INDIANAPOLIS (USBWA) – The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has selected Gonzaga forward Corey Kispert as its Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week for games ending the week of Sunday, Dec. 27.
As the West Coast Conference Player of the Week, Kispert was nominated for the weekly award, which was chosen by a representative of the USBWA board of directors from a list of Division I conference players of the week. Once again, the USBWA will select a Division I men's National Player of the Week each Tuesday throughout the season. The USBWA has named Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week since the 2009-10 season.
Kispert, a 6-7 senior from Edmonds, Wash., scored a career-high 32 points in a decisive 98-75 victory over Virginia this past Saturday in Fort Worth, Texas. In the game, he matched the school record for three-point field goals, connecting on 9-of-13 attempts. Kispert had 77 points in three Gonzaga wins – a 25.7-point average for the week – which bumped his season average to a team-high 22.4 points per game for the nation's top-ranked team.
In the three games, he made 14 three-pointers at a phenomenal 60.9 percent clip and was 28-of-40 (70.0 percent) overall from the field. He opened the week with a 27-point, seven-rebound effort in the 95-57 win over Northwestern State on Monday, before scoring 18 points the following night vs. NSU, a 95-78 win. He made seven of his eight free-throws in the three Bulldog wins.
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.
At the conclusion of the regular season, the USBWA will name finalists for the award, which is voted on by the entire membership.
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 Malcolm Moran at 814-574-1485.