Christmas A Finalist For Robertson Trophy
2/26/2015 1:01:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Christmas is also a finalist for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, and on the mid-season watch list for the Naismith Award. He heads into Saturday's game with #4/5 Duke averaging 18.1 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. Christmas has scored in double digits in 26-of-28 games this season. In his most recent outing at Notre Dame on Tuesday, he surpassed 1,000 career points.
Overall, seven conferences are represented and among the finalists are five seniors, six juniors, one sophomore and two freshmen.
Following is the complete list of finalists:
| 2015 OSCAR ROBERTSON TROPHY FINALISTS (14) | ||||||
| Pos. | No. | Player, School | Ht. | Wt. | Yr. | Hometown |
| G | 31 | Ron Baker, Wichita State | 6-4 | 220 | Jr. | Scott City, Kan. |
| G | 15 | Malcolm Brogdon, Virginia | 6-5 | 215 | Jr. | Atlanta, Ga. |
| F | 15 | Willie Cauley-Stein, Kentucky | 7-0 | 240 | Jr. | Olathe, Kan. |
| F | 25 | Rakeem Christmas, Syracuse | 6-9 | 250 | Jr. | Phildelphia, Pa. |
| G | 22 | Jerian Grant, Notre Dame | 6-5 | 204 | Sr. | Bowie, Md. |
| 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 | 4 | Kevin Pangos, Gonzaga | 6-2 | 182 | Sr. | Holland Landing, Ont. |
| F | 10 | Bobby Portis, Arkansas | 6-11 | 242 | So. | Little Rock, Ark. |
| G | 0 | D'Angelo Russell, Ohio State | 6-5 | 180 | Fr. | Louisville, Ky. |
| F | 10 | Seth Tuttle, Northern Iowa | 6-8 | 240 | Sr. | Sheffield, Iowa |
| 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 (4); Big Ten (2); Missouri Valley (2); SEC (2); West Coast (2); Big 12 (1); Pac-12 (1). | ||||||
| By class: Seniors (5); Juniors (6); Sophomores (1); Freshmen (2). | ||||||
While these standout players are the leading contenders to be named to the USBWA's All-America Team, all Division I players remain eligible for postseason honors from the USBWA. The association will announce its 2015 All-America Team in mid-March. Ballots for this season's USBWA men's honors will be distributed to the entire membership on Mon., March 2.
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.
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. It has selected an All-America team since the 1956-57 season. For more information on the USBWA and the Oscar Robertson Trophy, contact executive director Joe Mitch at 314-795-6821.
