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Dec. 18, 2018
For Immediate Release
Contact: Joe Mitch
314-795-6821

Guard averages 19.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg and 4.5 apg in two wins

BOSTON COLLEGE'S TABBS NAMED
WAYMAN TISDALE FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK

ST. LOUIS (USBWA) – Boston College guard Wynston Tabbs is the Wayman Tisdale National Freshman of the Week for games ending the week of Dec. 16. Barrett 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. 26, a standout first-year player will be chosen for the honor.

Tabbs had already earned a spot in the Eagles' starting lineup but may have cemented his spot following a week where he averaged 19.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists in a pair of wins over Columbia and Fairfield. Against Columbia, the 6-foot-2, 193-pound guard hit 8-of-13 shots from the field and scored 14 of his 19 points in the second half. He had a 20-point performance against Fairfield boosted by hitting 3-of-6 three-pointers to go with a season-high six assists and five rebounds along with a steal and a block.

Tabbs is currently the only freshman in America averaging at least 15.8 points and 4.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists and 1.1 steals per game.

"He's been a standout for the Eagles, who are trying to improve after losing lottery pick Jerome Robinson in the offseason," Norland writes in this week's column. "It's obviously very early in Tabbs' career, but if he winds up eing a four-year guy for the Eagles, he could well blossom into a top-10 player in the ACC by te end of his junior season."

Boston College notes that Tabbs is shooting 52.3 percent from the field (42.3 from 3) and 84.6 from the foul line in his last five games.

"Coach tells me to play basketball 'the right way,'" Tabbs said. "If that means I have to pass up a shot I want to take for a better shot, then I have to do it. I just want to win. That was my main goal this week."

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, Oklahoma's Trae Young became the fifth 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 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 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.

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