The USBWA has chosen a national freshman of the year since the 1988-89 season when LSU's Chris Jackson was the recipient. Other previous winners of the award include Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, Jason Kidd and Chris Webber. The 2011-12 season marks the second year the award has been named in Wayman Tisdale's honor.

The Tisdale Award winner will receive a statuette designed by nationally-recognized sculptor Shan Gray.

The late Wayman Tisdale was a three-time USBWA All-American at the University of Oklahoma. 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.

Jared Sullinger

The Wayman Tisdale Freshman of the Year Award presented by Devon is produced by Access Sports, an Oklahoma City-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization committed to supporting various charitable causes, including funding prosthetic devices for needy individuals through the Wayman L. Tisdale Foundation, educational scholarships through the U.S. Basketball Writers Association, and funding of youth basketball programs throughout the state of Oklahoma through Wayman's Lightning Basketball League.

Latest news:
• Feb. 15, 2012: USBWA names finalists for Wayman Tisdale Award
• Oct. 20, 2011: USBWA names 2011-12 Wayman Tisdale Award Preseason Watch List
• March 15, 2011: Ohio State's Sullinger win's 2011 Wayman Tisdale Award
• Feb. 25, 2011: USBWA names finalists for Wayman Tisdale Award
• July 26, 2011: USBWA's Freshman of the Year Award to be named for Wayman Tisdale

2010-11 Wayman Tisdale Award Winner: Jared Sullinger, Ohio State
Sullinger, a first-team USBWA All-American and the Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Year, has led Ohio State to a 32-2 record, the Big Ten regular-season and conference tournament championships and the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. The 6-9 forward from Columbus, Ohio, has started all 34 games this season and has led the team with 17.2 points and 10.1 rebounds per game while shooting 53.6 percent from the field. Four times this season Sullinger has been named the Big Ten Player of the Week. In 31 of the Buckeyes' 34 games, he has scored in double figures while recording 17 double-doubles. His 40-point game on Dec. 9 vs IUPUI is a school freshman record. Sullinger is just the second player from the Big Ten to win the USBWA's National Freshman of the Year Award, joining Michigan's Chris Webber in 1993.