ST. LOUIS (USBWA) The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has selected Campbell guard Chris Clemons as its Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week for games ending the week of Sunday, Feb. 3. The USBWA's weekly honor is presented by Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook.
As the Big South Conference Player of the Week, Clemons 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. The USBWA has named Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week since the 2009-10 season.
The 5-9 senior from Raleigh, N.C., the nation's leading scorer by total points (643) and average (29.2 per game) poured in back-to-back 39-point outings in a pair of wins over league-leading Radford and Longwood. His 78-point week included a field goal percentage of 53.5 (23-of-43), 54.5 percent (18-of-33) shooting from three-point range and 87.5 percent (14-of-16) from the foul line.
Clemons, also second-best nationally in three-pointers made (4.45 per game), provided a highlight reel performance at Radford. He scored 28 of his 39 points in the second half that included a buzzer-beating three-pointer three steps inside the midcourt stripe as Campbell rallied from a seven-point deficit in the final 28 seconds to post a 68-67 win. Last Saturday against Longwood, Clemons scored 20 points in the first half and finished the game with 10 three-pointers on 18 attempts, tying his career high for treys and making the most three-pointers ever by a Campbell player at Gore Arena in a 83-62 win.
The big week moved Clemons past Larry Bird (2,850 points) and Tyler Hansbrough (2,872) into 13th place on the NCAA Division I all-time scoring list. Clemons continues to move up the list with historic company and enters Thursday's game at High Point with 2,875 points in 119 games and needs just 10 points to pass Elvin Hayes (2,884) into 12th place.
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 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.
Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook, the most comprehensive college basketball publication in the world, returns for its 38th season. Blue Ribbon long-known as "The Bible of College Basketball" · gives its readers the most thorough, up-to-date and timely evaluations of every Division I team in the country. For more information about Blue Ribbon Yearbooks, visit
blueribbonyearbookonline.com.
2018-19 Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week
Week ending Dec. 2: Markus Howard, Marquette (Big
East Conference)
· Week ending Dec. 9: Admiral
Schofield, Tennessee (Southeastern Conference)
·
Week ending Dec. 16: Juwan Morgan, Indiana (Big Ten
Conference)
· Week ending Dec. 23: Markus Howard,
Marquette (Big East Conference)
· Week ending
Dec. 30: Justin Wright-Foreman, Hofstra (Colonial Athletic Association)
·
Week ending Jan. 6: Shamorie Ponds, St. John's (Big
East Conference)
· Week ending Jan. 13: Bruno
Fernando, Maryland (Big Ten Conference)
· Week
ending Jan. 20: Ja Morant, Murray State (Ohio Valley Conference)
·
Week ending Jan. 27: Grant Williams, Tennessee (Southeastern
Conference)
· Week ending Feb. 3: Chris Clemons,
Campbell (Big South Conference)
· Week ending
Feb. 10: Robert Franks, Washington State (Pac-12 Conference)
·
Week ending Feb. 17: PJ Washington, Kentucky (Southeastern
Conference)
·
Week ending Feb. 24: Mike Daum, South Dakota State (Summit League)
·
Week ending March 3: Fletcher Magee, Wofford (Southern Conference)