INDIANAPOLIS (USBWA) – The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has named five Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week for games of the week ending Sunday, Dec. 10.
For the 2023-24 season, the USBWA has expanded its national player of the week program that has been affiliated with the Oscar Robertson Trophy since the 2009-10 season. In past seasons, the USBWA has recognized just one player each week.
Each Tuesday during the regular season, designated USBWA board members will select five standouts from the 32 Division I conference players of the week to be recognized.
Following are the five players selected for performance this past week:
Mika Adams-Woods, St. Bonaventure (Atlantic 10)
Adams-Woods had one of the best shooting performances in recent memory over the past two Bonnies games, going 19-for-20 from the floor and a perfect 9-for-9 from beyond the arc in conference wins over Niagara and Siena. At Niagara, the graduate guard posted 25 points and five assists, notching a new career-high in scoring. The Syracuse product missed his first field goal attempt at Niagara, but it would be his only miss of the week as he would go on to make his next 19 tries from the floor. In a Franciscan Cup win over Siena, he poured in a game-high 23 points on 9-for-9 shooting including 4-for-4 from deep.
Enrique Freeman, Akron (Mid-American)
Freeman had another superb week as he helped lift the Akron Zips to wins over Bradley and Northern Kentucky. The 6-7 senior forward from Cleveland finished shooting over 75 percent from the field (19-for-25) as he recorded a pair of 20-plus point, 10-plus rebound performances. Freeman now has seven double-doubles on the season while scoring 20-plus points in five games this season. He entered Saturday as just one of nine Division I players to average a double-double and was the only player in the MAC to currently record this feat.
David Jones, Memphis (American Athletic)
Jones helped lead the Tigers to two road victories by averaging 26.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.0 steals. The Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, product opened the week with 23 points, eight rebounds and four steals Wednesday in an 85-80 overtime victory at VCU. He then backed it up with 29 points, seven boards, two steals and two blocks while draining a career high-tying five triples Sunday against Texas A&M in an 81-75 win. Jones is the AAC's leader in scoring at 20.1 points per game..
Arthur Kaluma, Kansas State (Big 12)
Kaluma helped K-State to a 72-71 overtime thriller win over Villanova last Tuesday at home and a 75-60 road victory at LSU on Saturday. He averaged a double-double with 21.5 points on 76.2 percent shooting, including 85.7 percent from 3-point range, to go with 10.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 39.5 minutes per game. Against Villanova, the junior forward missed his career-high by a single point, scoring a game- and season-high 26 points on 10-of-13 shooting, including 3-of-3 from the 3-point line along with nine rebounds and a season-high four assists in more than 44 minutes. Kaluma tallied his fifth career double-double in the win at LSU, scoring 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range, to go with a game-high 11 rebounds, an assist and a block in 35 minutes.
Tyler Kolek, Marquette (Big East)
In a 2-0 week, Kolek averaged 22.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists while shooting 70.8 percent from the floor. In an 86-65 victory over No. 12 Texas last Wednesday, the 6-3 senior guard poured in 28 points to go along with eight rebounds, six assists and three steals. In a 78-59 drubbing of Notre Dame on Saturday, Kolek posted 17 points, seven boards and seven assists.
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.
At the conclusion of the regular season, the USBWA will name finalists for the award, which is voted on by the entire membership. The winner of the award will be announced at the 2024 Men's Final Four in Glendale, Ariz., with the formal presentation to follow at the annual USBWA Awards Luncheon hosted by the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis.
The U.S. Basketball Writers Association was formed in 1956 at the urging of then-NCAA Executive Director Walter Byers. With some 800 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 Malcolm Moran at 814-574-1485.
2023-24 USBWA Men's Weekly Honors
• Week ending Nov. 12: Armando Bacot, North Carolina; Tucker DeVries, Drake; Terrence Edwards, James Madison; Dillon Jones, Weber State; Ja’Kobe Walter, Baylor.
• Week ending Nov. 19: Hunter Dickinson, Kansas; Jaedon LeDee, San Diego State; Quinten Post, Boston College; Kyle Rode, Liberty; Marcus Tsohonis, Long Beach State.
• Week ending Nov. 26: Zach Edey, Purdue; Kevin McCullar Jr., Kansas; Isaiah Stevens, Colorado State; Tyler Thomas, Hofstra; Jamir Watkins, Florida State.
• Week ending Dec. 3: Boo Buie Northwestern; Boogie Ellis, USC; Baylor Scheierman, Creighton; Shahada Wells, McNeese; Trazarien White, UNCW.
• Week ending Dec. 10: Mika Adams-Woods, St. Bonaventure; Enrique Freeman, Akron; David Jones, Memphis; Arthur Kaluma, Kansas State; Tyler Kolek, Marquette.