Philadelphia 76ers

Two teams have emerged as potential trade destinations for Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor, according to David Aldridge of NBA.com. Okafor told reporters last week that he requested either a trade or buyout from the 76ers, but added that team president Bryan Colangelo denied a buyout because the team wouldn’t be able to recoup assets in return. Continue reading “Trade destinations reportedly emerge for former NBA No. 3 overall pick Okafor”

ST. LOUIS (USBWA) – The U.S. Basketball Writers Association will present the 2015 Integris Wayman Tisdale Freshman of the Year Award to Duke center Jahlil Okafor. The award – a statuette designed by nationally-recognized sculptor Shan Gray – will be presented to Okafor at the Devon Energy College Basketball Awards on Tues., April 14 at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.

As the national freshman of the year, Okafor has led the Blue Devils to a 29-4 record and the No. 1 seed in the South Regional of the upcoming NCAA Tournament. He is the second consecutive winner from Duke, following Jabari Parker a year ago.

In addition, the Oscar Robertson Trophy – given to the USBWA’s national player of the year – and the Henry Iba Coach of the Year Award will be presented at the banquet to be held annually the week following the NCAA Men’s Final Four.

Okafor

Okafor, a 6-11, 270-pound true freshman from Chicago, is the USBWA’s District III Player of the Year and the first freshman to be named the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Player of the Year. He leads the Blue Devils and ranks among the top five in the ACC in scoring (17.7), rebounds (9.0) and field goal percentage (.669) as he attempts to become the first freshman to lead Duke in all three categories.

Okafor has recorded 11 double-doubles and 12 20-point games this season. His 28 straight double-digit scoring games, achieved earlier this season, is a freshman conference record. Eight times this season Okafor was named ACC Rookie of the Week and the weeks of Dec. 14, 2014, and Jan. 4, Okafor was named the Wayman Tisdale National Freshman of the Week by the USBWA.

In addition to selecting Okafor as the national freshman of the year, the USBWA chose four other first-year standouts for its 2015 Freshman All-America Team. This is the third season that the USBWA has chosen a Freshman All-America Team. Okafor and Ohio State’s D’Angelo Russell were also selected to the USBWA’s All-America First Team. Following is the complete team, all of whom were finalists for the Wayman Tisdale Award:

2014-15 USBWA FRESHMAN ALL-AMERICA TEAM
Pos. No. Player, School Ht. Wt. Yr. Hometown
F 5 Stanley Johnson, Arizona 6-7 245 Fr. Fullerton, Calif.
C 15 Jahlil Okafor, Duke 6-11 270 Fr. Chicago, Ill.
G 0 D’Angelo Russell, Ohio State 6-5 180 Fr. Louisville, Ky.
F 12 Karl-Anthony Towns, Kentucky 6-11 250 Fr. Piscataway, N.J.
G 2 Melo Trimble, Maryland 6-3 190 Fr. Upper Marlboro, Md.

The USBWA has chosen a national freshman of the year since the 1988-89 season when LSU’s Chris Jackson was the recipient. The award was named for Wayman Tisdale in 2011 and other notable winners of the national freshman of the year award include 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 and in 1983 was the first freshman ever to be named a first-team All-American by the USBWA. 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 Integris Wayman Tisdale Freshman of the Year Award is produced by Access Sports, an Oklahoma City-based 501(c)(3) not-for-profit foundation responsible for creating the Wayman Tisdale Freshman of the Year Award. Access Sports produces all events associated with the award, including the annual awards dinner. Proceeds from the activities affiliated with the award are used to support various worthy charitable causes, including providing opportunities for disadvantaged youth to participate in basketball leagues, clinics, and training throughout the state. In addition, Access Sports supports the Wayman L. Tisdale Foundation which helps fund prosthetics for those who cannot afford the cost on their own and may not be covered by insurance.

Tickets and sponsorship information for the Devon Energy College Basketball Awards are available atcollegebasketballawards.com or by contacting Scott Hill (405-640-0406, scott.hill@access-sports.net).

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. For more information on the USBWA and its award programs, contact executive director Joe Mitch at 314-795-6821.

1989 Chris Jackson, LSU
1990 Kenny Anderson, Georgia Tech
1991 Rodney Rogers, Wake Forest
1992 Chris Webber, Michigan
1993 Jason Kidd, California
1994 Joe Smith, Maryland
1995 None selected
1996 None selected
1997 None selected
1998 Larry Hughes, Saint Louis
1999 Quentin Richardson, DePaul
2000 Jason Gardner, Arizona
2001 Eddie Griffin, Seton Hall
2002 T.J. Ford, Texas
2003 Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse
2004 Luol Deng, Duke
2005 Marvin Williams, North Carolina
2006 Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina
2007 Kevin Durant, Texas
2008 Michael Beasley, Kansas State
2009 Tyreke Evans, Memphis
2010 John Wall, Kentucky
2011 Jared Sullinger, Ohio State
2012 Anthony Davis, Kentucky
2013 Marcus Smart, Oklahoma State
2014 Jabari Parker, Duke
2015 Jahlil Okafor, Duke

Related links:
Integris Wayman Tisdale Award | More from Integris
• Freshman All-America Teams: 2014 | 2013

ST. LOUIS (USBWA) – The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has selected 14 outstanding players as finalists for the 2015 Oscar Robertson Trophy, as selected by the association’s board of directors.

Oscar Robertson TrophyThe award is to be presented to the national player of the year 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 Award will also be presented at the gala to be held annually the week after the NCAA Men’s Final Four.

Four players from four different Atlantic Coast Conference schools headline the list along with Gonzaga teammates Kevin Pangos and Kyle Wiltjer. Two of the selections, Wiltjer and Ohio State’s D’Angelo Russell, have been recognized as Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week this season. This past week, Wiltjer won the award for the second time. Continue reading “Finalists For 2015 Oscar Robertson Trophy Announced”

Jahlil Okafor basketball Whitney Young

By Marcus Shockley

Scouting notes from the 2014 Hoop Hall Classic in Springfield, MA, featuring Chicago based powerhouse Whitney Young taking on Oak Hill, coached by the legendary Steve Smith. Whitney Young is led by Jahlil Okafor, a Duke commit, while Oak Hill features Cody and Caleb Martin, who are committed to NC State.

Jahlil Okafor (C, 6’10”, 2014) Whitney Young – I always like seeing true centers and Okafor certainly falls into that category. He has a back-to-the-basket game and establishes position in the paint expertly. He has great – emphasis on great – hands and really solid footwork. Generally a below-the-rim style big man, similar to Jared Sullivan or Tyler Hansbrough, but a bit more explosive in transition and has quicker footspeed. Already has a good set of post moves in his repertoire and is extremely hard for high school players to defend. He still needs to improve on his ability to recognize and pass out of the double team, and some of his defensive habits will make him foul-prone. He had a couple of really powerful monster dunks on the move, but his real asset is getting the ball in the post with his back to the basket. Committed to Duke.

Trevor Manual (PF, 6’9″, 2015) Oak Hill – Manual was the player that I enjoyed seeing the most in this game; he is explosive, long, active, and has great timing. He needs to add strength but he blasts up and down the floor in transition and is a high motor, high flying athlete who has good hands and really has a lot of upside. Manual is the type of player that can excel at the pro level, and that’s his upside, but he will need to show some shooting touch to go with that elite athleticism and length. Really impressed with his play in this one. Has a really nice old school running hook that should be a go-to move. Wake Forest and Michigan State have both offered Manual, and I think he’s a really solid prospect.

Paul White (SF/PF, 6’9″, 2014) Whitney Young – White and Trevor Manual have similar builds and athleticism, but White is better at putting the ball on the floor and has much better shooting range. Has great length and a high, quick release, but was more effective when Okafor was in the game, which made White the secondary focus of the defense. However, he’s definitely a high major player who looks like he will cause serious problems for slow footed power forwards at the college level. Has a very consistent elbow jumper and he’s a good shooter. Committed to Georgetown.

Caleb Martin, Cody Martin (SG/SF, 6’6″, 2014) Oak Hill – every time I’ve seen the Martins play over the past few years, Caleb has played the 2 while Cody plays the 3, even though, like most basketball twins, their games are extremely similar. Both are deadly from outside, great shooters with high releases, and both are elite athletes who can play above the rim. Caleb’s handle is slightly better than Cody’s at this point, but both are able to put the ball on the floor and get to the rim. They had trouble finishing inside against Okafor and White, but they are getting to the rim with ease and better than they ever have. Both are committed to NC State.

B.J. Stith (SG/SF, 6’5″, 2014) Oak Hill – It’s hard not to compare Stith with his father, who played at Virginia, where B.J. is committed. Like his father, Stith is an active and dynamic guard/forward, but B.J. looks like he’s a better deep shooter than his father was at this point. Stith is explosive and will scorch teams from deep, but has the ability to get to the rim and finish in traffic. He’s also a very good passer from the off guard position.

Rodney Miller (C, 6’11”, 2016) Oak Hill – Miller only is used sparingly due to the available upperclassmen, but he looks like a solid center prospect with great length and pro size. Still somewhat raw in the post, but looks like a player with a lot of upside – as in pro upside. Definitely a player to pay attention to.

Miles Reynolds (PG, 6’1″, 2014) Whitney Young – Reynolds was not shooting well in this one, but he’s a solid lead guard with a good handle and runs the offense. Defensively, he was very active and showed a knack for getting his hands on loose balls. Had a fantastic defensive block on Caleb Martin, which is impressive, as Martin is an elite slasher with several inches on him. Committed to St. Louis.

Terrence Phillips (PG, 6′, 2015) Oak Hill – With Shelton Mitchell likely out for the season, the burden of running the offense has fallen to Phillips, a very fast guard with a sure handle. Phillips is a pass-first point guard who shows a lot of potential. He does need more experience running the offense but didn’t turn the ball over and showed good awareness in transition. He showed excellent poise several times in the game by slowing the game down when Whitney Young started a scoring run.

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