Cullowhee, N.C. – Off to one of the best starts to a season in Catamount men's basketball history, weekly honors continued today for Western Carolina senior guard
Vonterius Woolbright as he was one of five players dubbed Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week for the week ending Dec. 24 by the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA).
Woolbright was among five honored on Wednesday with the list including Oumar Ballo of Arizona (Pac-12), Johnell Davis from Florida Atlantic (AAC), RJ Davis of North Carolina (ACC), and Jarod Lucas of Nevada (Mountain West).
Each Tuesday during the regular season, designated USBWA board members select five standouts from the 32 Division I conference players of the week to be recognized. This week's selections were delayed a day by the Christmas holiday and were chosen from a list of the conferences that did name a player of the week.
This is the seventh week this season that the USBWA has selected weekly honors. Earning the award for the first time in his career, Woolbright is the first player from the Southern Conference to receive recognition this season.
From the USBWA player of the week release:
Vonterius Woolbright, Western Carolina (Southern Conference)
Western Carolina guard
Vonterius Woolbright logged two double-doubles last week, securing the SoCon's Player of the Week nod for the second straight week and fourth time overall this season. Woolbright led the Catamounts to a 63-62 upset win at Vanderbilt on Dec. 19. Two days later, Western Carolina defeated Brescia, 85-47, to grab its fourth straight victory before Christmas. Against Vanderbilt, the Albany, Ga., product finished with 22 points, including the game-winning bucket with 1.5 seconds left. He also had 12 rebounds and three assists. Against Brescia, the senior recorded 16 points and a career-high 17 rebounds to go with seven assists and a pair of steals. For the week, Woolbright averaged 19.0 points, 14.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists on 12-for-28 (.429) shooting from the field and 12-for-16 (.750) from the free-throw line. After having double-doubles in both games last week, Woolbright leads the nation in double-doubles with nine this season.
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Woolbright continues to average a double-double this season with a SoCon-leading 21.1 points and 12.3 rebounds per game – marks that rank him 12th and third in the NCAA. He also averages a nation-best 10.25 defensive85-47 boards per game. Woolbright is also third in the SoCon – tied for 43rd nationally – with a team-best 5.2 assist per game average.
For the 2023-24 season, the USBWA has expanded its national player of the week program that has been affiliated with the Oscar Robertson Trophy since the 2009-10 season. In past seasons, the USBWA has recognized just one player each week.
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 2024 Men's Final Four in Glendale, Ariz., 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.
Western Carolina (10-2) returns to the hardwood in the backend of a Catamount basketball doubleheader on Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center on Saturday, Dec. 30, in its final game of the 2023 calendar year and last nonconference game before the start of league play. WCU's women host Southern Wesleyan at 1 p.m. ahead of the men's tilt against King University at 4 p.m. It's just the second all-time meeting between the Catamounts and NCAA Division II, Conference Carolina-member Tornado – and the first in over 65 years as WCU claimed the only other series meeting back in 1958.
Both games will be broadcast on ESPN+ (
paid subscription required) with live audio from the Catamount Sports Network and live stats available at CatamountSports.com.
Keep track of everything related to Catamount men's basketball and WCU Athletics through our social media outlets on Facebook (
fb.com/catamountsports), Instagram (@catamountmbb @wcu_catamounts), and Twitter (@CatamountMBB @catamounts).
2023-24 USBWA Men's Weekly Honors:
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Week ending Nov. 12: Armando Bacot, North Carolina; Tucker DeVries, Drake; Terrence Edwards, James Madison; Dillon Jones, Weber State; Ja'Kobe Walter, Baylor.
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Week ending Nov. 19: Hunter Dickinson, Kansas; Jaedon LeDee, San Diego State; Quinten Post, Boston College; Kyle Rode, Liberty; Marcus Tsohonis, Long Beach State.
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Week ending Nov. 26: Zach Edey, Purdue; Kevin McCullar Jr., Kansas; Isaiah Stevens, Colorado
State; Tyler Thomas, Hofstra; Jamir Watkins, Florida State.
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Week ending Dec. 3: Boo Buie Northwestern; Boogie Ellis, USC; Baylor Scheierman, Creighton; Shahada Wells, McNeese; Trazarien White, UNCW.
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Week ending Dec. 10: Mika Adams-Woods, St. Bonaventure; Enrique Freeman, Akron; David Jones, Memphis; Arthur Kaluma, Kansas State; Tyler Kolek, Marquette.
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Week ending Dec. 17: Tyler Cochran, Toledo; Kevin Cross, Tulane; Fletcher Loyer, Purdue; Ian Martinez, Utah State; Mitchell Saxen, Saint Mary's.
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Week ending Dec. 24: Oumar Ballo, Arizona; Johnell Davis, Florida Atlantic; RJ Davis, North Carolina; Jarod Lucas, Nevada;
Vonterius Woolbright, Western Carolina.
