INDIANAPOLIS (USBWA) – The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has selected St. John's guard/forward Julian Champagnie as its Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week for games ending the week of Sunday, Feb. 20.
As the Big East Conference Player of the Week, Champagnie 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. Once again, the USBWA will select a Division I men's National Player of the Week each Tuesday throughout the season. The USBWA has named Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week since the 2009-10 season. Champagnie joins Shamorie Ponds as the only players from St. John's to earn to USBWA's weekly national honor.
A 6-8 junior from The Bronx, N.Y., Champagnie averaged 29.0 points, 5.0 steals, 4.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists in a pair of wins for the Red Storm (15-11, 7-8 Big East) at Xavier and against Butler. Champagnie, a 2021 First Team All-Big East selection and its Co-Most Improved Player last season, leads the league in scoring at 19.2 points per game helped by his 27- and 31-point outings last week.
Last Friday against Butler, Champagnie paced the Red Storm in a 91-57 win, sweeping the season series and matching its largest-ever margin of victory in a Big East game. Champagnie netted 31 points on 11-of-22 shooting, including a 4-for-9 showing on treys. It was his third 30-plus-point outing this season to go with a career-high seven steals and seven rebounds. Only two players in St. John's history have ever recorded more than seven steals in a single contest, Marcus Hatten and Bernard Rencher.
Champagnie shot 48.8 percent from the floor and went a perfect 12-for-12 from the charity stripe in the two games. He began the week guiding St. John's to its first win at Xavier (86-73) in seven seasons with the 27-point effort, hitting all seven free throw attempts and matching a career-high with five assists.
Champagnie had been named to the Big East Weekly Honor Roll six times this season before capturing the league's top weekly individual honor Monday morning.
St. John's, who has risen to No. 67 in the NET rankings, returns on Wednesday to Carnesecca Arena to battle Creighton. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. ET on FS1.
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 Malcolm Moran at 814-574-1485.