Berry On Watch List For Oscar Robertson Trophy

CHAPEL HILL – North Carolina senior Joel Berry II is among 32 nominees named on Monday to the U.S. Basketball Writers Association's 2017-18 Oscar Robertson Trophy Preseason Watch List. Members of the association's board of directors chose the players to be included on the list as contenders for the Oscar Robertson Trophy.

The award is to be presented to the national player of the year by its namesake at the NCAA Final Four in San Antonio.

The Atlantic Coast Conference has eight players on the list to lead all conferences, led by Berry, the 2017 NCAA Final Four Most Outsanding Player, and preseason ACC Player of the Year Bonzie Colson of Notre Dame. Colson and Berry are among 11 seniors tabbed by the USBWA as a national player of the year candidate.

Nine other conference preseason players of the year made the USBWA list, including seniors Devonté Graham of Kansas and Yante Maten of Georgia, one of three co-players of the year from the SEC.

The nation's leading returning scorer, junior Mike Daum of South Dakota State (25.3 points per game a year ago) and Seton Hall senior Angel Delgado, who led the nation with 13.1 rebounds per game last season, are among the 32 preseason candidates.

Arizona (Deandre Ayton and Allonzo Trier) and Kentucky (Hamidou Diallo and Kevin Knox) also boast teammates named to the watch list as the SEC had seven players and the Pac-12 had four given mention. Fifteen of the 32 players are listed as forwards, with 14 guards and three centers making the list. Four selections are international players.

While these standout players are the initial contenders for the Oscar Robertson Trophy, all NCAA Division I players are eligible for postseason honors from the USBWA. For the ninth straight season, the USBWA will present an Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week each Tuesday beginning Dec. 12.

In mid-March, the USBWA will announce its 2017-18 All-America Team and, at that time, finalists will also be chosen for the player of the year. Once finalists are announced, the entire USBWA membership will vote for the winner of the Oscar Robertson Trophy.

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 player of the year award and the only one named after a former player.

Players Mentioned

Joel Berry II

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