It came to no surprise following his 20 point, 8 rebound outburst in Saturday’s upset of Florida State that Walker Kessler would be rewarded for his play on the court. Today he was named ACC Co-Freshman of the Week, giving Carolina 5 freshmen to win the honor for the first time in program and league history. Kessler joins guards Caleb Love, R.J. Davis, Kerwin Walton, and frontcourt mate Day’Ron Sharpe as recipients of the award. With Kessler becoming the 5th Tar Heel to win the award, it broke a tie with 1978-79 Wake Forest, who had 4 Demon Deacons awarded.
Walker Kessler’s emergence has been something most Tar Heels fans, or even coaches expected this season. Battling through multiple COVID related quarantines, Kessler’s development was delayed. But he stayed the course, as his minutes were limited at the beginning of ACC play, until his number was called. In his last 5 games, Kessler is averaging 11.8 ppg, 5.6 rpg in only 13 minutes, as he’s going to be a part of the rotation as Carolina will look to secure their spot in the NCAA Tournament.