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ST. LOUIS (USBWA) – A pair of freshmen are among the USBWA's
six finalists for the Oscar Robertson Trophy, given to the
nation's player of the year.
 Freshmen
Kevin Durant of Texas and Greg Oden of Ohio State
are among a group that includes Wisconsin senior forward Alando
Tucker, UCLA junior guard Arron Afflalo, Florida junior
forward Joakim Noah and North Carolina sophomore forward
Tyler Hansbrough.
Afflalo, a 6-foot-5 guard, is second in the Pacific-10 with 17.5
points per game as has scored in double figures in 27 straight contests.
Durant, a 6-foot-9 swingman, is fifth in the nation in scoring
(24.7) and fourth in rebounding (11.3). Among his highlights are
a 37-point performance in a double-overtime loss to Oklahoma State
and a 37-point, 23-rebound game against Texas Tech. He has 17 double-doubles
and seven 30-point games this season.
Hansbrough, the 2006 USBWA Freshman of the Year, is third in
the ACC in scoring (18.7) and has averaged 7.6 rebounds per game.
The 6-9 sophomore is shooting 53.0 percent from the field.
Noah, who helped lead the Gators to a national title a year ago,
is averaging 12.0 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. while shooting
61.6 percent from the field.
The 7-foot Oden, who averages 15.3 points and 9.5 rebounds, has
led the Buckeyes to a No. 1 ranking despite wrist surgery that delayed
his debut until Dec. 12. He leads the Big Ten in rebounding, field
goal percentage (60.9) and blocks (3.5).
Tucker, who averages 19.9 points (2nd in the Big Ten) and 5.4
rebounds, has been the best player on one of the nation's best teams.
The Badgers have set a school record with 26 wins with the 6-6 forward
leading the way.
Following is the complete list of 2007 Oscar Robertson Trophy
finalists:
| 2007 OSCAR
ROBERTSON TROPHY FINALISTS |
| Player, School |
Pos. |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Cl. |
Hometown |
| Arron Afflalo, UCLA |
G |
6-5 |
215 |
Jr. |
Compton, Calif. |
| Kevin Durant, Texas |
G/F |
6-9 |
225 |
Fr. |
Suitland, Md. |
| Tyler Hansbrough, North
Carolina |
F |
6-9 |
245 |
So. |
Poplar Bluff, Mo. |
| Joakim Noah, Florida |
F |
6-11 |
230 |
Jr. |
New York, N.Y. |
| Greg Oden, Ohio State |
C |
7-0 |
280 |
Fr. |
Indianapolis. Ind. |
| Alando Tucker, Wisconsin |
F |
6-6 |
205 |
Sr. |
Lockport, Ill. |
The Oscar Robertson Trophy, named after whom many consider the
greatest college basketball player ever, is selected in voting by
members of the USBWA. Established in 1959, it is the nation's oldest
college basketball player of the year award. The USBWA named the
award for Robertson in 1998.
Robertson was a three-time player of the year from 1958-60 at
the University of Cincinnati and was the first player in NCAA history
to lead the nation in scoring for three straight seasons.
In 2005, world-renowned St. Louis sculptor Harry Weber was commissioned
to produce an 18-inch bronze sculpture of Oscar Robertson in his
famous spread-eagle pose.
A replica of the statue will be awarded to the player of the
year at the USBWA's annual awards breakfast at Philips Arena in
Atlanta on Friday, March 30.
The Henry Iba Award will also be presented to the national
college coach of the year at the breakfast. The Iba Award is named
after legendary Oklahoma A&M and U.S. Olympic team coach Henry Iba,
who led A&M to back-to-back national championships in 1945 and '46.
A portion of the proceeds from the breakfast 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
• Oscar Robertson
official site (www.thebigo.com)
• National Kidney
Foundation
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