmen in 2020-21 as part of their weekly honors.