UNC’s Maye, Duke’s Bagley first to earn ACC hoop honors this season

Luke Maye earned the league's Player of the Week award while Duke freshman Marvin Bagley III is the league's Rookie of the Week for the first of what promises to be many times

Luke Maye puts up a shot against Northern Iowa's Klint Carlson during the second half of Friday's season opener at Smith Center (Jeremy Brevard/USA TODAY Sports)

Luke Maye and Marvin Bagley III have little in common as basketball players.

One is a former walk-on who burst into national prominence by making a game-winning shot against Kentucky in last year’s NCAA tournament. The other was the nation’s top-rated recruit and a bona fide star before he ever stepped onto a college campus.

Monday, however, the two were bound together by their selection to the ACC’s first weekly honor roll of the 2017-18 basketball season.

Maye, the former walk-on, was named the league’s Player of the Week for leading North Carolina to a season-opening 86-69 victory against Northern Iowa on Friday. Bagley, the Duke blue-chipper, earned the first of what promises to be many ACC Rookie of the Week awards for his play in the Blue Devils’ first two games.

A 6-foot-8 junior from Huntersville, Maye helped the Tar Heels overcome the absence of injured stars Joel Berry and Cameron Johnson by scoring a career-high 26 points on 11 of 16 shooting, including 2 of 3 from 3-point range.

It was the first time in his career in which he led UNC in scoring. Maye also added 10 rebounds for his second career double-double.

Bagley, on the other hand, lived up to his advance hype by scoring 25 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in his Duke debut, a 97-68 victory against Elon on Friday.

The 25 points were the most ever by a Blue Devils freshman in his first game. He followed that up 24 hours later by hitting for 24 points and 10 rebounds in a 99-69 win against Utah Valley.

In doing so, the 6-11 forward from Tempe, Ariz., became the first Duke rookie to record back-to-back 20-point/10-rebound performances since Jabari Parker in 2013.