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ST. LOUIS (USBWA) – The U.S. Basketball Writers Association
has selected Texas forward Damion James as its Oscar Robertson
National Player of the Week for games ending the week of Sunday,
Jan. 17. The USBWA's weekly honor is presented by Blue Ribbon
College Basketball Yearbook and will be handed out each Tuesday
through Feb. 23 this season.
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| James |
As the Big 12 Conference Player of the Week, James 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.
James, a 6-7 senior from Nacogdoches, Texas, had a game-high
26 points along with 12 rebounds and three blocks in 40 minutes during Saturday's
victory against Texas A&M. He scored 23 of his 26 points after halftime,
including seven in overtime. His three-pointer with 58 seconds left
gave Texas the lead for good and he sealed the win with a block
of a B.J. Holmes three-point attempt with seven seconds left in
overtime.
Earlier in the week, James recorded 23 points, 14 rebounds and
two blocks during a 90-83 win at Iowa State on Wednesday. For the
week, he averaged 25.5 points and 13.0 rebounds. He leads the Longhorns
in scoring (17.8) and rebounding (11.2) and became the Big 12 Conference's
all-time career rebounding leader in the victory at Iowa State.
This is the first season that the USBWA has selected a national
player of the week. The weekly Oscar Robertson National Player of
the Week is added to the Oscar Robertson Trophy watch list, which
will be released at mid-season.
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 of the
USBWA. The winner of the 2010 Oscar Robertson Trophy will be announced
and presented by its namesake, Oscar Robertson, at the USBWA's annual
awards breakfast on Fri., April 2 in Indianapolis, site of the 2010
NCAA Men's Final Four.
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 Joe Mitch
at 314-421-0339.
Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook, the most comprehensive
college basketball publication in the world, returns for its 29th
season, bigger and better in 2009-10. Blue Ribbon – long-known as
"The Bible of College Basketball" – gives its readers the most thorough,
up-to-date and timely evaluations of every Division I team in the
country. For more information about Blue Ribbon Yearbooks, visit
blueribbonyearbookonline.com.
2009-10 Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week
• Week of Dec. 13: Gordon Hayward, Butler
• Week of Dec. 20: Jon Scheyer, Duke
• Week of Dec. 27: Devin Ebanks, West Virginia
• Week of Jan. 3: Jimmer Fredette, BYU
• Week of Jan. 10: Luke Harangody, Notre Dame
• Week of Jan. 17: Damion James, Texas
• Week of Jan. 24: Adrian Oliver, San Jose State
• Week of Jan. 31: Devan Downey, South Carolina
• Week of Feb. 7: Denis Clemente, Kansas State
• Week of Feb. 14: Jerome Randle, California
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