College Men’s Basketball News – Guilford’s Pittman Named ODAC Player of the Week

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Guilford College senior Josh Pittman (Archdale, N.C./Trinity) earned the Old Dominion Athletic Conference’s (ODAC) Men’s Basketball Player of the Week Award Monday, his first of the season and third of his career. He also collected his second Guilford Student-Athlete of the Week Award of the year. The Guilford prize is presented weekly by the school’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).

Josh Pittman, Class of 2013

Pittman, a 6-1, 160-pound guard, averaged 26.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game in the Quakers’ two ODAC wins last week. He shot over 63 percent from three-point range (12-of-19) and made 13 of 17 free throws in the games. Pittman drained an ODAC-best seven three-pointers and scored a game- and season-high 32 points in Guilford’s Jan. 9 victory at Emory & Henry College. He also had five rebounds and two steals. Pittman led all scorers with 21 points, grabbed five boards and distributed a game-best four assists in Guilford’s 77-66 league win over host Eastern Mennonite University Jan. 12. His made his first five three-pointers before missing his final attempt late in the game.

Pittman has led Guilford’s scorers in six of the past eight games, all victories, and leads Guilford with a 16.9 points per game average that stands third in the league. He ranks second in the conference with 5.1 assists per outing and a .822 free-throw percentage. Pittman has a league-high 47 three-pointers and ranks ninth in the ODAC with a .423 three-point shooting percentage. His scoring efforts have pushed him into 19th place among Guilford’s career scorers with 1,300 points in 100 games. Pittman’s 220 career three-pointers rank second all-time at Guilford and his 259 assists stand eighth.

Coach Tom Palombo’s team (13-2, 5-1 ODAC) entertains league-rival Randolph College Wednesday (1/16) at 7:00 p.m. before visiting Washington and Lee University Saturday (1/19) at 2:00 p.m. The Quakers are ranked 22nd in the Jan. 14 D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll and have won eight straight, their longest winning streak since 2010.

The Student-Athlete of the Week Award is presented by Guilford’s Student Athlete Advisory Committee, which is comprised of representatives from each of the school’s 20 varsity teams. The group meets regularly to discuss the state of Guilford Athletics and seeks to build community among the school’s student-athletes and non-student-athletes. Recent Guilford SAAC activities include a canned-food drive and participation in Champs Life Skills, which promotes intercollegiate athletics as a key part of the campus educational program and the student-athlete as an integral part of the student body. Its aim is to increase student-athletes’ community involvement and to engage the greater Guilford community with the athletic department.