The U.S. Basketball Writers Association selected Delon Wright, along with 16 other players, for its 2015 Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List. Members of the association's board of directors chose the players to be included on the list as contenders for the Oscar Robertson Trophy.
The 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 Atlantic Coast Conference leads the way with six players on the list, while Gonzaga, Virginia, and Wisconsin each have a set of teammates. The watch list includes nine juniors to go with four seniors, three freshmen, and one sophomore.
While these standout players are the leading contenders to be named to the USBWA's All-America Team and as finalists for the Oscar Robertson Trophy, all Division I players remain eligible for postseason honors from the USBWA. The association will announce its 2015 All-America Team in mid-March. At that time, finalists will also be chosen for the player of the year. Once finalists are announced, the entire USBWA membership will vote for the winner of the Oscar Robertson Trophy.
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.
Following is the complete watch list:
2015 OSCAR ROBERTSON TROPHY MIDSEASON WATCH LIST | ||||||
Pos. | No. | Player, School | Ht. | Wt. | Yr. | Hometown |
G | 1 | Justin Anderson, Virginia | 6-6 | 228 | Jr. | Montross, Va. |
G | 31 | Ron Baker, Wichita State | 6-4 | 220 | Jr. | Scott City, Kan. |
F | 15 | Willie Cauley-Stein, Kentucky | 7-0 | 240 | Jr. | Olathe, Kan. |
F | 15 | Sam Dekker, Wisconsin | 6-9 | 230 | Jr. | Sheboygan, Wis. |
F | 13 | Anthony Gill, Virginia | 6-8 | 230 | Jr. | High Point, N.C. |
G | 22 | Jerian Grant, Notre Dame | 6-5 | 204 | Sr. | Bowie, Md. |
F | 24 | Montrezl Harrell, Louisville | 6-8 | 240 | Jr. | Tarboro, N.C. |
F | 5 | Stanley Johnson, Arizona | 6-7 | 245 | Fr. | Fullerton, Calif. |
F | 44 | Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin | 7-0 | 242 | Sr. | Lisle, Ill. |
F | 31 | Georges Niang, Iowa State | 6-8 | 230 | Jr. | Methuen, Mass. |
C | 15 | Jahlil Okafor, Duke | 6-11 | 270 | Fr. | Chicago, Ill. |
G | 5 | Marcus Paige, North Carolina | 6-1 | 175 | Jr. | Marion, Iowa |
G | 4 | Kevin Pangos, Gonzaga | 6-2 | 182 | Sr. | Holland Landing, Ont. |
F | 10 | Bobby Portis, Arkansas | 6-11 | 242 | So. | Little Rock, Ark. |
G | 2 | Melo Trimble, Maryland | 6-3 | 190 | Fr. | Upper Marlboro, Md. |
F | 33 | Kyle Wiltjer, Gonzaga | 6-10 | 240 | Jr. | Portland, Ore. |
G | 55 | Delon Wright, Utah | 6-5 | 190 | Sr. | Los Angeles, Calif. |
By conference: ACC (6); Big Ten (3); Pac-12 (2); SEC (2); West Coast (2); Big 12 (1); Missouri Valley (1). | ||||||
By class: Seniors (4); Juniors (9); Sophomores (1); Freshmen (3). |