Oakland's Felder Named Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week

ST. LOUIS (USBWA) – The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has selected the Oakland guard Kay Felder as its Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week for games ending the week of Sunday, Dec. 20. The USBWA's weekly honor is presented by Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook.

As the Horizon League Player of the Week, Felder 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. This is the seventh season that the USBWA has selected a national player of the week.

Felder, a 5-9 junior from Detroit, Mich., scored a career-high 38 points in leading Oakland to a 97-83 win at Washington on Saturday, shooting 14-of-27 from the field and 8-of-11 from the foul line, while also passing out nine assists. He scored 25 points in the first half as the Golden Grizzlies opened up a 55-35 halftime lead over the Huskies.

This season, Felder is second in scoring in NCAA Division I with 25.9 points per game and he leads the country with 8.9 assists per game. He is one of five players in the nation to rank in the top 50 in both scoring and assists per game average, but the only player to rank in the top 10 in both categories.

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.

Oscar Robertson Trophy 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 Oscar Robertson Trophy will be presented at the College Basketball Awards on April 11, 2016, at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. The Henry Iba Coach of the Year Award and the Integris Wayman Tisdale Freshman of the Year Award will also be presented at the gala to be held annually following the NCAA Men's Final Four.

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 35th 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.

2015-16 Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week
• Week ending Dec. 13: Javan Felix, Texas (Big 12 Conference)
• Week ending Dec. 20: Kay Felder, Oakland (Horizon League)