ST. LOUIS (USBWA) – The U.S. Basketball Writers Association will honor the nation's top men's and women's players and coaches at the College Basketball Awards Dinner, hosted by the Missouri Athletic Club on April 13 in St. Louis.

The USBWA will present the Oscar Robertson Trophy to the men's player of the year; the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award to the women's player of the year; the Henry Iba Award to the men's coach of the year; the Wayman Tisdale Award to the men's freshman of the year; the Tamika Catchings Award to the women's freshman of the year; and the women's coach of the year award.

“The Missouri Athletic Club was the first to host this celebration of college basketball in 2005,” said USBWA Executive Director Malcolm Moran. “We are excited to be in a partnership with the MAC and look forward to sharing this occasion with them.”

The USBWA will present awards for the women's freshman of the year and the women's coach of the year for the first time to go with the women's player of the year award and the three men's awards for player, coach and freshman of the year. This will be the third straight year the MAC has hosted the CBA Dinner.

“We appreciate our partnership with the USBWA and look forward to continuing to host the College Basketball Awards,” MAC President Kevin Cantwell said. “Having the opportunity to recognize the accomplishments of the best in college basketball fits perfectly with the MAC's tradition of celebrating athletic excellence.”

The Oscar Robertson Trophy honors arguably the greatest player in college basketball history. It is the only men's college basketball player of the year award named after a player. The Henry Iba Award recognizes the legendary Oklahoma A&M coach who won two national championships and two gold medals and one silver in the Olympics. Tisdale is the first freshman selected to the USBWA's All-America first team.

Meyers, a four-time All-American at UCLA, became the first woman to sign an NBA contract. Catchings, who has a hearing impairment, is a four-time All-American at Tennessee and was the national player of the year in 2000. She is one of only five athletes in the world with four Olympic basketball gold medals.

Tickets for the dinner are $150 each and will be available for purchase at collegebasketballawards@eventbrite.com beginning on March 15.

For additional information, contact Joe Mitch with the USBWA (314-795-6821) and Jim Wilson with the MAC (314-539-4488).

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 Malcolm Moran at 814-574-1485.