ISU's Hatchett named Big Sky Player of the Week

Doug Lindley/Idaho State Journal

Scoring 51 points in two games was enough to earn Idaho State guard Andre Hatchett Big Sky men’s basketball Player of the Week honors.

The 6-foot-4 senior from Tucson, Ariz., led the Bengals to a pair of wins last week over Portland State and Eastern Washington. In addition to his 25.5 points per game average, he recorded 5.5 rebounds and three assists per contest.

Hatchett said the last time he had a two-game performance this successful was, “probably in high school.”

Idaho State (5-6) is off to its first 2-0 start in conference play since the 2007-08 season. Hatchett shot 67 percent from the floor, and 73 percent (19-26) from the free-throw line in the two games.

“Points are just points,” he said. “I just want to win. I’ll take 2-0 for now.”

He scored a career-high 24 points with seven rebounds, four assists, a block and a steal in the Bengals' 87-76 win over Portland State last Thursday night.

Against Eastern Washington, Hatchett set a new career-high in points with 27. Late in the second half, the Eagles fouled him on purpose while attempting a comeback — an attempt to force him to make free throws.

Hatchett entered his senior year with a career 55 percent free-throw percentage. After hitting 16 of 24 attempts from the foul line as a sophomore, Hatchett was 54 for 102 (53 percent) as s sophomore and 69 for 126 (55 percent) last year as a junior.

“Everybody in the building knows I have a tough time ... with free throws,” Hatchett said. “I’ve been working really hard, coming in, sometimes at midnight, just shooting 200 free throws. And it’s been paying off for me when I step to the line.

“Every basketball player lives for that position, so if they want to foul me, that’s great. My teammates, my coach, they all said, ‘We believe in you.’”

He did miss two, but the hack-a-Hatchett strategy backfired for Eastern Washington. He sunk four of the six free throws during that brief stretch, and 9 of 12 overall for the game. The Bengals went on to win 83-72.

And for his senior season, Hatchett is 58 for 88 (66 percent) at the foul line through 11 games.

This is Hatchett's first career Player of the Week Honor. He was also named the Bengal Athlete of the Week and the College Sports Madness Player of the Week.