INDIANAPOLIS – The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has named five Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week for games of the week ending Sunday, Dec. 1.
For the 2024-25 season, the USBWA continues its national player of the week program that has been affiliated with the Oscar Robertson Trophy since the 2009-10 season. Prior to last season, the USBWA had recognized just one player each week.
Each Tuesday during the regular season, designated USBWA board members will select five standouts from the 31 Division I conference players of the week to be recognized. This week's selections were chosen from a list of the conferences that named a player of the week on Monday.
Following are the five players selected for performances this past week:
Johni Broome, Auburn (Southeastern Conference)
The 6-10, 240-pound senior from Plant City, Fla., averaged 21.7 points, 15 rebounds, 4.3 assists and three blocks in wins over No. 5 Iowa State, No. 12 North Carolina and Memphis as he was named the MVP of the Maui Invitational in leading the Tigers to the tournament title. He recorded his fifth straight double-double with 21 points and 16 rebounds to go with six assists, four blocks and a steal versus Memphis in the championship game.
Chucky Hepburn, Louisville (Atlantic Coast Conference)
Hepburn had a big week at the Battle 4 Atlantis, averaging 20.0 ppg over the three contests and shooting 20 for 32 (62.5%) from the field. He also racked up a tournament-record 16 steals as well as 19 assists. In Louisville's 89-61 victory over No. 14 Indiana, he finished with 16 points, a career-high 10 assists and seven steals, becoming the first Division I player in almost two years to accumulate at least those numbers in a game. In an overtime win over West Virginia, Hepburn dropped a career-high 32 points and piled up six steals. In Louisville's 69-64 championship-game loss to undefeated Oklahoma, Hepburn totaled 12 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Tyrese Hunter, Memphis (American Athletic Conference)
Hunter averaged 20.0 points and 3.0 assists while being named to the all-tournament team at the Maui Invitational. The senior guard scored 26 points in the Tigers' opening-round overtime victory over defending national champion UConn before recording 23 points in Memphis' semifinal win over Michigan State. He also recorded 11 points, five rebounds and five assists in the final against Auburn.
Trey Kaufman-Renn, Purdue (Big Ten Conference)
Named MVP of the Rady Children's Invitational after leading No. 8 Purdue to a pair of wins, scoring 23.5 points on 61.5 percent shooting and 10.5 rebounds. He
recorded his first career double-double with 25 points and a career best 13 rebounds in a win over then-No. 23 Ole Miss.
Javon Small, West Virginia (Big 12 Conference)
Small was the tournament's leading scorer with 23.7 points per game at the Battle 4 Atlantis, helping West Virginia to a pair of ranked wins in The Bahamas. The senior guard had 31 points in the win against No. 3 Gonzaga, including a team-leading five in overtime. The South Bend, Ind., product had 26 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in the loss against Louisville, then had a 14-point, eight-assist performance against No. 24 Arizona, once again leading the Mountaineers in scoring during overtime to secure a victory.
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 2025 Men's Final Four in San Antonio, Texas, 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. For more information on the USBWA and the Oscar Robertson Trophy, contact executive director Malcolm Moran at 814-574-1485.
2024-25 USBWA Men's Weekly Honors
• Week ending Nov. 10: JaKobe Coles, Grand Canyon; Tyson Dunn, Buffalo; TY Johnson, UC Davis; Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton; Justice Shoats, Siena.
• Week ending Nov. 17: Abdi Bashir, Monmouth; Jaron Pierre, Jax State; Maxine Raynaud, Stanford; John Tonje, Wisconsin; Sonny Wilson, Toledo.
• Week ending Nov. 24: Mason Falslev, Utah State; Cooper Flagg, Duke; Chaz Lanier, Tennessee; Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa, Columbia; John Tonje, Wisconsin.
• Week ending Dec. 1: Johni Broome, Auburn; Chucky Hepburn, Louisville; Tyrese Hunter, Memphis; Trey Kaufman-Renn, Purdue; Javon Small, West Virginia.
