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Jan. 20, 2015
For Immediate Release
Contact: Joe Mitch
314-795-6821

Junior forward hits two career milestones

GARDNER-WEBB'S HILL IS OSCAR
ROBERTSON NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK

ST. LOUIS (USBWA) – The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has selected Gardner-Webb forward Jerome Hill as its Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week for games ending the week of Sunday, Jan. 18. The USBWA's weekly honor is presented by Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook.

Hill

As the Big South Conference Player of the Week, Hill 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.

Hill, a 6-5 junior forward from Adel, Ga., averaged 25.5 points and 13.0 rebounds per game while recording his eighth and ninth double-doubles of the season.

Hill opened the week with 20 points and a game-high 16 rebounds in an 84-72 loss to High Point, connecting on 6-of-11 from the floor and 8-of-10 at the free throw line. He followed with one of his best offensive performances of the season on Saturday, registering game-highs of 31 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Runnin' Bulldogs to an 82-67 win at league-leading Coastal Carolina. With the effort, Hill became the third player in the program's Division I era to record both 1,000 points and 600 rebounds in his career, surpassing both marks just over a minute apart.

For the week, Hill shot 17-of-33 (51.5 percent) from the floor and 17-of-20 (85.0 percent) at the free throw line. He currently leads the team in both scoring (19.1) and rebounding (9.6), and leads the nation in free throw attempts. Hill is also ranked ninth in free throws made and 11th in both total points and total rebounds.

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 announced 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 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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