USBWA 2019-20 Season News

The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has named its annual recognition of its women's national freshman of the year the Tamika Catchings Award. Catchings, vice president of basketball operations for the Indiana Fever of the WNBA, was the consensus national freshman of the year during the 1997-98 season, when she averaged 18.2 points per game to lead the Tennessee Lady Volunteers to a national championship in a 39-0 season.

For the first time since the 2003-04 season, the winners of the Oscar Robertson Trophy and Henry Iba Award come from the same school as Dayton sophomore forward Obi Toppin and head coach Anthony Grant headline this season's individual award winners in voting by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association.

The U.S. Basketball Writers Association is proud to announce the winners of its three major individual women's awards. The honorees include the NCAA's all-time triple-doubles leader, the coach of the top-ranked team and a freshman sensation off the All-Southeastern Conference team. Sabrina Ionescu of Oregon is the winner of the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award as the National Player of the Year, Dawn Staley of South Carolina earned the National Coach of the Year Award and Aliyah Boston of South Carolina is the Tamika Catchings Award winner as the National Freshman Player of the Year, based on voting by the USBWA membership. Longtime USBWA representative Mel Greenberg coordinated the voting and selection process.

Three Oregon Ducks highlight the 2019-20 U.S. Basketball Writers Association Women's All-America Team. Pac-12 Player of the Year Sabrina Ionescu is joined by teammates Ruthy Hebard on the first team and Satou Sebally as a second-team selection. Ionescu, a three-time USBWA All-American, is the lone repeat first-team selection.

A trio of seniors that includes a repeat selection and the Division I career field goal percentage leader – plus two others who are their schools' most decorated players – has been named to the U.S. Basketball Writers Association's 2019-20 All-America First Team. The team includes three players who are USBWA District Players of the Year and four of the five are player of the year honorees in their respective conferences.

The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has released its 2019-20 Men's All-District Teams, based on voting from its national membership of 900-plus. The USBWA has selected All-District teams since the 1956-57 season, its founding year.

Robbie Heath of West Chester University (West Chester, Pa.) and Hailey Diestelkamp of Drury University (Springfield, Mo.) were named the U.S. Basketball Writers Association Division II National Players of the Week for the week ending March 1, claiming the final weekly awards of the 2019-20 season.

 Gabriel Leifer of Yeshiva University (New York, N.Y.) and Kelly Williams of Randolph-Macon College (Ashland, Va.) were named the U.S. Basketball Writers Association Division III National Players of the Week for the week ending March 1.

The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has selected WKU guard Taveion Hollingsworth as its Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week for games ending the week of Sunday, March 1.

For the season's 16th and final U.S. Basketball Writers Association Ann Meyers Drysdale Women's National Player of the Week and the organization's Tamika Catchings women's freshman player honor for this season, Tennessee guard-forward Rennia Davis is national player while Notre Dame forward Sam Brunelle has been chosen for the freshman citation after each helped their teams go unbeaten ending the week of Sunday, March 1.

The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has selected Creighton guard Marcus Zegarowski as its Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week for games ending the week of Sunday, Feb. 23.

For the season's 15th U.S. Basketball Writers Association Ann Meyers Drysdale Women's National Player of the Week and the organization's Tamika Catchings women's freshman player honor, Princeton forward Bella Alarie is national player while Connecticut guard Anna Makurat has been chosen for the freshman citation after each helped their teams go unbeaten for the week of Sunday, Feb. 23.

Brandon Myer of the University of Minnesota Duluth (Duluth, Minn.) and Shannon Ryan of Saint Anselm College (Manchester, N.H.) were named the U.S. Basketball Writers Association Division II National Players of the Week for the week ending February 23.

Nate West of LeTourneau University (Longview, Texas) and Shyla Osmond of Albertus Magnus College (New Haven, Conn.) were named the U.S. Basketball Writers Association Division III National Players of the Week for the week ending February 23.

Brian Halums of the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith (Fort Smith, Ark.) and Hailey Diestelkamp of Drury University (Springfield, Mo.) were named the U.S. Basketball Writers Association Division II National Players of the Week for the week ending February 16.

Isaiah Brown of SUNY Potsdam (Potsdam, N.Y.) and Yuleska Ramirez-Tejeda of Emmanuel College (Boston, Mass.) were named the U.S. Basketball Writers Association Division III National Players of the Week for the week ending February 16.

For the season's 14th U.S. Basketball Writers Association Ann Meyers Drysdale Women's National Player of the Week and the organization's Tamika Catchings women's freshman player honor, Coastal Carolina guard DJ Williams is national player while Columbia guard Abbey Hsu been chosen for the freshman citation after each helped their teams go unbeaten ending the week of Sunday, Feb. 16.

The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has selected Arizona State guard Remy Martin as its Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week for games ending the week of Sunday, Feb. 16.

The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has selected 12 standout players for its 2019-20 Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List. Members of the association's board of directors chose the players that will be considered as contenders for the National Player of the Year.

For the season's 13th U.S. Basketball Writers Association Ann Meyers Drysdale Women's National Player of the Week and the organization's Tamika Catchings women's freshman player honor, Rice guard Erica Ogwumike is national player while South Carolina forward Aliyah Boston for the second time this season has been chosen for the freshman citation after each helped their teams go unbeaten ending the week of Monday, Feb. 10.