ST. LOUIS (USBWA) – The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has released its 2014-15 Men’s All-District Teams, based on voting from its national membership of 900-plus. The USBWA has selected All-District Teams since the 1956-57 season, its founding year.
For each of the nine geographic districts, ten players are selected (11 in the case of ties) as well as a player and coach of the year. Four schools – Gonzaga (Kyle Wiltjer and Mark Few), Kentucky (Willie Cauley-Stein and John Calipari), Northern Iowa (Seth Tuttle and Ben Jacobson) and Wisconsin (Frank Kaminsky and Bo Ryan) – can boast the honor of having the district player and coach of the year. Villanova’s Jay Wright (District II) and Tony Bennett (District III) have earned back-to-back District Coach of the Year honors.
Following is the entire region-by-region listing:
DISTRICT I ME, VT, NH, RI, MA, CT
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
LaDonte Henton, Providence
COACH OF THE YEAR
Danny Hurley, Rhode Island
ALL-DISTRICT TEAM (11)
Ryan Boatright, Connecticut
Kris Dunn, Providence
Scott Eatherton, Northeastern
Olivier Hanlan, Boston College
LaDonte Henton, Providence
Cady Lalanne, Massachusetts
Hassan Martin, Rhode Island
E.C. Matthews, Rhode Island
Wesley Saunders, Harvard
Justin Sears, Yale
Dyami Starks, Bryant
DISTRICT II NY, NJ, DE, DC, PA, WV
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Rakeem Christmas, Syracuse
COACH OF THE YEAR
Jay Wright, Villanova
ALL-DISTRICT TEAM (10)
Ryan Arcidiacono, Villanova
DeAndre Bembry, Saint Joseph’s
Rakeem Christmas, Syracuse
D’Angelo Harrison, St. John’s
Darrun Hilliard, Villanova
David Laury, Iona
D.J. Newbill, Penn State
Sir’Dominic Pointer, St. John’s
D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, G’town
Juwan Staten, West Virginia
DISTRICT III VA, NC, SC, MD
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Jahlil Okafor, Duke
COACH OF THE YEAR
Tony Bennett, Virginia
ALL-DISTRICT TEAM (10)
Justin Anderson, Virginia
Malcolm Brogdon, Virginia
Quinn Cook, Duke
Tyus Jones, Duke
Trevor Lacey, N.C. State
Jahlil Okafor, Duke
Marcus Paige, North Carolina
Melo Trimble, Maryland
Dez Wells, Maryland
Justise Winslow, Duke
DISTRICT IV KY, TN, MS, AL, GA, FL
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Willie Cauley-Stein, Kentucky
COACH OF THE YEAR
John Calipari, Kentucky
ALL-DISTRICT TEAM (10)
Devin Booker, Kentucky
Willie Cauley-Stein, Kentucky
Montrezl Harrell, Louisville
Aaron Harrison, Kentucky
Stefan Moody, Ole Miss
Cameron Payne, Murray State
Josh Richardson, Tennessee
Terry Rozier, Louisville
Marcus Thornton, Georgia
Karl-Anthony Towns, Kentucky
DISTRICT V OH, IN, IL, MI, MN, WI
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin
COACH OF THE YEAR
Bo Ryan, Wisconsin
ALL-DISTRICT TEAM (10)
Branden Dawson, Michigan State
Sam Dekker, Wisconsin
Kellen Dunham, Butler
Yogi Ferrell, Indiana
Jerian Grant, Notre Dame
A.J. Hammons, Purdue
Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin
D’Angelo Russell, Ohio State
Keifer Sykes, Green Bay
Denzel Valentine, Michigan State
DISTRICT VI IA, MO, KS, OK, NE, ND, SD
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Seth Tuttle, Northern Iowa
COACH OF THE YEAR
Ben Jacobson, Northern Iowa
ALL-DISTRICT TEAM (10)
Ron Baker, Wichita State
Perry Ellis, Kansas
Phil Forte, Oklahoma State
Buddy Hield, Oklahoma
Monte Morris, Iowa State
Le’Bryan Nash, Oklahoma State
Georges Niang, Iowa State
Seth Tuttle, Northern Iowa
Fred Van Vleet, Wichita State
Aaron White, Iowa
DISTRICT VII TX, AR, LA
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Bobby Portis, Arkansas
COACH OF THE YEAR
Scott Drew, Baylor
ALL-DISTRICT TEAM (10)
Kyan Anderson, TCU
Rico Gathers, Baylor
Jarell Martin, LSU
Jordan Mickey, LSU
Bobby Portis, Arkansas
Taurean Prince, Baylor
Michael Qualls, Arkansas
Myles Turner, Texas
Thomas Walkup, Stephen F. Austin
Zeek Woodley, Northwestern State
DISTRICT VIII WY, UT, ID, NM, CO, NV, MT
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Delon Wright, Utah
COACH OF THE YEAR
Leon Rice, Boise State
ALL-DISTRICT TEAM (10)
J.J. Avila, Colorado State
Daniel Bejarano, Colorado State
Askia Booker, Colorado
Kyle Collinsworth, BYU
Jordan Gregory, Montana
Tyler Haws, BYU
Derrick Marks, Boise State
Larry Nance Jr., Wyoming
Christian Wood, UNLV
Delon Wright, Utah
DISTRICT IX CA, OR, WA, HI, AZ, AK
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Kyle Wiltjer, Gonzaga
COACH OF THE YEAR
Mark Few, Gonzaga
ALL-DISTRICT TEAM (11)
Corey Hawkins, UC Davis
Stanley Johnson, Arizona
T.J. McConnell, Arizona
Gary Payton II, Oregon State
Kevin Pangos, Gonzaga
Norman Powell, UCLA
Chasson Randle, Stanford
Brad Waldow, St. Mary’s
Tyrone Wallace, California
Kyle Wiltjer, Gonzaga
Joseph Young, Oregon
The USBWA will continue to unveil its 2014-15 award winners throughout the remainder of the season. Here is the remaining schedule of releases:
• Mon., March 16: Men’s All-America teams announced
• Tues., March 17: Wayman Tisdale Freshman of the Year and Freshman All-America Team announced
• Mon., March 23: Henry Iba Coach of the Year announced
• Mon., March 30: Women’s All-America team announced
• Fri., April 3: Oscar Robertson Player of the Year announced (Indianapolis)
• Tues., April 14: Presentation of the Integris Wayman Tisdale Freshman of the Year Award, the Henry Iba Coach of the Year Award and the Oscar Robertson Player of the Year Trophy at the Devon Energy College Basketball Awards Gala in Oklahoma City
The U.S. Basketball Writers Association was formed in 1956 at the urging of then-NCAA Executive Director Walter Byers. Today, it is one of the most influential organizations in college basketball. For more information on the USBWA and its All-District teams, contact executive director Joe Mitch at 314-795-6821.
ST. LOUIS (USBWA) – The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has selected the Creighton forward Doug McDermott as its Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week for games ending the week of Sunday, Feb. 16. The USBWA’s weekly honor is presented by Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook and is announced exclusively on SiriusXM Radio’s “Inside College Basketball.”
McDermott
As the Big East Conference Player of the Week, McDermott 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.
McDermott, a 6-8 senior from Ames, Iowa, averaged 32.5 points and 6.0 rebounds in a pair of wins last week to lead the Bluejays back into first place in the Big East. He shot 24-for-36 from the field (.667), 7-for-11 from three-point range (.636) and also was perfect in 10 free throw attempts (1.000).
McDermott’s week began last Thursday with 26 points and five rebounds in a 68-63 win at Butler. With Creighton trailing by two in the final minute, his three-pointer with 47.8 seconds left started a game-ending 7-0 run. He sank 11-of-19 shots from the field, including 3-of-5 shots from three-point range. On Sunday, McDermott tied a season-high with 39 points in a 101-80 thumping of No. 6 Villanova. He scored Creighton’s first 11 points and made 13-of-17 shots, including 4-for-6 from three-point range, and was also perfect on nine free throw. His three-pointer with 13:23 left moved him into 13th place on the NCAA all-time scoring list (2.863 points), passing Hall of Famer Larry Bird.
For the second time this season and the fourth time in his career, McDermott has been honored as the National Player of the Week by the USBWA. McDermott has earned the honor once in each of the previous two seasons (Week of Dec. 16, 2013, and week of Dec. 25, 2012) while Creighton was a member of the Missouri Valley Conference. This season, he previously earned the honor the week of Jan. 14.
This is the fifth season that the USBWA has selected a national player of the week. The weekly Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week will be considered for the Oscar Robertson Trophy watch list, which will be released at mid-season.
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.
At 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 the Devon Energy College Basketball Awards on April 14 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 Awardwill also be presented at the gala to be held annually the Monday 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 33rd season, bigger and better in 2013-14. 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.
ST. LOUIS (USBWA) – In an effort to better serve writers covering NCAA tournament games, the U.S. Basketball Writers Association is partnering with the NCAA and the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) to provide liaisons assigned by APSE to assist media coordinators with media-related issues at NCAA men’s tournament sites.
The liaisons are all sports editors of dailies in cities where NCAA tournament games are played. They will serve in an advisory capacity at each tournament site, working with the media coordinators in the following areas:
1. Assisting with seat assignments that are within NCAA guidelines to ensure that a deserving entity doesn’t get overlooked. The USBWA recommends that full consideration is given to a publication/website that is committed to covering the sport or a team throughout the season. The liaisons are serving as consultants only. The NCAA makes the final call on all seat assignments.
2. Monitoring the postgame cooling-off periods after games to assure that time limits are adhered to.
3. Providing pool reporters when needed. The USBWA will continue to appoint pool reporters at each site, drawing primarily from officers, board members and past presidents. In the event a suitable USBWA member is not available, the APSE liaison would be asked to assign the pool reporter.
The USBWA worked with Dave Worlock, director of media coordination and statistics for the NCAA, and Gerry Ahern, vice president for content, USA Today Sports Media Group, to form the partnership.
“We received valuable input from APSE on some important issues over the past year,” said USBWA President Kirk Wessler, sports editor and columnist at the Peoria Journal Star. “APSE’s involvement with providing NCAA tournament site liaisons is a great example of how our three organizations can work together to help solve a common dilemma.”
Here are the sports editors who are serving as liaisons for the NCAA men’s tournament this year:
FIRST ROUND (March 18-19)
• Dayton: John Boyle, Dayton Daily News
SECOND-THIRD ROUNDS (March 20-23)
• Buffalo: Lisa Wilson, Buffalo News
• Milwaukee: Mike Davis, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
• Orlando: Roger Simmons, Orlando Sentinel
• Raleigh: Steve Ruinsky, Raleigh News and Observer
• San Antonio: Gary Newsom, San Antonio Express News
• San Diego: Todd Adams, UT-San Diego
• Spokane: Joe Palmquist, Spokane Spokesman-Review
• St. Louis: Roger Hensley, Cameron Hollway, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
REGIONALS (March 27-30)
• Memphis: David Williams, Memphis Commercial Appeal
• Anaheim: Todd Harmonson, Orange County Register
• New York: Jason Stallman, The New York Times
• Indianapolis: Ronnie Ramos, Indianapolis Star
ST. LOUIS (USBWA) – The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has selected Duke forward Mason Plumlee as itsOscar Robertson National Player of the Week for games ending the week of Sunday, Feb. 10. The USBWA’s weekly honor is presented by Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook and will be handed out each Tuesday through Feb. 19 this season.
Plumlee
As the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Week, Plumlee 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.
Plumlee, a 6-11 senior from Warsaw, Ind., averaged 24.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 blocks while leading the Blue Devils to conference wins over N.C. State and Boston College. For the week, he was 15-22 from the field and 19-26 from the free throw line in the two games.
Last Thursday, Plumlee opened the week with 30 points and nine rebounds in a 98-85 win over N.C. State. In Sunday’s 62-61 come-from-behind win at Boston College, Plumlee recorded his 13th double-double of the season with 19 points and 10 rebounds and had several key plays at the end of the game, including a blocked shot and the game-winning free throw with 24 seconds remaining.
This is the fourth season that the USBWA has selected a national player of the week. The weekly Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week will be considered for the Oscar Robertson Trophy watch list, which will be released at mid-season.
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.
At 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 presented by Aflac will be presented by its namesake, Oscar Robertson, at the Devon Energy College Basketball Awards on April 15, 2013, at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. TheHenry 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 the Monday 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 32nd season, bigger and better in 2012-13. 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.
