DeVries Honored Nationally

Editor: The following is part of a press release from sportswriters.net.

(Indianapolis, IN) – The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has named five Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week for games of the week ending Sunday, Nov. 12.

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 the season’s opening week:

Armando Bacot, North Carolina (Atlantic Coast Conference)
A returning third-team USBWA All-American, Bacot averaged 23.5 points and 16.5 rebounds per game and shot 60 percent from the floor and 91.7 percent from the line in wins over Radford and Lehigh to start the season.

Tucker DeVries, Drake (Missouri Valley Conference)
The 6-7 junior guard/forward from Waukee, Iowa, enjoyed the third 30-plus point game of his career with a career-high 36 points, including 23 in the second half last Wednesday against Lipscomb. He also added five rebounds and six assists in the win over the Bisons. With Drake trailing 51-47 in the second half, Devries scored 17 straight points during a 9:14 span enabling the Bulldogs to grab a 64-60 advantage they never relinquished. The 36-point game in a season-opening game was the most in the league since Nov. 14, 2014 (Marcus Marshall of Missouri State had 38 points in the Bears’ opener vs. Eastern Illinois).

(See our offseason exclusive interview with Tucker DeVries)

Terrence Edwards, James Madison (Sun Belt Conference)
The 6-6 redshirt junior guard/forward from Atlanta, Ga., averaged 21 points, 5.7 rebounds and four assists per game while shooting 21 of 23 (.913) at the free throw line in three wins for the Dukes.

Dillon Jones, Weber State (Big Sky Conference)
The 6-6 junior forward from Columbia, S.C., averaged 27.5 points and 12.0 rebounds per games as the Wildcats opened the season 2-0, including a victory over No. 23 Saint Mary’s on the road Sunday night.

Ja’Kobe Walter, Baylor (Big 12 Conference)
In his first collegiate game, the 6-5 freshman guard from McKinney, Texas, scored 28 points to lead the Bears to an 88-82 come-from-behind win over Auburn. He finished the week averaging 16.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.0 steals as the Bears went 3-0 to start the season for a fourth straight year.

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.