USBWA > News > Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week

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Jan. 7, 2014
For Immediate Release
Contact: Joe Mitch
314-795-6821

Announcement made on SiriusXM's "Inside College Basketball"

COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON'S HALL IS OSCAR
ROBERTSON NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK

ST. LOUIS (USBWA) – The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has selected the College of Charleston forward Willis Hall as its Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week for games ending the week of Sunday, Jan. 5. The USBWA's weekly honor is presented by Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook and is announced exclusively on SiriusXM Radio's "Inside College Basketball."

Hall

As the Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Week, Hall 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.

Hall, a 6-6 senior from Charlotte, N.C., led the Cougars to a 2-0 week with back-to-back double-doubles. He recorded a career-best 26 points and 21 rebounds in the Cougars' win at defending Southern Conference champion Davidson on Jan. 1. It is the first known 20/20 double-double outing by a CofC player in the program’s Division I history. His 21 rebounds is also tied as the seventh-most in a single game in school history. Hall followed that up by registerinh a double-double by the first half with 18 points and a game-high 17 rebounds vs. Howard in the team's final non-conference tune-up on Jan. 4.

For the week, he averaged 22.0 points and 19.0 rebounds per game whule shooting 61.5 percent from the field (16-of-26) and 76.9 percent from the free throw line (10-for-13).

This is the fifth 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 will be presented by its namesake, Oscar Robertson, at the Devon Energy College Basketball Awards on April 14 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 33rd season, bigger and better in 2013-14. 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.

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