The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has selected Kansas State guard Jacob Pullen as its Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week for games ending the week of Sunday, Feb. 20. The USBWA's weekly honor is presented by Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook and has been handed out each Tuesday this season.
As the Big 12 Conference Player of the Week, Pullen 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. He is the third Big 12 student-athlete to be honored in 2010-11, the highest total of any conference.
Pullen, a 6-0 senior from Maywood, Ill., averaged 32.5 points, 4.0 assists, 3.5 steals and 2.5 rebounds in 37 minutes in wins over top-ranked Kansas and Oklahoma last week.
Pullen began the week with a career-best 38 points in an 84-68 win over Kansas. He was 9-for-17 from the field, including 5-for-6 from 3-point range, to go with a career-high 15-for-19 effort from the free throw line. The 38 points were the most by a winning player vs. a top-ranked team since Houston's Elvin Hayes scored 39 against UCLA in 1968.
In the 77-62 win over Oklahoma, Pullen posted a game-high 27 points on 8-of-18 shooting with a season-best five steals, three assists and two rebounds in 37 minutes. He was also 8-for-8 from the free throw line. It marked the 37th 20-point game of his career, including his 12th this season.
This is the second season that the USBWA has selected a national player of the week. The weekly Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week has been added to the Oscar Robertson Trophy watch list. Finalists for the 2011 Oscar Robertson Trophy will be announced on Mon., Feb. 28.
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 of the USBWA. The winner of the 2011 Oscar Robertson Trophy will be announced and presented by its namesake, Oscar Robertson, at the USBWA's annual awards breakfast on Fri., April 1 in Houston, site of the 2011 NCAA Men's Final Four.
2010-11 Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week
• Week of Dec. 5: Mike Glover, Iona
• Week of Dec. 12: Jimmer Fredette, BYU
• Week of Dec. 19: Khris Middleton, Texas A&M• Week of Dec. 26: Doron Lamb, Kentucky
• Week of Jan. 2: Demetri McCamey, Illinois
• Week of Jan. 9: Vlad Moldoveanu, American
• Week of Jan. 16: Mike Muscala, Bucknell
• Week of Jan. 23: Jordan Hamilton, Texas• Week of Jan. 30: Kenneth Faried, Morehead State
• Week of Feb. 6: Chandler Parsons, Florida
• Week of Feb. 13: Nolan Smith, Duke
• Week of Feb. 20: Jacob Pullen, Kansas State