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ST. LOUIS (USBWA) – Three backcourt mates from Illinois
and teammates from both Duke and North Carolina headline the list
of 16 finalists for the 2005 Oscar Robertson Trophy, the
player of the year award presented by the U.S. Basketball Writers
Association.
 The
three-guard combination of Dee Brown, Luther Head
and Deron Williams has led Illinois to the top of the national
rankings and a Big Ten title. Duke's J.J. Redick and Shelden
Williams helped the Blue Devils to a 15-0 start and a their
ninth straight season of double-digit wins in ACC play. And,
Sean May and Rashad McCants of North Carolina have paced
the Tar Heels to their most wins and best conference record since
2000-01.
Nine more players have been selected as finalists for the award
that has been presented since the 1958-59 season. Following is the
complete list of 2005 Oscar Robertson Trophy finalists:
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2005 OSCAR ROBERTSON TROPHY FINALISTS |
| Player,
School |
Pos. |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Cl. |
Hometown |
| Andrew Bogut,
Utah |
C/F |
7-0 |
240 |
So. |
Melbourne,
Australia |
| Dee Brown,
Illinois |
G |
6-0 |
185 |
Jr. |
Maywood,
Ill. |
| Travis Diener,
Marquette |
G |
6-1 |
175 |
Sr. |
Fond du Lac,
Wis. |
| Ike Diogu,
Arizona St. |
F/C |
6-8 |
250 |
Jr. |
Garland,
Texas |
| Francisco
Garcia, Louisville |
F |
6-7 |
190 |
Jr. |
The Bronx,
N.Y. |
| Joey Graham,
Oklahoma St. |
F |
6-7 |
225 |
Sr. |
Brandon,
Fla. |
| Luther Head,
Illinois |
G |
6-3 |
185 |
Sr. |
Chicago,
Ill. |
| Sean May,
N. Carolina |
F/C |
6-9 |
266 |
Jr. |
Bloomington,
Ind. |
| Rashad McCants,
N. Carolina |
F/G |
6-4 |
207 |
Jr. |
Asheville,
N.C. |
| Chris Paul,
Wake Forest |
G |
6-0 |
175 |
So. |
Lewisville,
N.C. |
| J.J. Redick,
Duke |
G |
6-4 |
190 |
Jr. |
Roanoke,
Va. |
| Wayne Simien,
Kansas |
F |
6-9 |
255 |
Sr. |
Leavenworth,
Kan. |
| Salim Stoudamire,
Arizona |
G |
6-1 |
179 |
Sr. |
Portland,
Ore. |
| Hakim Warrick,
Syracuse |
F |
6-8 |
219 |
Sr. |
Wynnewood,
Pa. |
| Deron Williams,
Illinois |
G |
6-3 |
210 |
Jr. |
The Colony,
Texas |
| Shelden Williams,
Duke |
F |
6-9 |
250 |
Jr. |
Forest Park,
Okla. |
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The winner will be selected by a vote of the USBWA membership
and announced at a breakfast ceremony on Fri., April 1 at the Missouri
Athletic Club in downtown St. Louis.
World-renowned sculptor Harry Weber, who sculpted several St.
Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame bronze statues at Busch Stadium, has
been commissioned to produce an 18-inch bronze sculpture of Oscar
Robertson in his famous spread-eagle pose while jumping in the air
to rebound a basketball. A replica of the statue will be awarded
to the player of the year at the breakfast.
This year's breakfast will also be the first of a yearly event
to present the player of the year trophy during the NCAA Final Four
in the host city where the national championship tournament is held.
In addition to the Oscar Robertson Trophy, the Henry Iba Award
will be presented to the national college coach of the year. The
Iba Award is named after legendary Oklahoma A&M and U.S. Olympic
team coach Henry who led A&M to back-to-back national championships
in 1945 and '46.
Tickets for the breakfast, scheduled to start at 8 a.m., are
$65 each and are available at the MAC (314-231-7220) and DeSmet
High School (314-567-3500).
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.
Related links:
• Oscar Robertson Trophy
• Missouri
Athletic Club
• Oscar Robertson
official site (www.thebigo.com)
• National Kidney
Foundation
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