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Jan. 6, 2015
For Immediate Release
Contact: Joe Mitch
314-795-6821

Junior guard is now nation's leading scorer

EASTERN WASHINGTON'S HARVEY IS OSCAR
ROBERTSON NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK

ST. LOUIS (USBWA) – The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has selected the Eastern Washington guard Tyler Harvey as its Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week for games ending the week of Sunday, Jan. 4. The USBWA's weekly honor is presented by Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook.

Harvey

As the Big Sky Conference Player of the Week, Harvey 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 sixth season that the USBWA has selected a national player of the week.

Harvey, a 6-4 junior guard from Torrance, Calif., scored a career-high 39 points in Eastern Washington's 84-78 win over defending Big Sky champion and preseason favorite Weber State on Thursday. He connected on 7-of-10 from 3-point range and was 12-of-19 overall from the field. He also made all eight of his free throws. The 39 points were the most by a Big Sky player this season. Harvey scored 16 points with three assists and two rebounds in the Eagles’ 65-57 win over Idaho State on Saturday to average 27.5 points per game last week.

For the week, Harvey shot .526 from 3-point range, .516 overall from the floor, and was 13-of-13 from the free-throw line. Following the 39-point game against Weber State, he moved into the national lead in scoring (23.4). He also leads the nation in 3-point field goals per game (4.6). Harvey has scored in double figures in 26 consecutive games.

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 at the Devon Energy College Basketball Awards on April 14, 2015, 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 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 34th season. 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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