ST. LOUIS (USBWA) – The U.S. States Basketball Writers Association has named its freshman of the year award after former University of Oklahoma great Wayman Tisdale.

The USBWA will present the award at the NCAA Final Four each year in conjunction with a breakfast honoring the association's Oscar Robertson Player of the Year Trophy and Henry Iba Coach of the Year Award.

Tisdale was the first freshman to receive All-America honors from the USBWA in 1983 when he averaged 24.5 points, 10.3 rebounds and shot 58 percent from the field.

He went on to become a three-time All-American at Oklahoma, was a member of the USA Olympic gold medal team in 1984 and played 12 seasons in the NBA where he averaged 15.3 points and 6.1 rebounds.

Tisdale died of complications from cancer in 2009 at the age of 44.

The USBWA has formed a partnership with Access Sports, a non-profit group in Oklahoma City that will use the award for fund-raising projects to support local charities and the Wayman Tisdale Charitable Foundation.

In addition to the NCAA Final Four, the Tisdale Award winner will also be honored at the annual Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame gala each May in Oklahoma City.

"We are pleased to partner with Access Sports to honor the memory of Wayman Tisdale," said Bryan Burwell, USBWA president and sports columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

"It's an appropriate honor, recognizing one of the truly great basketball players of our time and the first freshman to be selected as an All-American."

Past recipients of the USBWA's freshman of the year award include Kentucky's John Wall last year, Michael Beasley of Kansas State, Tyler Hansbrough of North Carolina, Carmelo Anthony of Syracuse, Jason Kidd of California and Chris Webber of Michigan.

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 its member and award programs, contact executive director Joe Mitch at 314-421-0339.