Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina senior guard Vonterius Woolbright was today selected among 40 standout men's college basketball players nationwide on the 2023-24 Oscar Robertson Trophy and All-America Watch List as selected and announced by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA). Members of the association's board of directors chose the players that will be considered as contenders for the National Player of the Year honor.
 
The 40 honored players for the Oscar Robertson Trophy and All-America consideration will be placed on the association's awards ballot which will be distributed to members on Tuesday. The ballot also includes the Wayne Tisdale National Freshman Player of the Year Award, the Henry Iba National Coach of the Year Award, and the 15-man USBWA All-America team.
 
Voting within the membership is open until Sunday, March 10. The USBWA board then reviews and verifies the results so that its All-America team, Freshman Player of the Year, and National Coach of the Year will be announced before the start of the men's NCAA Tournament. The Oscar Robertson Trophy winner is announced at the NCAA Men's Final Four in Glendale, Ariz., from April 6-8. The formal presentation of the trophy will follow at the annual USBWA Awards Luncheon, hosted by the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis.
 
Entering the week, WCU senior Vonterius Woolbright leads the Southern Conference by averaging a double-double with 21.9 points and 12.1 rebounds per game – marks that rank him sixth and second, respectively, in the NCAA. He has scored in double figures in all 29 games to date. His 351 seasonal boards rank tied for the most by an individual in the NCAA to date, while his average of 9.76 defensive rebounds per game leads the country. The 6-6 guard also ranks second in the SoCon with a 5.1 assist per game average – 39th nationally.
 
Including a nations-best three triple-doubles, Woolbright is tied for the most double-doubles in NCAA men's basketball this season with 23, matching Akron's Enrique Freeman.
 
A product of Albany, Ga., Woolbright has collected a league-best eight SoCon Player of the Week honors to match Stephen Curry's conference record set back in 2008-08. He has also collected each of the SoCon's monthly awards handed out this season in November, December, and January.
 
A presumptive favorite for this year's SoCon Player of the Year and postseason all-conference plaudits, Woolbright is among a handful of players nationally to have earned multiple Oscar Robertson Trophy Player of the Week honors this season.
 
Some of the nation's top players are on the 40-player watch list that includes last year's Oscar Robertson Trophy winner, Purdue center Zach Edey, who is one of just three returning USBWA All-Americans to make this year's list. Edey seeks to become just the eighth player to earn multiple Oscar Robertson Trophies.
 
Upperclassmen occupy 38 of the 40 spots on this year's most complete watch list with the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) boasting a list-leading six picks. All told, players from 15 different conferences are represented with WCU's Woolbright the only player from the Southern Conference on the list.
 
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.
 
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.
 
Western Carolina (20-9, 9-7 SoCon) returns home on Wednesday to host chromatic rival Furman (16-13, 10-6 SoCon) in the final regular-season home game of 2024. Tip-off of the nationally televised matchup on ESPNU and the WatchESPN app is scheduled for 7 p.m.
 
WCU looks to "Paint it Purple" on Wednesday with all fans encouraged to wear their Catamount purple to the game as the squad will wear its purple Nike uniforms. The first 300 WCU students to receive a free replica WCU jersey, courtesy of The Everson.
 
Wednesday's game will also be broadcast on the Catamount Sports Network with live streaming audio and live stats available online at CatamountSports.com. Fans can also listen to the game locally on 105.7 FM / 540 AM WRGC "The River" (wrgc.com) in Sylva and 103.7 FM WPVM in Asheville (wpvmfm.org).
 
The complete 2023-24 Oscar Robertson Award and All-America Watch List (alphabetical):
 
Armando Bacot, North Carolina
Keion Brooks, Washington
Johni Broome, Auburn
Tommy Bruner, Denver
Boo Buie, Northwestern
Devin Carter, Providence
L.J. Cryer, Houston
Johnell Davis, Florida Atlantic
R.J. Davis, North Carolina
Tucker DeVries, Drake
Hunter Dickinson, Kansas
Zach Edey, Purdue
Terrence Edwards Jr., James Madison
Kyle Filipowski, Duke
Enrique Freeman, Akron
P.J. Hall, Clemson
Blake Hinson, Pittsburgh
DaRon Holmes II, Dayton
Xavier Johnson, Southern Illinois
David Jones, Memphis
Jordan King, Richmond
Dalton Knecht, Tennessee
Tyler Kolek, Marquette
Jaedon LeDee, San Diego State
Caleb Love, Arizona
Kevin McCullar Jr., Kansas
Tristen Newton, Connecticut
Great Osobor, Utah State
Antonio Reeves, Kentucky
Kadary Richmond, Seton Hall
Hunter Sallis, Wake Forest
Baylor Scheierman, Creighton
Mark Sears, Alabama
Terrence Shannon, Illinois
Jamal Shead, Houston
K.J. Simpson, Colorado
Braden Smith, Purdue
Isaiah Stevens, Colorado State
Tyler Thomas, Hofstra
Vonterius Woolbright, Western Carolina