NEW ORLEANS – Southern Miss senior forward Victor Iwuakor has been named Sun Belt Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week after recording a pair of double-doubles and guiding the Golden Eagles to a pair of home wins.
 
Iwuakor averaged 21.5 points, 12 rebounds, four blocks and two steals while shooting 16-for-23 (.696) overall in two games. He compiled a career-high 31 points and shot 12 of 16 from the floor to complement a personal-best 13 rebounds, three blocks and three steals in Saturday’s 86-54 victory over Western Michigan as part of the MAC-SBC Challenge.
 
Three nights prior, Iwuakor registered his first double-double of the week with 12 points and 11 rebounds to go with five blocks in a 78-73 conference win over Old Dominion. The Abuja, Nigera native now has four double-doubles this season and ranks second in the Sun Belt with 53 blocked shots on the campaign.
 
Iwuakor is the second Southern Miss player to earn the Sun Belt’s top weekly honor this season after senior guard Andre Curbelo did the same on Jan. 9.

2023-24 Sun Belt Conference Men’s Basketball Players of the Week
Week 1 – Terrence Edwards Jr., James Madison (RS Jr., G – Atlanta, Ga.) 
Week 2 – Freddy Hicks, Arkansas State (Jr., G – Searcy, Ark.)
Week 3 – Kobe Julien, Louisiana (RS Jr., F – Baton Rouge, La.)
Week 4 – Kobe Julien, Louisiana (RS Jr., F – Baton Rouge, La.)
Week 5 – T.J. Bickerstaff, James Madison (Gr., F – Atlanta, Ga.)
Week 6 – Jordan Mason, Texas State (So., G – San Antonio, Texas)
Week 7 – Terrence Edwards Jr., James Madison (RS Jr., G – Atlanta, Ga.)
Week 8 – T.J. Bickerstaff, James Madison (Gr., F – Atlanta, Ga.)
Week 9 – Andre Curbelo, Southern Miss (Sr., G – Vega Baja, Puerto Rico)
Week 10 – Caleb Fields, Arkansas State (Sr., G – Lewisburg, Tenn.)
Week 11 – Tre’Von Spillers, App State (Jr., F – Charleston, S.C.)
Week 12 – Nate Martin, Marshall (Jr., F – Houston, Texas)
Week 13 – Caleb Fields, Arkansas State (Sr., G – Lewisburg, Tenn.)
Week 14 – Victor Iwuakor, Southern Miss (Sr., F – Abuja, Nigeria)