The
United States Basketball Writers Association (
USBWA) was founded in 1956 by
Walter ByersWalter Byers was the first executive director of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. He served from 1951 to 1988. He also helped start the United States Basketball Writers Association in 1956...
and serves the interests of
journalistsSports journalism is a form of journalism that reports on sports topics and events.While the sports department within some newspapers has been mockingly called the toy department, because sports journalists do not concern themselves with the 'serious' topics covered by the news desk, sports...
who cover
college basketballCollege basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
.
Scholarships
The USBWA annually awards college scholarships to students pursuing careers in sports journalism and to children of USBWA members.
Awards
The USBWA annually selects a player of the year and
All-AmericaThe NCAA Men's Basketball All-American teams are honorary teams made up of those NCAA basketball players voted the best in the country by a variety of organizations.-History:...
teamA team comprises a group of people or animals linked in a common purpose. Teams are especially appropriate for conducting tasks that are high in complexity and have many interdependent subtasks.A group in itself does not necessarily constitute a team...
s for both men and women in college basketball. The USBWA men's player of the year award, called the
Oscar Robertson TrophyThe Oscar Robertson Trophy is given out annually to outstanding men's college basketball players by the United States Basketball Writers Association . The trophy is considered to be the oldest of its kind and has been given out since 1959...
, was first established in 1959 and is considered to be the nation's oldest such
awardAn award is something given to a person or a group of people to recognize excellence in a certain field; a certificate of excellence. Awards are often signifiedby trophies, titles, certificates, commemorative plaques, medals, badges, pins, or ribbons...
in college basketball.
The USBWA also selects a national
coach of the yearMany sports leagues, sportswriting associations, and other organizations confer "Coach of the Year" awards.Some of these are:*AFCA Coach of the Year *Annis Stukus Trophy...
for men and women, with the men's award named after legendary coach
Henry IbaHenry Payne "Hank" Iba was an American basketball and baseball coach.-Early life:Iba was born and raised in Easton, Missouri...
.
The USBWA also chooses a
USBWA National Freshman of the YearThe USBWA National Freshman of the Year, the male version of which is named the Wayman Tisdale Award, is an annual basketball award given to college basketball's two most outstanding male and female freshman players by the United States Basketball Writers Association, an association of college...
in men's and women's basketball.
In addition, the USBWA presents a Most Courageous Award to a
playerThe three basketball positions normally employed by organized basketball teams are guard, forward, and center. More specifically, they can be classified into the five positions: point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward, and center. The rules of basketball do not mandate them, and...
,
coachBasketball coaching is the act of directing and strategizing the behaviour of a basketball team or individual basketball player. Basketball coaching typically encompasses the improvement of individual and team offensive and defensive skills, as well as overall physical conditioning.Coaching is...
, or
officialIn basketball, an official is a person who has the responsibility to enforce the rules and maintain the order of the game. The title of official also applies to the scorers and timekeepers, as well as other personnel that have an active task in maintaining the game...
in college basketball who demonstrates extraordinary courage in life and the Katha Quinn award, in honor of the former Sports Information Director at
St. John's UniversitySt. John's University is a private, Roman Catholic, coeducational university located in New York City, United States. Founded by the Congregation of the Mission in 1870, the school was originally located in the borough of Brooklyn in the neighborhood of Bedford–Stuyvesant...
, to individuals who have excelled servicing the
mediaIn communications, media are the storage and transmission channels or tools used to store and deliver information or data...
or provide an inspiration to sports writers.
Hall of fame
The USBWA also honors past and current members for career achievements with the USBWA
Hall of FameA hall of fame, wall of fame, walk of fame, walk of stars or avenue of stars is a type of attraction established for any field of endeavor to honor individuals of noteworthy achievement in that field...
.
See also
- Pro Basketball Writers Association
The Pro Basketball Writers Association is a professional organization for sportswriters who write about professional basketball, including the National Basketball Association .-History:...
- National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association
The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association is an association of baseball writers, broadcasters, and publicists in the United States...
- Baseball Writers Association of America
The Baseball Writers' Association of America is a professional association for baseball journalists writing for daily newspapers, magazines and qualifying Web sites. The BBWAA was founded on October 14, 1908, to improve working conditions for sportswriters in the early part of the 20th century...
- Football Writers Association of America
The Football Writers Association of America is one of the organizations whose College Football All-America Team is recognized by the NCAA...
(college)
- Pro Football Writers Association
Technically known as the Pro Football Writers of America, this organization purports to be "The official voice of pro football writers, promoting and fighting for access to NFL personnel to best serve the public." Goals of the organization include improving access to practices and locker rooms,...
- Professional Hockey Writers Association
The Professional Hockey Writers' Association is a North American professional association for ice hockey journalists writing for newspapers, magazines and websites...
- National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association
The National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association, or NSSA, is an organization of sports media members in the United States. It constitutes the American chapter of the International Sports Press Association ....