Fredette Named Oscar Robertson Trophy Finalist

ST. LOUIS (USBWA) – The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has announced finalists for the 2010 Oscar Robertson Trophy, to be presented to the association's national player of the year. BYU's Jimmer Fredette is among the 16 finalists selected by the USBWA.

Fredette is also a Wooden Award Candidate and has been named the USBWA National Player of the Week, the MWC Player of the Week (three times), the MVP of the HoopTV Las Vegas Classic and the Fiesta Bowl Classic MVP this season.

A trio of returning finalists – Kansas' Sherron Collins, Notre Dame's Luke Harangody and Ohio State's Evan Turner – are among the 16 players selected to appear on the ballot. The nation's top two ranked teams are well represented. Joining Collins from the top-ranked Jayhawks is teammate Cole Aldrich. Also, among the finalists is a pair of freshman teammates from No. 2 Kentucky, DeMarcus Cousins and John Wall.

The presentation of this year's award will take place on Friday, April 2 at the USBWA's annual awards breakfast at the Columbia Club in Indianapolis in conjunction with the NCAA Men's Final Four. The breakfast will also honor the winner of the Henry Iba Award, the association's coach of the year.

The Oscar Robertson Trophy is voted on by the entire membership of the association, which consists of nearly 900 journalists. The ballot will be distributed to the membership on Mon., March 1.

The Oscar Robertson Trophy is awarded to the USBWA's Player of the Year. It is the nation's oldest award and the only one named after a former player. The legendary Oscar Robertson was the USBWA's first player of the year in 1959. The USBWA renamed its player of the year award the Oscar Robertson Trophy in 1998.

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.

The following players are finalists for the Oscar Robertson Trophy:

F   45  Cole Aldrich, Kansas             6-11  245  Jr.  Bloomington, Minn.
G   23  James Anderson, Oklahoma State   6-6   210  Jr.  Junction City, Ark.
G    4  Sherron Collins, Kansas          5-11  205  Sr.  Chicago, Ill.
F   15  DeMarcus Cousins, Kentucky       6-11  260  Fr.  Mobile, Ala.
G    2  Devan Downey, South Carolina     5-9   170  Sr.  Chester, S.C.
G   32  Jimmer Fredette, BYU             6-2   195  Jr.  Glens Falls, N.Y.
F   44  Luke Harangody, Notre Dame       6-8   246  Sr.  Schererville, Ind.
F    4  Robbie Hummel, Purdue            6-8   208  Jr.  Valparaiso, Ind.
G/F  5  Damion James, Texas              6-7   225  Sr.  Nacogdoches, Texas
F    4  Wesley Johnson, Syracuse         6-7   205  Jr.  Corsicana, Texas
G   20  Dominique Jones, South Florida   6-4   215  Jr.  Lake Wales, Fla.
C   10  Greg Monroe, Georgetown          6-11  247  So.  New Orleans, La.
G    1  Scottie Reynolds, Villanova      6-2   190  Se.  Herndon, Va.
G   30  Jon Scheyer, Duke                6-5   190  Sr.  Northbrook, Ill.
G/F 21  Evan Turner, Ohio State          6-7   205  So.  Chicago, Ill.
G   11  John Wall, Kentucky              6-4   195  Fr.  Raleigh, N.C.