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ST. LOUIS (USBWA) – The U.S. Basketball Writers Association
has selected 32 outstanding players for its 2017-18 Oscar Robertson
Trophy Preseason Watch List. Members of the association's
board of directors chose the players to be included on the list
as contenders for the Oscar Robertson Trophy.
 The
award is to be presented to the national player of the year by its
namesake at the NCAA Final Four in San Antonio.
The Atlantic Coast Conference has eight players on the list to
lead all conferences, led by preseason ACC Player of the Year
Bonzie Colson of Notre Dame. Duke senior
Grayson Allen and three prized Blue Devil freshmen
give the nation's preseason No. 1 team a national-best four players
on the list. Colson and Allen are among 11 seniors tabbed by the
USBWA as a national player of the year candidate.
Nine other conference preseason players of the year made the
USBWA list, including seniors Devonté Graham
of Kansas and Yante Maten of Georgia, one of three
co-players of the year from the SEC.
In addition to Duke's three first-year standouts, six other freshmen
were tabbed by the USBWA as candidates for the Oscar Robertson Trophy,
including Missouri's Michael Porter Jr., also among
the SEC's preseason co-players of the year.
The nation's leading returning scorer, junior Mike Daum
of South Dakota State (25.1 points per game a year ago) and Seton
Hall senior Angel Delgado, who led the nation with
13.1 rebounds per game last season, are among the 32 preseason candidates.
Arizona (Deandre Ayton and Allonzo Trier)
and Kentucky (Hamidou Diallo and Kevin
Knox) also boast teammates named to the watch list as the
SEC had seven players and the Pac-12 had four given mention. Fifteen
of the 32 players are listed as forwards, with 14 guards and three
centers making the list. Four selections are international players.
Following is the complete watch list:
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2017-18 OSCAR ROBERTSON TROPHY PRESEASON WATCH LIST (32) |
| Pos. |
Player, School |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
Hometown |
| G |
Jaylen Adams,
St. Bonaventure |
6-2 |
190 |
Sr. |
Baltimore, Md. |
| F |
Deng Adel,
Louisville |
6-7 |
200 |
Jr. |
Melbourne, Australia |
| G |
Grayson Allen,
Duke |
6-5 |
205 |
Sr. |
Jacksonville, Fla. |
| G |
KeVaughn Allen,
Florida |
6-2 |
193 |
Jr. |
Little Rock, Ark. |
| F |
Deandre Ayton,
Arizona |
7-1 |
250 |
Fr. |
Nassau, Bahamas |
| F |
Marvin Bagley
III, Duke |
6-11 |
234 |
Fr. |
Phoenix, Ariz. |
| C |
Mohamed Bamba,
Texas |
6-11 |
225 |
Fr. |
New York, N.Y. |
| G |
Joel Berry II,
North Carolina |
6-0 |
195 |
Sr. |
Apopka, Fla. |
| G |
Trevon Bluiett,
Xavier |
6-6 |
198 |
Sr. |
Indianapolis, Ind. |
| F |
Miles Bridges,
Michigan State |
6-7 |
225 |
So. |
Flint, Mich. |
| G |
Bruce Brown Jr.,
Miami |
6-5 |
190 |
So. |
Boston, Mass. |
| G |
Jalen Brunson,
Villanova |
6-3 |
190 |
Jr. |
Lincolnshire, Ill. |
| G |
Jevon Carter,
West Virginia |
6-2 |
205 |
Sr. |
Maywood, Ill. |
| F |
Wendell Carter
Jr., Duke |
6-10 |
259 |
Fr. |
Atlanta, Ga. |
| F |
Gary Clark,
Cincinnati |
6-8 |
225 |
Sr. |
Clayton, N.C. |
| F |
Bonzie Colson,
Notre Dame |
6-6 |
224 |
Sr. |
New Bedford, Mass. |
| F |
Mike Daum,
South Dakota State |
6-9 |
150 |
Jr. |
Kimball, Neb. |
| C |
Angel Delgado,
Seton Hall |
6-10 |
245 |
Sr. |
Bajos de Haina, D.R. |
| G |
Hamidou Diallo,
Kentucky |
6-5 |
198 |
Fr. |
Queens, N.Y. |
| G |
Trevon Duval,
Duke |
6-3 |
186 |
Fr. |
New Castle, Del. |
| G |
Devonté
Graham, Kansas |
6-2 |
185 |
Sr. |
Raleigh, N.C. |
| C |
Ethan Happ,
Wisconsin |
6-10 |
235 |
Jr. |
Milan, Ill. |
| F |
Kevin Knox,
Kentucky |
6-9 |
215 |
Fr. |
Tampa, Fla. |
| C |
Jock Landale,
Saint Mary's |
6-11 |
255 |
Sr. |
Malvern East, Australia |
| F |
Yante Maten,
Georgia |
6-8 |
240 |
Sr. |
Pontiac, Mich. |
| F |
Chimezie Metu,
USC |
6-11 |
225 |
Jr. |
Lawndale, Calif. |
| F |
Michael Porter
Jr., Missouri |
6-10 |
215 |
Fr. |
Columbia, Mo. |
| G |
Collin Sexton,
Alabama |
6-3 |
190 |
Fr. |
Mableton, Ga. |
| G |
Landry Shamet,
Wichita State |
6-4 |
180 |
So. |
Kansas City, Mo. |
| F |
Reid Travis,
Stanford |
6-8 |
245 |
Jr. |
Minneapolis, Minn. |
| G |
Allonzo Trier,
Arizona |
6-5 |
205 |
Jr. |
Seattle, Wash. |
| F |
Robert Williams,
Texas A&M |
6-10 |
241 |
So. |
Oil City, La. |
| By conference:
ACC 8, SEC 7, Pac-12 4, Big 12 3, Big East 3,
American Athletic 2, Big Ten 2, Atlantic-10 1, Summit
League 1, West Coast 1. |
| By position:
Forwards 15, Guards 14, Centers 3. |
| By class:
Seniors 11, Juniors 8, Sophomores 4, Freshmen 9. |
While these standout players are the initial contenders for the
Oscar Robertson Trophy, all NCAA Division I players are eligible
for postseason honors from the USBWA. For the ninth straight season,
the USBWA will present an Oscar Robertson National Player of the
Week each Tuesday beginning Dec. 12.
In mid-March, the USBWA will announce its 2017-18 All-America
Team and, at that time, finalists will also be chosen for the player
of the year. Once finalists are announced, the entire USBWA membership
will vote for the winner of the Oscar Robertson Trophy.
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 player of the year
award and the only one named after a former player.
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 the Oscar Robertson Trophy, contact executive director Joe Mitch
at 314-795-6821.
Related links:
•
Oscar Robertson Trophy
•
USBWA logos
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