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ST. LOUIS -- The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has selected BYU guard Jimmer Fredette as its Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week for games ending the week of Sunday, Dec. 12. The USBWA's weekly honor is presented by Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook and will be handed out each Tuesday through Feb. 22 this season.
As the Mountain West Conference Player of the Week, Fredette was nominated for the weekly award, which was chosen by a representative of the USBWA board of directors from a list of Division I conference players of the week.
Fredette, a 6-2 senior from Glens Falls, N.Y., led the Cougars to a 2-0 record in a pair of neutral-site games last week. In an 86-58 win over Vermont in his hometown of Glens Falls, he posted a game-high 26 points, five assists and one steal. He had lost the 2007 state Class A title game in the same gym, making only 3-of-24 shots, but this time satisfied the standing room-only crowd that included Boston Celtics GM Danny Ainge, BYU's all-time leading scorer.
He followed that performance with a season-best and game-high 33 points in an 87-65 victory over Arizona in Salt Lake City. He added a career-high nine rebounds, three assists and one steal, while going 11-of-22 from the field, including 3-of-6 from 3-point range, and 8-of-9 from the free throw line. For the week, Fredette averaged 29.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists. Last season, Fredette earned the same honor with a 49-point effort vs. Arizona in the Fiesta Bowl Classic.
This is the second season that the USBWA has selected a national player of the week. The weekly Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week is added to the Oscar Robertson Trophy watch list, which will be released at mid-season.
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 of the USBWA. The winner of the 2011 Oscar Robertson Trophy will be announced and presented by its namesake, Oscar Robertson, at the USBWA's annual awards breakfast on Fri., April 1 in Houston, site of the 2011 NCAA Men's Final Four.
