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ST. LOUIS (USBWA) – The U.S. Basketball Writers Association
has selected Bucknell forward/center Mike Muscala as its
Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week for games ending
the week of Sunday, Jan. 16. The USBWA's weekly honor is presented
by Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook and will be handed
out each Tuesday through Feb. 22 this season.
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| Muscala |
As the Patriot League Player of the Week, Muscala 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. This is the second straight week that a player from
the Patriot League has won the award.
Muscala, a 6-11 sophomore from Roseville, Minn., led the Bison
to two victories last week, averaging 28.0 points, 11.5 rebounds
and 4.0 blocked shots in wins over American and Holy Cross. At week's
end, Bucknell had won six straight and 10 of its last 11.
Muscala's week culminated with his tie-breaking shot with 1.4
seconds left in Bucknell's 74-72 win over Holy Cross on Sunday.
Muscala finished the day with 23 points, a career-high 13 rebounds,
three assists and three blocks. Last Wednesday at American, Muscala
scored a career-high 33 points (23 in the second half) to go with
10 rebounds and five blocks. He became just the second player in
program history to record at least 30 points, 10 rebounds and five
blocks in a game.
This is the second 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 2011 Oscar Robertson Trophy will be announced
and presented by its namesake, Oscar Robertson, at the USBWA's annual
awards breakfast on Fri., April 1 in Houston, site of the 2011 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
314-444-4300.
Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook, the most comprehensive
college basketball publication in the world, returns for its 30th
season, bigger and better in 2010-11. 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.
2010-11 Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week
• Week of Dec. 5: Mike Glover, Iona
• Week of Dec. 12: Jimmer Fredette, BYU
• Week of Dec. 19: Khris Middleton, Texas A&M
• Week of Dec. 26: Doron Lamb, Kentucky
• Week of Jan. 2: Demetri McCamey, Illinois
• Week of Jan. 9: Vlad Moldoveanu, American
• Week of Jan. 16: Mike Muscala, Bucknell
• Week of Jan. 23: Jordan Hamilton, Texas
• Week of Jan. 30: Kenneth Faried, Morehead State
• Week of Feb. 6: Chandler Parsons, Florida
• Week of Feb. 13: Nolan Smith, Duke
• Week of Feb. 20: Jacob Pullen, Kansas State
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