King, Theisen win initial Guback scholarships

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The USBWA has awarded two college scholarships this year as part of the association's Steve Guback Scholarship program honoring the late executive director and past president of the USBWA.

The first to receive a scholarship was Drew King, a May graduate from the University of Texas at Austin.

King received a grant from the USBWA for $1,000. He was chosen from a group of more than 30 students that attended the Larry Donald Memorial "Full Court Press" sportswriting seminar at the NCAA Men's Final Four last April.

The second scholarship went to Jack Theisen, son of USBWA member and SID Chris Theisen. Jack Theisen receives $1,000 annually from the USBWA for four years. The scholarship is awarded each year to the son or daughter of a USBWA member.

King, who hails from Tyler, Texas, spent two years in Austin after earning his associate's degree in history from Tyler Junior College.

King spent just under two years at The Daily Texan, covering women's basketball as well as track and field. During his final semester in Austin, King freelanced for the Dallas Morning News and wrote long-form stories and covered the first two rounds of the NCAA women's basketball tournament in Austin for Women's Hoops World. After graduating, King accepted a job at the San Marcos Daily Record in Texas as a sports reporter.

King's winning story looked at Phil Booth's role in Villanova's national title run. Booth won his second title at Villanova in three years after being forced to redshirt in 2016-2017 because of an injury.

Theisen is the son of Chris Theisen, Kansas' sports information director at Kansas since 2004.

"Receiving this scholarship would be a tribute to my dad," Jack Theisen wrote in his application for the award. "His commitment to his profession has taught me the value of hard work."

Theisen was named valedictorian at Lawrence's Free State High School, maintaining a perfect 4.0 gradepoint average while taking advanced and college prep courses for four years.

Theisen also played four sports – football, basketball, baseball and track and field – and was named second- team all-league tight end during his senior season for a Free State football team that was ranked No. 1 in Class 6A for eight weeks and finished 10-1.

The Guback scholarships are in honor of the former executive director of the USBWA from 1977-83. Guback, who passed away earlier this month, also served as president of the USBWA in 1976-77.

The sportswriting seminar is named for Donald, a publisher of Basketball Times and the only two-time president (1986-88) in the history of the USBWA. Donald passed away in 2000.