INDIANAPOLIS – Chattanooga Mocs men's basketball standout big man Jake Stephens has earned a spot on the U.S. Basketball Writers Association's (USBWA) Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List,
the association office announced Thursday afternoon.
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.
Stephens is one of 50 selections, and the only Southern Conference representative, on the midseason watch list, which covers 18 different conferences. Kentucky's Oscar Tshiebwe earned the award in 2022 and leads the way on the midseason list in 2023.
Stephens, a Bunker Hill, West Virginia, native currently leads the SoCon in points per game (21.8), rebounds per game (10.2) and blocks per game (2.4) and is the only player in NCAA Division I averaging at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots per contest. Tim Duncan (Wake Forest) was the last player to average 20/10/3/2 in a single season back in 1996-97.
Stephens and Purdue's Zach Edey are the nation's only players with nine 20-point, 10-rebound games and four 30-point, 10-rebound games this season. Stephens recently became the first player in NCAA DI since 2019 to record consecutive 35-point, 10-rebound efforts.
Chattanooga (11-9, 3-4 SoCon) looks to get back on track when it hosts in-state rival ETSU (7-13, 3-4 SoCon) on Saturday inside McKenzie Arena. Tip-off is slate for 3 p.m. ET.
USBWA OSCAR ROBERTSON TROPHY MIDSEASON WATCH LIST
Max Abmas, Oral Roberts (6-0, 175, Sr. G, Rockwall, Texas)
Tyree Appleby, Wake Forest (6-0. 175, Gr., G, Jacksonville, Ark.)
Armando Bacot, North Carolina (6-11, 235, Sr. F/C, Richmond, Va.)
Oumar Ballo, Arizona (7-0, 260, Jr.,. C, Koulikoro, Mali)
Souley Boum, Xavier (6-3, 175, Gr., G, Oakland, Calif.)
Jordan Brown, Louisiana (6-11, 225, Jr., F, Roseville, Calif.)
Kobe Brown, Missouri (6-8, 250, Sr., G/F, Huntsville, Ala.)
Marcus Carr, Texas (6-2, 175, Gr., G, Toronto, Ont.)
Jaylen Clark, UCLA (6-5, 205, Jr., G, Riverside, Calif.)
Josh Cohen, St. Francis (Pa.) (6-10, 220, Jr., F, Lincroft, N.J.)
Yuri Collins, Saint Louis (6-0, 190, Jr., G, St. Louis, Mo.)
Ricky Council IV, Arkansas (6-6, 205, Jr., G, Durham, N.C.)
Antoine Davis, Detroit Mercy (6-1, 165, Gr., G, Birmingham, Ala.)
Kendric Davis, Memphis (6-0, 177, Sr., G, Houston, Texas)
Gradey Dick, Kansas (6-8, 205, Fr., G, Wichita, Kan.)
Hunter Dickinson, Michigan (7-1, 260, Jr., C, Alexandria, Va.)
Jordan Dingle, Penn (6-3, 195, Jr., G, Valley Stream, N.Y.)
Zach Edey, Purdue (7-4, 305, Jr., C, Toronto, Ont.)
Kyle Filipowski, Duke (7-0, 230, Fr., C, Westtown, N.Y.)
Adam Flagler, Baylor (6-3, 185, Sr., G, Duluth, Ga.)
Keyonte George, Baylor (6-4, 185, Fr., G, Lewisville, Texas)
DaRon Holmes II, Dayton (6-10, 231, So., F, Goodyear, Ariz.)
Bryce Hopkins, Providence (6-7, 220, So., F/G, Oak Park, Ill.)
Jaelen House, New Mexico (6-0, 170, Sr., G, Phoenix, Ariz.)
Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana (6-9, 245, Jr., F, Greenwood, Ind.)
Jaime Jaquez Jr., UCLA (6-7, 225, Sr., G/F, Camarillo, Calif.)
Keyontae Johnson, Kansas State (6-6, 230, Sr., F, Norfolk, Va.)
Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton (7-1, 260, Jr., C, Florissant, Mo.)
Taevion Kinsey, Marshall (6-5, 191, Sr., G, Columbus, Ohio)
Caleb Love, North Carolina (6-4, 200, Jr., G, St. Louis, Mo.)
Mike Miles Jr., TCU (6-2, 195, Jr., G, Highland Hills, Texas)
Brandon Miller, Alabama (6-9, 200, Fr., F, Antioch, Tenn.)
Kris Murray, Iowa (6-8, 220, Jr. F, Cedar Rapids, Iowa)
Jameer Nelson Jr., Delaware (6-1, 200, Jr., G, Haverford, Pa.)
Markquis Nowell, Kansas State (5-8, 160, Sr., G, Harlem, N.Y.)
Jalen Pickett, Penn State (6-4, 209, Sr., G, Rochester, N.Y.)
Marcus Sasser, Houston (6-2, 195, Sr., G, Dallas, Texas)
Terrence Shannon Jr., Illinois (6-6, 225, Sr., G, Chicago, Ill.)
Terquavion Smith, NC State (6-4, 165, So., G, Greenville, N.C.)
Adama Sonogo, Connecticut (6-9, 245, Jr., F, Bamako, Mali)
Joel Soriano, St. John's (6-11, 280, Sr., C, Yonkers, N.Y.)
Jake Stephens, Chattanooga (7-0, 275, Gr., C, Bunker Hill, W. Va.)
Drew Timme, Gonzaga (6-10, 235, Sr., F, Richardson, Texas)
Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky (6-9, 260, Sr., F, Lubumbashi, Congo)
Azuolas Tubelis, Arizona (6-11, 245, Jr., F, Vilnius, Lithuania)
Hunter Tyson, Clemson (6-8, 217, Gr., F, Monroe, N.C.)
Jordan Walker, UAB (5-11, 170, Sr., G, Brookville, N.Y.)
KJ Williams, LSU (6-10, 250, Sr., F, Cleveland, Miss.)
Jalen Wilson, Kansas (6-8, 225, Jr., F, Denton, Texas)
Isaiah Wong, Miami (6-4, 184, Jr., G, Piscataway, N.J.)
MORE ABOUT THE USBWA
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.