The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

HOUSTON, Texas – Add another pair of individual awards for Buddy Hield as his historic senior season continues to be celebrated by the American media.

The senior guard has won the James A Naismith Trophy as the nation’s top college player.

The award presented by the Atlanta Tipoff Club was announced yesterday, a day after Hield was held to nine points in the Sooners’ 95-51 loss to Villanova in a national semi-final game.

Villanova coach Jay Wright, whose Wildcats (34-5) play North Carolina tonight for the national championship, was named the Naismith coach of the year for the second time. He joined three-time winners John Calipari and Mike Krzyzewski as the only coaches to win the award multiple times.

On Friday, prior to the Final Four, Hield was awarded the United States Basketball Writers Association’s Oscar Robertson Player of the Year Trophy at NRG Statium in Houston, Texas.

He ranked second in the NCAA in scoring at 25.4 points per game, led Big 12 guards in rebounding at 5.7 per game while shooting 50 per cent from the field and 47 per cent from three-point range.

For the Oscar Robertson Trophy, Hield received 144 votes on the ballot while Denzel Valentine of Michigan State finished second with 108 votes.

Robertson, the Hall of Fame guard, won the award three straight years at the University of Cincinnati. The award was renamed in his honour in 1998.

For the Naismith, Hield was selected by the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s national voting academy, comprised of leading journalists from around the country, current and former head coaches, former award winners and conference commissioners, which based their selections on outstanding on-court performances during the season.

“I’m extremely honoured and grateful to accept the Naismith Trophy. None of this would have been possible without my teammates and coaching staff pushing me every single day,” Hield said in a press release. “I also want to thank my family and friends for all of their support over the years. This was an extremely special season at OU, and one that I’ll cherish forever.”

As expected, Hield has received numerous postseason awards thus far.

The senior guard was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches first-team, a first-team All-American by the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA), Sports Illustrated and USA Today. His list of honours thus far on the year also includes the Sporting News Player of the Year, USBWA District VI Player of the Year, Big 12 Player of the Year and the All-Big 12 first-team.

Hield is also a finalist for one prestigious award yet to be doled out as one of 15 on the John R Wooden Award final ballot.

The Wooden Award winner will be announced April 8.

Valentine has won Player of the Year honors from the Associated Press, National Association Basketball Coaches, USA Today, Sports Illustrated and NBC Sports.

Hield has won four Player of the Year Wards thus far including the Sporting News and CBS Sports trophies thus far.