Gonzaga’s Wiltjer Is Oscar Robertson National Player Of The Week

ST. LOUIS (USBWA) – The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has selected the Gonzaga forward Kyle Wiltjer as its Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week for games ending the week of Sunday, Dec. 14. The USBWA’s weekly honor is presented by Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook.

Wiltjer

As the West Coast Conference Player of the Week, Wiltjer was nominated for the weekly award, which was chosen by a representative of the USBWA board of directors from a list of Division I conference players of the week. This is the sixth season that the USBWA has selected a national player of the week.

Wiltjer, a 6-10 junior from Portland, Ore., registered back-to-back 20-point games in a pair of wins over Pac-12 opponents. Last Wednesday, Wiltjer was 9-of-14 from the field and scored 21 points in an 81-66 win over Washington State. Then on Saturday, Wiltjer led the Zags to an 87-74 win at UCLA with a team-high 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting.

Overall in the two games, he was 18-for-27 (.667) from the field, 5-for-7 (.714) from behind the arc, and a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line. Against WSU he also had six rebounds, four assists, a block and a steal. Then at UCLA, he had four rebounds, an assist and a steal.

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 award and the only one named after a former player.

Oscar Robertson TrophyAt the conclusion of the regular season, the USBWA will name finalists for the award, which is voted on by the entire membership. The winner of the Oscar Robertson Trophy will be presented by its namesake, Oscar Robertson, at theDevon Energy College Basketball Awards on April 14, 2015, at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. The Henry Iba Coach of the Year Award and the Integris Wayman Tisdale Freshman of the Year Award will also be presented at the gala to be held annually following the NCAA Men’s Final Four.

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 Joe Mitch at 314-795-6821.

Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook, the most comprehensive college basketball publication in the world, returns for its 34th season. Blue Ribbon – long-known as “The Bible of College Basketball” – gives its readers the most thorough, up-to-date and timely evaluations of every Division I team in the country. For more information about Blue Ribbon Yearbooks, visit blueribbonyearbookonline.com.

2014-15 Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week
Week of Dec. 7: Justin Anderson, Virginia (Atlantic Coast Conference)
Week of Dec. 14: Kyle Wiltjer, Gonazga (West Coast Conference)

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