US college basketball award
TheUSBWA National Freshman of the Year is an annual basketball honor given tocollege basketball 's most outstandingfreshman male player and female player by theUnited States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA), an association of college basketball journalists. Since 2011 the men's award has been called theWayman Tisdale Award [ 1] while the women's award has been called theTamika Catchings Award since 2020.[ 2] The award was first given following the 1988–89 season for men and 1991–92 for women.[ 3] [ 4]
There has never been a tie for the men's award, but there have been two for the women, withTasha Humphrey (Georgia ) andCandice Wiggins (Stanford ) sharing the 2004–05 award, andPaige Bueckers (UConn ) andCaitlin Clark (Iowa ) sharing honors in2020–21 .[ 5] [ 6] Five players have been named a national player of the year by receiving one of the major awards for either men or women[a] in the same season as being named the USBWA Freshman of the Year. Among men's players,Kevin Durant (Texas ) was the first in 2007, followed byAnthony Davis (Kentucky ) in 2012,Zion Williamson (Duke ) in 2019, andCooper Flagg (also ofDuke ) in 2025. The first woman to receive both honors was Bueckers in 2021.
On July 26, 2010, the USBWA announced that they would rename the men's National Freshman of the Year award after the lateWayman Tisdale , who in1983 was named a first-teamAll-American as a freshman atOklahoma .[ 1] The women's award was officially named in honor ofTamika Catchings on October 17, 2019.[ 2] As a freshman atTennessee in1997–98 , she averaged 18.2 points for the undefeated national champion Lady Volunteers.[ 2] Catchings went on to be named a three-time USBWA All-American and the organization's national player of the year in 2000.[ 2]
a Freshmen are ineligible for the third major player of the year award in women's basketball, theWade Trophy .[ 66] b Chris Jackson legally changed his name toMahmoud Abdul-Rauf in 1991 upon his conversion toIslam .[ 67] c No award was presented to the men from 1995 to 1997, although the USBWA website does not indicate the reason.[ 6] ^a b c Carlson, Jenni (March 16, 2011)."Jared Sullinger wins first honor" .The Oklahoman .Oklahoma City, Oklahoma . p. 61. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – viaNewspapers.com . ^a b c d "USBWA names top freshman award after Catchings" .The Mountain Press .Sevierville, Tennessee . October 18, 2019. p. A10. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.^a b "LSU's Jackson Named USBWA All-American" .Macon Chronicle-Herald .Macon, Missouri . March 14, 1989. p. 2. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.^a b Welch, Chris (November 11, 1992)."Tide has high hopes with Johnson, 'Yo' " .The Huntsville Times .Huntsville, Alabama . p. 30. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com. ^a b c "USBWA Tamika Catchings Award" .sportswriters.net .Zionsville, Indiana : USBWA. 2024. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 .^a b c d "USBWA Wayman Tisdale Award" .sportswriters.net . Zionsville, Indiana: USBWA. 2024. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 .^a b c d "Men's USBWA Freshman of the Year Winners" .sports-reference.com . Sports Reference, LLC. 2025. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 .^ Kram, Mark (March 19, 1992)."Seasoned: No first-year jitters for 'Fab Five' as Michigan opens play vs. Owls" .Philadelphia Daily News .Philadelphia, Pennsylvania . p. 78. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com. ^ Chapin, Dwight (October 28, 1993)."It's time to step up, Kidd" .San Francisco Examiner .San Francisco, California . p. 61. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com. ^ Stratton, Bob (March 17, 1994)."Extraordinary Joe" .The Wichita Eagle .Wichita, Kansas . p. 49. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com. ^ Eisenbath, Mike (April 4, 1998)."SLU's Hughes is honored as nation's top freshman – again" .St. Louis Post-Dispatch .St. Louis, Missouri . p. 15. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com. ^ " "Q" honored again" .Northwest Herald .Crystal Lake, Illinois . March 26, 1999. p. 14. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.^ Pascoe, Bruce (March 14, 2000)."Gardner gains another honor in first season" .Arizona Daily Star .Tucson, Arizona . p. 25. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com. ^ Sullivan, Tara (April 4, 2001)."Griffin leaves school to enter NBA draft" .The Record .Woodland Park, New Jersey . p. 27. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com. ^ Riggs, Randy (April 3, 2002)."UT's Ford first freshman to win national assists title" .Austin American-Statesman .Austin, Texas . p. 49. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com. ^ Bedore, Gary (April 7, 2003)."BIG Monday" .Salina Journal .Salina, Kansas . p. 11. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com. ^ Tysiac, Ken (June 21, 2006)."Williams plans to give Hansbrough a break" .The Charlotte Observer .Charlotte, North Carolina . p. C6. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com. ^ "Longhorns' Durant to enter NBA draft; projected as a top-two pick" .National Post .Toronto, Canada . April 11, 2007. p. 68. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.^ "Beasley adds range to power forward slot" .Brainerd Dispatch .Brainerd, Minnesota . June 23, 2008. p. 17. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.^ "Evans top frosh" .Hattiesburg American .Hattiesburg, Mississippi . April 1, 2009. p. 11. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.^ Dawson, Brett (March 23, 2010)."Wall named Freshman of Year by writers" .Courier Journal .Louisville, Kentucky . p. C6. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com. ^ Latzke, Jeff (April 17, 2012)."Davis mum about NBA plans" .Tulsa World .Tulsa, Oklahoma . p. 16. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com. ^ "Smart wins Tisdale Award" .Tulsa World . Tulsa, Oklahoma. March 14, 2013. p. 26. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.^ "Parker wins Tisdale Award" .The News & Observer .Raleigh, North Carolina . March 18, 2014. p. C5. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.^ "Tisdale Award" .The News & Observer . Raleigh, North Carolina. March 18, 2015. p. 28. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.^ "LSU's Ben Simmons tops 2016 NBA Draft" .Abbeville Meridional .Abbeville, Louisiana . June 26, 2016. p. 8. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.^ Bolch, Ben (March 17, 2017)."Ball is the college freshman of the year" .Los Angeles Times .Los Angeles, California . p. D4. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com. ^ "Sooners' Young wins Tisdale Award" .St. Louis Post-Dispatch . St. Louis, Missouri. March 7, 2018. p. B05. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.^ "Zion Williamson: Honors" .The Roanoke Times .Roanoke, Virginia . March 28, 2019. p. C4. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.^ Unruh, Jacob (March 24, 2021)."Cowboys' star nets Tisdale Award" .The Oklahoman . Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. p. B1. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com. ^ Zillgitt, Jeff; Schnell, Lindsay; Henderson, Cydney (June 22, 2023)."NBA mock draft features deep field, lots of guards" .South Bend Tribune .South Bend, Indiana . p. B4. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com. ^ Taylor, Keith (March 23, 2024)."Sheppard wins prestigious Tisdale freshman of year award" .The Winchester Sun .Winchester, Kentucky . p. A9. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com. ^ "Flagg wins double honor" .Arizona Daily Star .Tucson, Arizona . March 26, 2025. p. C3. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.^ Katz, Marc (April 5, 1993)."Freshman update" .Dayton Daily News .Dayton, Ohio . p. 11. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com. ^ Carmin, Mike (April 7, 1994)."Boilers find room for improvement" .Journal & Courier .Lafayette, Indiana . p. 15. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com. ^ "Lobo named player of year" .The Montana Standard .Butte, Montana . March 15, 1995. p. 8. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.Korie Hlede of Duquesne was named national freshman of the year. ^ Patrick, Dick (April 2, 1996)."Holdsclaw ends first season on right foot" .USA Today .New York, New York . p. 12. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com. ^ "Ralph will miss season" .The Bulletin .Norwich, Connecticut . September 4, 1997. p. 17. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.^ Kent, Milton (March 30, 1998)."Lady Vols hit the three, routing La. Tech, 93–75" .The Baltimore Sun .Baltimore, Maryland . p. 85. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com. ^ "Lady Flames to face UNLV in Bahamas" .The News & Advance .Lynchburg, Virginia . December 20, 1999. p. 14. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.^ "Whaley honored" .The Oklahoman . Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. March 24, 2000. p. 142. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.^ "Beard to shadow Stiles" .The Herald-Sun .Durham, North Carolina . March 24, 2001. p. 45. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.^ Miller, Forrest (April 8, 2002)."Freshman Batteast's excellence moves to national stage" .South Bend Tribune . South Bend, Indiana. p. 86. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com. ^ "National writers pass honors along to Taurasi, Auriemma" .The Day .New London, Connecticut . March 15, 2003. p. 25. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.^ "Ohlde earns USBWA honor" .Salina Journal . Salina, Kansas. April 2, 2004. p. 17. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.^a b "Humphrey garners national freshman honor" .The Gainesville Times .Gainesville, Georgia . March 17, 2005. p. 13. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.Humphrey shared the honor with Candice Wiggins of Stanford. ^ "OU's Paris named freshman of the year" .Sapulpa Herald .Kiefer, Oklahoma . April 2, 2006. p. 11. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.^ "Parker Honors" .Knoxville News Sentinel .Knoxville, Tennessee . March 30, 2007. p. 32. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.^ "Auriemma, Moore Honored By USBWA" .Hartford Courant .Hartford, Connecticut . April 4, 2008. p. C03. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.^ Fleser, Dan (April 2, 2009)."Stricklen named national freshman of year" .Knoxville News Sentinel . Knoxville, Tennessee. p. 22. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com. ^ "Baylor: Stockpile of talent has Bears hungry for more" .Fort Worth Star-Telegram .Fort Worth, Texas . April 4, 2010. p. A12. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.^ Cherry, Brice (April 4, 2011)."BU's Sims makes final cut for USA trip to China" .Waco Tribune-Herald .Waco, Texas . p. 13. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com. ^ "Duke's Williams named nation's top freshman" .The Herald-Sun . Durham, North Carolina. March 29, 2012. p. C2. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.^ "Freshman of the Year" .South Bend Tribune . South Bend, Indiana. April 5, 2013. p. B5. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.^ Carter, Andrew (April 18, 2014)."Freshman of the year DeShields to leave UNC" .The Charlotte Observer . Charlotte, North Carolina. p. B2. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com. ^ Cloninger, David (June 16, 2015)."Staley will start eighth season against Ohio State" .The Herald .Rock Hill, South Carolina . p. B4. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com. ^ "Cal's Anigwe honored" .Oakland Tribune .Oakland, California . June 16, 2015. p. 27. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.^ Fulkerson, Vickie (April 1, 2017)."Ditto" .The Day . New London, Connecticut. p. B3. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com. ^ Fulkerson, Vickie (March 31, 2018)."And more" .The Day . New London, Connecticut. p. 11. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com. ^ "Rhyne Howard Named USBWA National Freshman of the Year" .The Advocate-Messenger .Danville, Kentucky . April 6, 2018. p. B3. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.^ Hadley, Greg (March 26, 2020)."South Carolina coach, freshman earn national honors" .Anderson Independent-Mail .Anderson, South Carolina . p. B1. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com. ^a b Vann, Leah (July 4, 2021)."Ladies, the time is now" .The Gazette .Cedar Rapids, Iowa . p. P1. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com. ^ Monkarsh, Julia (April 3, 2023)."Lady 'Noles showered with recognitions" .Tallahassee Democrat .Tallahassee, Florida . p. U20. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com. ^ "Former Stanford standout Iriafen transferring to USC" .Los Angeles Times . Los Angeles, California. April 29, 2024. p. D007. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.^ Morris, Alaina (July 28, 2025)."Standout Blakes is having an offseason to remember" .The Tennessean .Nashville, Tennessee . p. B1. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com. ^ Vanoni, Maggie (November 12, 2024)."UConn women's basketball star Paige Bueckers named to 2025 Wade Trophy watch list" .Greenwich Time .Greenwich, Connecticut : Hearst Media Services Connecticut, LLC. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 . ^ Latimer, Clay (August 10, 1991)."Friends upset over Jackson's switch to Islam" .Press-Register .Mobile, Alabama . p. 30. RetrievedAugust 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
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U.S. men's college basketball awards
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Head coach awards
National coaches of the year Conference coaches of the year
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U.S. women's college basketball awards
Player awards
National players of the year Conference players of the year
Head coach awards
National coaches of the year Conference coaches of the year
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