USBWA Awards Articles

Purdue center Zach Edey was a consistent force at both ends of the floor this season for the Boilermakers as just the second player in Big Ten history and the first player in 14 seasons to lead his conference in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage. For his superior play, the Big Ten Player of the Year was selected as the 2022-23 Oscar Robertson Trophy winner as the USBWA National Player of the Year.

A three-time All-American and one of the most prolific scorers in the Big Ten and the nation, Iowa guard Caitlin Clark has lit up scoreboards and electrified crowds with her all-around play throughout the season. The two-time Big Ten Player of the Year’s historic season that has led Iowa to its second Final Four has earned Clark being selected as the winner of the 2022-23 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award as the USBWA National Player of the Year.

Uniting the legacies of two fierce rivals who became close friends, former Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski has been named the recipient of the 2022-23 Dean Smith Award by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association, recognizing an individual in basketball who embodies the spirit and values of the late Coach Smith.

INDIANAPOLIS (USBWA) – Coaching her trademark shutdown defense with a roster that includes two All-Americans, South Carolina's Dawn Staley is the USBWA National Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season and third time in four seasons. Staley led the Gamecocks (34-0) to the SEC regular-season and tournament titles as they went the entire season ranked in the top spot of the Associated Press poll, only the third program to ever accomplish it.

Marquette head coach Shaka Smart led the Golden Eagles to a school-record 29 wins and their first Big East outright and tournament titles this season. For his guiding his team to a record-setting conference win count and into the NCAA Tournament, Smart has been named the winner of the 2022-23 Henry Iba Award, given annually by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association to its national coach of the year.

Florida State guard Ta'Niya Latson, the ACC Rookie of the Year and the nation's 11th-leading scorer, has won the 2022-23 Tamika Catchings Award as the U.S. Basketball Writers Association's National Freshman Player of the Year.

INDIANAPOLIS (USBWA) – Alabama forward Brandon Miller, the SEC Player and Freshman of the Year whose three-point shooting and rebounding helped lead Alabama to a conference title and the NCAA Tournament's top seed, has won the 2022-23 Wayman Tisdale Award as the U.S. Basketball Writers Association's National Freshman Player of the Year.

In an evening of basketball legends hosted by the Greensboro Sports Council, Bob McKillop and Tubby Smith will be honored with the U.S. Basketball Writers Association’s Dean Smith Award, recognizing an individual in basketball who embodies the spirit and values of the late Coach Smith. McKillop, who won in 2019, and Smith, who won in 2021, will be presented with their awards at the Tanger Center for the Performing Arts at 300 N. Elm Street in Greensboro. A fireside chat with the legendary coaches will follow. The awards presentation is set for Tuesday, April 11 at 6 p.m ET.

INDIANAPOLIS (USBWA) – A three-time All-American, three repeat members, last year’s Oscar Robertson Trophy winner and four players from the Big Ten are all members of the 2022-23 U.S. Basketball Writers Association's All-America Team. The 15-man team includes a member from each of the NCAA Tournament’s No. 1 seeds, seven players who were their conference players of the year, four players who were USBWA district players of the year, two of the country's top eight scorers and four of the top seven rebounders.

Eight returning All-Americans including the nation’s leading scorer and assists leaders and six conference players of the year headline the 2022-23 U.S. Basketball Writers Association Women's All-America Team. There are 13 different schools represented on the 15-player team that for the second consecutive season has top-ranked and overall No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed South Carolina and Stanford each earning claiming two selections.

The 2023 inductees of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association's Hall of Fame are considered pioneers, mentors and exemplary examples of basketball journalism among their peers. M.A. Voepel of ESPN and Carl Adamec of the Manchester (Conn.) Journal-Inquirer will be inducted into the organization’s Hall of Fame at the USBWA Awards Brunch at 10 a.m. central time on Friday, March 31 at the Omni Dallas Hotel. Seth Davis of The Athletic and CBS Sports, Bob Logan of the Daily Herald and Chicago Tribune, Kevin Scarbinsky of the Birmingham News and AL.com, Lesley Visser of the Boston Globe and CBS Sports, and Grant Wahl of Sports Illustrated, CBS Sports and FOX Sports will be honored at the USBWA Awards Luncheon at 11:30 a.m. central time on Monday, April 3 at the Marriott Marquis Houston. Logan and Wahl will be honored posthumously.

The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has selected 15 standout players for its 2022-23 Oscar Robertson Trophy Late Season Watch List. Members of the association's board of directors chose the players that will be considered as contenders for the National Player of the Year.

Representing all of their peers across college basketball who have struggled with mental health, Saint Louis’ Terrence Hargrove and Utah State’s Connor Odom will share the 2023 Perry Wallace Most Courageous Award. Both have been open about the issues they have faced, helping create a dialogue about the challenges shared by many other athletes. Hargrove and Odom will be honored at the upcoming Men’s Final Four in Houston.

Representing all of her peers across college basketball who have struggled with mental health, Little Rock's Angelique Francis is the winner of the 2023 Pat Summitt Most Courageous Award. Francis has been open about the issues she has faced, helping create a dialogue about the challenges shared by many other athletes. Francis will be honored at the upcoming Women’s Final Four in Dallas.

The U.S. Basketball Writers Association is pleased to honor Geoff Grammer of the Albuquerque Journal with the Jim O’Connell Award for beat writing excellence, while Joel Lorenzi of the Omaha World-Herald and Cora Hall of the Knoxville News-Sentinel are the Rising Star winners in men’s and women’s basketball.

The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has selected Arizona forward Ąžuolas Tubelis as its Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week for games ending the week of Sunday, Feb. 5.

The returning winner who continues to lead the country in rebounding, a two-time All-American and the leading scorer, assist man and double-doubles leader are on the U.S. Basketball Writers Association’s Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List. The USBWA’s list highlights 50 outstanding players from 18 different conferences including teammates from six schools.

INDIANAPOLIS (USBWA) – The returning winner, six returning All-Americans and three former Freshmen of the Year players are on the United States Basketball Writers Association’s Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Midseason Watch List. The USBWA’s list highlights 21 outstanding basketball players from seven different conferences including teammates from Iowa, South Carolina, Stanford and UConn.

INDIANAPOLIS (USBWA) – The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has selected Kansas State guard Markquis Nowell as its Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week for games ending the week of Sunday, Jan. 8.

Kevin Armstrong, writing for the Newark Star-Ledger, headlined the winners of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association's annual best writing contest. The veteran East Coast scribe won in the Enterprise category for his piece in advance of St. Peter's surprise run to the Sweet 16, called by the judge, "A revealing St. Peter's narrative — the background of a story that suddenly, and surprisingly, found itself in college basketball’s foreground." On top of that, Armstrong had two second-place finishes in the Moderate-Length Feature and Game/Spot News categories. His run is almost as magical as that of the team he covered, St. Peter's.