INDIANAPOLIS (USBWA) – The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has named five Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week for games of the week ending Sunday, Feb. 2.
For the 2024-25 season, the USBWA continues its national player of the week program that has been affiliated with the Oscar Robertson Trophy since the 2009-10 season. Prior to last season, the USBWA had recognized just one player each week.
Each Tuesday during the regular season, designated USBWA board members will select five standouts from the 31 Division I conference players of the week to be recognized. This week's selections were chosen from a list of the conferences that named a player of the week on Monday.
Following are the five players selected for performances this past week:
Rahsool Diggins, Massachusetts (Atlantic 10 Conference)
Diggins continued to be an offensive force averaging 29.5 points and 4.0 rebounds on 53.8 percent (21-for-29) shooting over two games last week. The guard from Philadelphia powered the Minutemen to a win over Duquesne, scoring 32 points while shooting 11-of-18 (.611) from the field. The senior scored 15 of Massachusetts' final 19 points against the Dukes, going a perfect 4-of-4 from the field and 3-of-3 from three-point range over the final six minutes. He tallied his third game with 30-plus points this season and 11th straight in double digits after dropping 27 points against Rhode Island.
Madison Durr, Monmouth (Coastal Athletic Association)
Madison Durr went off for 33.5 points per game on 66.7 percent shooting from the floor (16-24 FG) and a perfect 33-for-33 from the charity stripe. The junior guard also registered 4.0 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game last week. The Atlanta product became the CAA’s first 40-point scorer in over two years after unloading 40 points on 10-of-11 shooting and a perfect 19-for-19 from the line in a 104-97 double-overtime win against Drexel. His perfect performance at the line set a new CAA record for most made free throws without a miss. Durr’s mark also set a new game-high across the nation this season, becoming the 26th player in NCAA Division I history to knock down at least 19 free throws without a miss. Durr followed up with a 27-point performance in Monmouth’s 92-83 win over Delaware, draining all 14 of his attempts from the free-throw line.
Jamal Mashburn Jr., Temple (American Athletic Conference)
Mashburn helped lead the Owls to a pair of overtime victories this past week, averaging 33.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists. He scored a career-high 34 points in a double-overtime win over Charlotte on Wednesday and followed that with a 32-point performance in an overtime win over East Carolina on Saturday.
Darryl Simmons II, Gardner-Webb (Big South Conference)
Simmons II averaged 29.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 54.5 percent from three-point range (12-of-22) and 51.3 percent overall from the field (20-of-39) in two games last week. He opened with 19 points, five boards and three assists in Gardner-Webb’s home victory over Longwood last Wednesday. Simmons then netted a career-high 40 points in Saturday’s three-point loss at Winthrop. He made 8-of-12 three-pointers, shot 59.1 percent from the field overall (13-of-22) and made all six free throws in recording the Big South’s first 40-point performance in two seasons.
Brice Williams, Nebraska (Big Ten Conference)
The 6-7 senior guard averaged 27.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 5.0 assists in leading the Huskers to a pair of wins over ranked teams last week. He scored 27 points, including eight straight in overtime, and added a season-high eight rebounds in an 80-74 overtime win against Illinois and paired 28 points, seven boards, and a season-high six assists in a 77-71 win at Oregon.
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 winner of the award will be announced at the 2025 Men's Final Four in San Antonio, Texas, with the formal presentation to follow at the annual USBWA Awards Luncheon hosted by the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis.
The U.S. Basketball Writers Association was formed in 1956 at the urging of then-NCAA Executive Director Walter Byers. With some 800 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.
2024-25 USBWA Men's Weekly Honors
• Week ending Nov. 10: JaKobe Coles, Grand Canyon; Tyson Dunn, Buffalo; TY Johnson, UC Davis; Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton; Justice Shoats, Siena.
• Week ending Nov. 17: Abdi Bashir, Monmouth; Jaron Pierre, Jax State; Maxine Raynaud, Stanford; John Tonje, Wisconsin; Sonny Wilson, Toledo.
• Week ending Nov. 24: Mason Falslev, Utah State; Cooper Flagg, Duke; Chaz Lanier, Tennessee; Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa, Columbia; John Tonje, Wisconsin.
• Week ending Dec. 1: Johni Broome, Auburn; Chucky Hepburn, Louisville; Tyrese Hunter, Memphis; Trey Kaufman-Renn, Purdue; Javon Small, West Virginia.
• Week ending Dec. 8: Devin Haid, Central Connecticut; Tyler “Chip” Johnson, Mercer; Ian Schieffelin, Clemson; Sean Smith, Western Illinois; Sebastian Thomas, Rhode Island.
• Week ending Dec. 15: Lamont Butler, Kentucky; Tarence Guinyard, UT Martin; Jamichael Stillwell, Milwaukee; Taryn Todd, Arkansas State; Brice Williams, Nebraska.
• Week ending Dec. 22: Donovan Dent, New Mexico; Treysen Eaglestaff, North Dakota; Caden Pierce, Princeton; Erik Reynolds II, Saint Joseph's; Bruce Thornton, Ohio State.
• Week ending Dec. 29: Eric Dailey Jr., UCLA; Mason Falslev, Utah State; Connor Kochera, Davidson; Ahmad Robinson, Mercer; Brice Williams, Nebraska.
• Week ending Jan. 5: Leo Colimero, Queens; Melvin Council Jr., St. Bonaventure; Cooper Flagg, Duke; Chaz Lanier, Tennessee; Malik Thomas, San Francisco.
• Week ending Jan. 12: AJ Clayton, Ohio; Cooper Flagg, Duke; Yaxel Lendeborg, UAB; Issac McBride, Oral Roberts; Lamar Washington, Pacific.
• Week ending Jan. 19: Tyeree Bryan, Santa Clara; Rahsool Diggins, Massachusetts; Hunter Sallis, Wake Forest; Javon Small, West Virginia; Earl Timberlake, Bryant.
• Week ending Jan. 26: Mekhi Conner, Sacred Heart; Dawson Garcia, Minnesota; Max MacKinnon, Portland; Bo Montgomery, UNCW; Milos Uzan, Houston
• Week ending Feb. 2: Rahsool Diggins, Massachusetts; Madison Durr, Monmouth; Jamal Mashburn Jr., Temple; Darryl Simmons, Gardner-Webb; Brice Williams, Nebraska.