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ST. LOUIS (USBWA) – Marquette's Henry Ellenson
is the Wayman Tisdale National Freshman of the Week
for games ending the week of Jan. 31. Ellenson was selected by
CBSSports.com's Matt Norlander, in partnership with the U.S.
Basketball Writers Association.
Norlander's popular weekly freshman watch column will continue
to feature nation's the top freshmen each week in addition to the
national player of the week. Later in the season, the USBWA will
release a midseason watch list before naming finalists for the award.
This season marks the first time a weekly national freshman of the
week will be selected and, each Tuesday through Feb. 23, a standout
first-year player will be chosen for the honor.
Norlander writes of the Rice Lake, Wis., product: "Ellenson's
been tabbed as the Big East Newcomer of the Week four times this
season. Last week, he averaged 13.5 points, 12.0 rebounds and
4.0 blocks. Marquette lost 57-56 at home vs. DePaul, then went
on the road to defeat St. John's 78-73. The SJU game was where
Ellenson really went off, scoring 16 points and grabbing 18
boards. The 18 rebounds set a Marquette record in conference
play. He's at 11 double-doubles for the year.
Marquette is still fighting to be a player in the Big East
this season, but if you haven't yet seen Ellenson play, change
that immediately. He's got this game that's a great blend of
old-school styles with modern adaptability. He can step out and
shoot. He's tough to guard, yet can also defend pretty well
against four of the five positions.
The Integris Wayman Tisdale Award is to be presented to the national
freshman of the year at the College Basketball
Awards on April 11, 2016, at the National Cowboy and Western
Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. The Oscar Robertson Trophy
and the Henry Iba Coach of the Year Award
will also be presented at the gala to be held annually following the NCAA Men's Final Four.
 The
USBWA has chosen a national freshman of the year since the 1988-89
season when LSU's Chris Jackson was the recipient. Last season,
Duke's Jabari Parker became the fourth winner of the Wayman
Tisdale Award. Other notable previous winners of the national freshman
of the year award include Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony,
Jason Kidd and Chris Webber.
The Tisdale Award winner will receive a statuette designed by
nationally-recognized sculptor Shan Gray.
The late Wayman Tisdale was a three-time USBWA All-American
at the University of Oklahoma. Following a stint on the 1984 U.S.
Olympic basketball team, he played 12 seasons in the NBA before
retiring in 1997 to focus on a blossoming jazz music career. In
March 2007, he was diagnosed with cancer and, following a courageous
and difficult battle that included the amputation of his right leg
in 2008, he passed away in May 2009.
The Integris Wayman Tisdale Freshman of the Year Award
is produced by Access Sports, an Oklahoma City-based 501(c)(3) not-for-profit
foundation responsible for creating the Wayman Tisdale Freshman
of the Year Award. Access Sports produces all events associated
with the award, including the annual awards dinner. Proceeds from
the activities affiliated with the award are used to support various
worthy charitable causes, including providing opportunities for
disadvantaged youth to participate in basketball leagues, clinics,
and training throughout the state. In addition, Access Sports supports
the Wayman L. Tisdale Foundation which helps fund prosthetics for
those who cannot afford the cost on their own and may not be covered
by insurance.
Tickets and sponsorship information for the College Basketball Awards are available at
collegebasketballawards.com or by contacting Scott Hill (405-640-0406,
scott.hill@access-sports.net).
The U.S. Basketball Writers Association was formed in
1956 at the urging of then-NCAA Executive Director Walter Byers.
With more than 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 links:
•
Matt Norlander's Wayman Tisdale Award Watch (Jan. 26)
•
Integris Wayman Tisdale
Award
2015-16 Wayman Tisdale National Freshmen of the Week
• Week ending Dec. 13: Henry Ellenson, Marquette (Big East Conference)
• Week ending Dec. 20: Dwayne Bacon, Florida State (Atlantic Coast Conference)
• Week ending Dec. 27: Edmond Sumner, Xavier (Big East Conference)
• Week ending Jan. 3: Diamond Stone, Maryland (Big Ten Conference)
• Week ending Jan. 10: Brandon Ingram, Duke (Atlantic Coast Conference)
• Week ending Jan. 17: Jawun Evans, Oklahoma State (Big 12 Conference)
• Week ending Jan. 24: Henry Ellenson, Marquette (Big East Conference)
• Week ending Jan. 31: Matt Morgan, Cornell (Ivy League)
• Week ending Feb. 7: Ben Simmons, LSU (Southeastern Conference)
• Week ending Feb. 14: Nick Emery, BYU (West Coast Conference)
• Week ending Feb. 21: Marcus Evans, Rice (Conference USA)
Related Link:
• Integris Wayman Tisdale Award (from integrisok.com)
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