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ST. LOUIS (USBWA) – Oklahoma's Buddy Hield and
Michigan State's Denzel Valentine, who have emerged as the two leading
candidates to win the U.S. Basketball Writers Association's Oscar
Robertson Trophy for national player of the year, headline the
2015-16 USBWA Men's All-America Team.
Hield and Valentine earlier were named District Players of the
Year by the USBWA, Valentine in District V and Hield in District
VI.
The USBWA will announce its Oscar Robertson Trophy winner
as the national player
of the year at the NCAA Men's Final Four in Houston at a press conference
on Fri., April 1.
Hield and Valentine are joined on the USBWA's All-America first
team by Malcolm Brogdon of Virginia, Brice Johnson of North Carolina
and Ben Simmons of LSU. Brogdon edged out Johnson as the District
III Player of the Year, while Simmons earned the Player of the Year
honor in District VII.
The first team boasts four seniors, in addition to Simmons, a
freshman. The last time as many as four seniors appeared on a
USBWA All-America First Team was the 2005-06 season.
Named to the USBWA's second team are Kris Dunn of Providence;
Georges Niang of Iowa State; Jakob Poeltl of Utah;
Tyler Ulis of
Kentucky; and Jarrod Uthoff of Iowa.
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2015-16 USBWA MEN'S ALL-AMERICA TEAM |
| Pos. |
First Team |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
Hometown |
| G |
Malcolm Brogdon,
Virginia |
6-5 |
215 |
Sr. |
Atlanta, Ga. |
|
Second-team selection last season; first two-time
All-America from Virginia since Ralph Sampson |
| G |
Buddy Hield,
Oklahoma |
6-4 |
214 |
Sr. |
Freeport, Bahamas |
| First
first-team selection from Oklahoma since 2009 (Blake
Griffin) |
| F |
Brice Johnson,
North Carolina |
6-10 |
230 |
Sr. |
Orangeburg, S.C. |
| First
first-team selection from North Carolina since 2009
(Tyler Hansbrough) |
| F |
Ben Simmons,
LSU |
6-10 |
240 |
Fr. |
Melbourne, Australia |
| First
first-team selection from LSU since 1992 (Shaquille
O'Neal) |
| G |
Denzel Valentine,
Michigan State |
6-5 |
220 |
Sr. |
Lansing, Mich. |
| First
first-team selection from Michigan State since 2012
(Draymond Green) |
| Pos. |
Second Team |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
Hometown |
| G |
Kris Dunn,
Providence |
6-4 |
220 |
Jr. |
New London, Conn. |
| First
selection from Providence since 2004 (Ryan Gomes) |
| F |
Georges Niang,
Iowa State |
6-8 |
230 |
Sr. |
Methuen, Mass. |
| Fifth
Iowa State player to be named USBWA All-America |
| F |
Jakob Poeltl,
Utah |
7-0 |
248 |
So. |
Vienna, Austria |
| Second
straight season Utah has had a second-team selection
(Delon Wright) |
| G |
Tyler Ulis,
Kentucky |
5-9 |
160 |
So. |
Chicago, Ill. |
| Sixth
All-America selection from Kentucky since 2010 |
| F |
Jarrod Uthoff,
Iowa |
6-9 |
221 |
Sr. |
Cedar Rapids, Iowa |
| First-ever USBWA All-America selection from Iowa |
Hield, a 6-4 guard from Freeport, Bahamas, has been among the nation's
scoring leaders all season, finishing the regular season second
in the country with a 25.1 average. He was a major threat for Oklahoma
from 3-point range, connecting on 47.3 percent of his shots. His
124 3-point baskets were the most in the nation.
Valentine is on pace to become the first player to average 19
points, seven rebounds and seven assists since assists were recognized
as an official statistic by the NCAA in 1983-84. The 6-5 guard
from Lansing, Mich., led the Big Ten in overall scoring with a 19.6 average
and assists with a 7.5 mark for the Spartans.
Brogdon, a 6-5 guard from Atlanta and a second-team USBWA
All-American a season ago, was named player of the year and defensive
player of the year by the Atlantic Coast Conference. He led Virginia
in scoring with a career-high 18.4 points per game and headlined
the Cavaliers' third-ranked defense nationally, which yielded 59.6
points per game.
North Carolina's Johnson was a unanimous selection to the ACC's
first team and runner-up to Brogdon for conference player of the
year. Johnson, a 6-10 forward from Orangeburg, S.C., led the ACC in rebounding (10.8),
field goal percentage (.606) and double-doubles (19).
Simmons, a 6-10 forward from Melbourne, Australia, leads
all Division I freshmen with 11.9 rebounds per game and was third
among all freshmen in scoring with a 19.6 average. He is trying
to become the first player in the last 20 years to average at least
15 points, 10 rebounds and five assists per game.
The USBWA All-America teams are voted on by members of the USBWA,
which is comprised of over 900 sportswriters and sports journalists
who cover college basketball for newspapers, magazines and websites.
The Oscar Robertson Trophy will officially be presented to the
player of the year at the College Basketball Awards gala and dinner
in Oklahoma City on Monday, April 11. The trophy is named after
the legendary "Big O," a three-time national player of the year
and All-American at the University of Cincinnati.
Other USBWA awards to be presented at the gala are the Henry
Iba Award for coach of the year to Xavier's Chris Mack; the Integris
Wayman Tisdale Award to the freshman of the year; and the Wayman
Tisdale Humanitarian Award presented by Love's Truck Stops to former
Missouri coach Norm Stewart.
Serving as the host for the gala is Access Sports, a non-profit,
Oklahoma City-based organization involved in various charitable
activities to help disadvantaged children in Oklahoma participate
in sports.
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 award programs, contact executive director Joe Mitch at
314-795-6821.
Related link:
•
USBWA All-America Team
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