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ST. LOUIS (USBWA) – The U.S. Basketball Writers Association
has selected Illinois guard Brandon Paul as its Oscar
Robertson National Player of the Week for games ending the week
of Sunday, Dec. 9. The USBWA's weekly honor is presented by
Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook and will be handed out
each Tuesday through Feb. 19 this season.
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As the Big Ten Conference Player of the Week, Paul 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.
Paul, a 6-4 senior from Gurnee, Ill., averaged 24.5 points,
3.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.5 blocks in two
games. Paul exploded for a season-high 35 points in an 85-74 win
at No. 10 Gonzaga last Saturday, hitting 10-16 from the field,
including 5-9 from three-point range, and 10-11 from the free
throw line. He also added four rebounds, three assists, three
steals and two blocks as the Illini defeated a non-conference,
top-10 opponent on the road for the first time since 1986. Paul
also scored 14 points in a 72-64 win over Western Carolina last
Tuesday.
This is the fourth season that the USBWA has selected a national
player of the week. The weekly Oscar Robertson National Player of
the Week will be considered for 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. The winner of the
Oscar Robertson Trophy presented by Aflac will be presented by its namesake, Oscar Robertson,
at the Devon Energy College Basketball Awards
on April 15, 2013, at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage
Museum in Oklahoma City. The Henry Iba Coach of the Year
Award and the Integris Wayman Tisdale Freshman
of the Year Award will also be presented at the gala to
be held annually the Monday following the 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 314-795-6821.
Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook, the most comprehensive
college basketball publication in the world, returns for its 32nd
season, bigger and better in 2012-13. 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.
2012-13 Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week
• Week of Dec. 9: Brandon Paul, Illinois (Big Ten Conference)
• Week of Dec. 16: Doug McDermott, Creighton (Missouri Valley Conference)
• Week of Dec. 23: Victor Rudd, South Florida (Big East Conference)
• Week of Dec. 30: Shabazz Muhammad, UCLA (Pac-12 Conference)
• Week of Jan. 6: Trey Burke, Michigan (Big Ten Conference)
• Week of Jan. 13: Elston Turner, Texas A&M (Southeastern Conference)
• Week of Jan. 20: Roosevelt Jones, Butler (Atlantic 10 Conference)
• Week of Jan. 27: Darrun Hilliard, Villanova (Big East Conference)
• Week of Feb. 3: Shane Larkin, Miami (Atlantic Coast Conference)
• Week of Feb. 10: Mason Plumlee, Duke (Atlantic Coast Conference)
• Week of Feb. 17: Michael Lyons, Air Force (Mountain West Conference)
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