He had been well aware of his lofty ranking.

And he won’t lie — it did mean something to him.

But late last season, Jordan Bachynski, heeding the advice of an assistant coach at Arizona State University, decided to make the long-overdue appointment.

He found a barber (presumably one with a ladder) and, gulp, got his trademark mop chopped off.

“Coach (Eric) Musselman said, ‘Every time you take a step on the floor, it’s a business interview. What image are you portraying? Because people have preconceived notions about how you look. What messages are you sending with your appearance?’ ” says Bachynski. a seven-foot-two basketball player from Calgary. “So I took that to heart and I cut my hair. I take every chance I get on the court to show my business, show my work, to look professional, make the best first impression I can.”

Mane tamed, the Centennial High School grad admits that he had been worried. Flow, for a young man, is important.

“I definitely was nervous,” Bachynski, chuckling, says. “The year before, I was (named) top-10 best-hair in the NCAA. I had gotten used to my hair.

“But for my career, I feel that short hair is the way to go.”

Hard to argue.

Still shorn, Bachynski is enjoying a spectacular run for the Sun Devils.

Take a gander at the senior’s heroics this past weekend alone — shatters Pac-12 all-time record, receives standing ovation, establishes (more) personal bests.

Oh, and earns conference player-of-the-week honours.

“That would be a huge honour for me,” the 24-year-old concedes Monday morning, a few hours before the no-brainer of an announcement. “If it turns out that I’m Pac-12 player of the week, I’m going to be stoked about it.”

This is why he was recognized:

* Thursday against Oregon State:

Sun Devils win 86-82 in overtime. Bachynski fouls out in the extra period — but not before piling up 17 points, 15 rebounds, seven shot-blocks.

The centre leaves the floor to a standing ovation from 6,000 appreciative boosters at Wells Fargo Arena.

“The fans . . . there’s no words for it,” he says. “Just a really cool feeling. It didn’t really register at the time, but looking back? Insane.”

Worth noting — Bachynski departs that night with 279 career shot-blocks, most in Pac-12 history, after eclipsing the record of Anthony Cook (1985-89).

Many call it Bachynski’s best-ever night. “To that point, yeah.”

Because soon comes another display of brilliance.

* Saturday against Oregon:

Hosts tiptoe to a 74-72 victory. Bachynski’s meaty line — career-high 26 points, nine rebounds, nine shot blocks.

“You can’t say enough about the weekend Jordan Bachynski had,” coach Herb Sendek tells reporters. “He was spectacular again.”

His final shot-block comes with only a couple of ticks remaining.

Meaning the timely swat preserves the win.

“I got really nervous because my hand got caught in the net,” Bachynski says. “My hand got all tangled up, but I still got a hand on the ball. A big play for my team.”

Of course, he has eyeballed photographic evidence of his handiwork.

“My mom sent it to me.”