University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Ball, Leaf Among USBWA Midseason Watch Lists
January 23, 2017 | Men's Basketball
ST. LOUIS โ UCLA freshmen Lonzo Ball and TJ Leaf have been named to midseason watch lists for the USBWA's Oscar Robertson Trophy (national player of the year) and the Wayman Tisdale Award (national freshman of the year), as announced Monday afternoon.
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Balloting for the U.S. Basketball Writers' Association's All-America Team, All-District Teams and the association's individual awards will take place in March.
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Ball has averaged 14.9 points, 8.2 assists and 5.6 rebounds per game, having started all 21 contests this season. He is the nation's only to be averaging at least 10 points, four rebounds and seven assists per game and currently ranks second in the country in assists per game (8.2 apg).
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Leaf has registered 16.7 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game, having started all 21 games during his freshman campaign. He currently ranks second in the Pac-12 in overall field goal percentage (63.6%) and three-point field goal percentage (48.8%). Leaf has recorded nine double-doubles in 21 contests.
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Both Ball and Leaf have already been named as two of 25 candidates to the midseason watch list for the John R. Wooden Award, presented annually to the nation's premier college men's and women's basketball players.
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UCLA and Kentucky (De'Aaron Fox and Malik Monk) are the only two programs in the country with multiple players named to the 19-man midseason watch list for the Oscar Robertson Trophy. Likewise, UCLA and Kentucky are the only two schools to have at least two players listed to the 12-man midseason watch list for the Wayman Tisdale Award.
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The Oscar Robertson Trophy will be presented at a news conference on Friday, March 31, at the Final Four in Phoenix. The Wayman Tisdale Award and the Henry Iba Coach of the Year Award will be presented at the association's awards breakfast on Monday, April 3.
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UCLA (19-2, 6-2) returns to action at USC (17-4, 4-4) on Wednesday, Jan. 25. Game time at the Galen Center in Los Angeles is slated for 8 p.m. (PT).
