Irene Boehm, Sports Editor
Earlier this month, the Southern Athletic Association (SAA) conference announced that for the fifth week in a row, Men’s Basketball’s Fletcher Bigham (C ‘27) was named Conference “Player of the Week”.
The announcement comes on the heels of noteworthy performances all season from the Charlotte native. The Saturday before the announcement, Bigham averaged 21 points and 13 rebounds, recording his 13th and 14th double-doubles of the season. The junior delivered another big-time performance on that Friday against Oglethorpe University, finishing just two assists shy of a triple-double with 17 points, 15 rebounds, eight assists, four blocks and a steal- all while committing zero turnovers. He shot 6-of-11 (54.5%) from the floor in the victory over the Petrels.
On the following Sunday, Bigham poured in 25 points, his 11th game this season with at least 20 points, while adding 11 rebounds, two blocks and a steal. He was also efficient from the field, going 10-of-16 (62.5%) overall and 4-of-6 (66.7%) from beyond the arc, including three three-pointers in the final two-and-a-half minutes against Berry College.
Bigham is averaging 19.6 points and 11.4 rebounds per game on the season. His stats have taken his name far from the mountain as he currently ranks second in the nation in defensive rebounds per game (10.0), third in total double-doubles, sixth in blocks (64), and 10th in rebounds per game.
Bigham attributes his recent success to maintaining a consistent routine.
He said, “Each week I try to push myself to be better than I was the week before, and having the discipline to stick to that has translated immensely for me”
Fletcher is not the only Bigham in the ball game; his sister, Olive, is headed to Washington & Lee University to play basketball next year.
“She is my ultimate workout partner,” he said. “We have both found success on the basketball court because of the intensity we have when we train and push each other to get better during the summer months.”
Bigham also says that his teammates and coaches have inspired him to push himself harder in the sport. “None of it would have been possible without my teammates and coaches Will Merrell and John Crump. They are some of the hardest working people, it’s hard not to want to match their energy every time you step into Fowler,” he said. “I think we are in a really good spot headed into the last couple of games and the conference tournament with high energy from all the guys.”
Sewanee closes out the regular season on the road with three SAA matchups, beginning with contests at Rhodes College and Millsaps College. They currently hold a record of 9-15.