ST. LOUIS (USBWA) The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has pared its list of finalists for the Oscar Robertson Trophy down to five.
The five remaining finalists for the 2005-06 national player of the year are the players named to the USBWA All-America first team earlier this week: Randy Foye, Villanova; Adam Morrison, Gonzaga; J.J. Redick, Duke; Brandon Roy, Washington; and Shelden Williams, Duke.
Foye, an All-Big East selection, is second in the league in scoring (20.2) and ninth all-time at Villanova. He has led the Wildcats to a 24-3 record as they head to the Big East tournament. Foye has recorded 17 games this season with 20 or more points.
Morrison, the West Coast Conference Player of the Year, is the nation's leading scorer (28.6) and has led Gonzaga to a perfect 14-0 conference mark and a conference tournament title. He has topped 30 points 13 times this season to along with five 40-point performances.
Redick, now a two-time USBWA All-American, was a unanimous All-ACC selection. To go with 27.8 points per game this season, he is the NCAA's all-time leader in three-point field goals and free-throw percentage. Redick has 12 30-point games this season and is now the all-time leader in scoring in the ACC.
Roy, the Pac-10 Player of the Year, has led Washington to a 24-5 record headed into the Pac-10 tournament. He is second in the league in scoring (19.6), fourth in assists (4.1) and 11th in rebounds (5.8). He is the first Washington player to be named to the USBWA team.
Williams is another unanimous All-ACC choice. He has scored over 1,800 points in his career and is the second all-time leading rebounder at Duke. This season, he has recorded 16 double-doubles headed into the ACC tournament.
Last year, world-renowned St. Louis sculptor Harry Weber was commissioned to produce an 18-inch bronze sculpture of Oscar Robertson in his famous spread-eagle pose.
The winner will be selected by a vote of the USBWA membership and a replica of the statue will be awarded to the player of the year at the USBWA's second annual awards breakfast at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Friday, March 31.
The Henry Iba Award will also be presented to the national college coach of the year at the breakfast. The Iba Award is named after legendary Oklahoma A&M and U.S. Olympic team coach Henry Iba, who led A&M to back-to-back national championships in 1945 and '46.
In addition to presenting the player and coach of the year awards, the USBWA will honor the 1981 and '76 Indiana Hoosiers on the 25th and 30th anniversaries, respectively, of each team's national championship. The 1976 Hoosiers were also the last NCAA Division l team to go undefeated, finishing the season 32-0.
Tickets for the breakfast, scheduled to start at 8 a.m., are $100 each and are available at the Conseco Fieldhouse box office (317-917-2727) or at
www.usbwa.com.
A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the National Kidney Foundation, Oscar Robertson's charity of choice. Oscar donated a kidney several years ago to his daughter who was suffering from a life-threatening kidney disease.
The U.S. Basketball Writers Association was formed in 1956 at the urging of then-NCAA Executive Director Walter Byers. Today, it is one of the most influential organizations in college basketball. It has selected a national player of the year since the 1958-59 season. For more information on the USBWA and its All-America team, contact executive director Joe Mitch and 314-421-0339.
Related links:
Oscar Robertson Trophy
· Oscar Robertson official site (www.thebigo.com)
· National Kidney Foundation