ST. LOUIS (USBWA) The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has selected 17 outstanding players for its 2015 Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List. Members of the association's board of directors chose the players to be included on the list as contenders for the Oscar Robertson Trophy.
The award is to be presented to the national player of the year at the Devon Energy College Basketball Awards on April 14 at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. The Henry Iba Coach of the Year Award and the Integris Wayman Tisdale Freshman of the Year Award will also be presented at the gala to be held annually the Monday following the NCAA Men's Final Four.
Six players from the Atlantic Coast Conference including Justin Anderson and Anthony Gill of unbeaten Virginia · headline the list. Two other pairs of teammates are also mentioned: Gonzaga's Kevin Pangos and Kyle Wiltjer and Wisconsin's Sam Dekker and Frank Kaminsky. Top-ranked and unbeaten Kentucky is represented by Willie Cauley-Stein.
Anderson and Wiltjer have earned Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week honors this season. The watch list includes nine juniors to go with four seniors, three freshmen and one sophomore.
Following is the complete watch list:
While these standout players are the leading contenders to be named to the USBWA's All-America Team and as finalists for the Oscar Robertson Trophy, all Division I players remain eligible for postseason honors from the USBWA. The association will announce its 2015 All-America Team in mid-March. At that time, finalists will also be chosen for the player of the year. Once finalists are announced, the entire USBWA membership will vote for the winner of the Oscar Robertson Trophy.
Tickets and sponsorship information for the Devon Energy College Basketball Awards are available at collegebasketballawards.com or by contacting Scott Hill (405-749-1515, scott.hill@access-sports.net). The April 14 banquet will also honor Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim as the recipient of the Wayman Tisdale Humanitarian Award.
Since the 1958-59 season, the USBWA has named a National Player of the Year. In 1998, the award was named in honor of the University of Cincinnati Hall of Famer and two-time USBWA Player of the Year Oscar Robertson. It is the nation's oldest award and the only one named after a former player.
The U.S. Basketball Writers Association was formed in 1956 at the urging of then-NCAA Executive Director Walter Byers. With some 900 members worldwide, it is one of the most influential organizations in college basketball. It has selected an All-America team since the 1956-57 season. For more information on the USBWA and the Oscar Robertson Trophy, contact executive director Joe Mitch at 314-795-6821.
Related link:
• Oscar Robertson Trophy