Feb. 17, 2010

ST. LOUIS – The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has announced that South Carolina senior Devan Downey is one of 16 finalists for the 2010 Oscar Robertson Trophy, to be presented to the association’s national player of the year.

Downey leads the SEC and ranks fourth in the nation in points per game with an impressive 22.8 per outing. The Chester, S.C., native, has recorded six 30-point games this season, including a 30-point effort in Carolina’s upset victory of then-No. 1 Kentucky in late January. Downey, who surpassed the 2,000-point plateau for his career in January, also leads the SEC in steals per game (2.9).

The presentation of this year’s award will take place on Friday, April 2 at the USBWA’s annual awards breakfast at the Columbia Club in Indianapolis in conjunction with the NCAA Men’s Final Four. The breakfast will also honor the winner of the Henry Iba Award, the association’s coach of the year.

The Oscar Robertson Trophy is voted on by the entire membership of the association, which consists of nearly 900 journalists. The ballot will be distributed to the membership on Mon., March 1.