COLUMBIA’S RUBIO DE LA ROSA HEADLINES USBWA MEN’S NATIONAL WEEKLY HONORS

INDIANAPOLIS (USBWA) – The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has named five Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week for games of the week ending Sunday, Nov. 24.

For the 2024-25 season, the USBWA continues its national player of the week program that has been affiliated with the Oscar Robertson Trophy since the 2009-10 season. Prior to last season, the USBWA had recognized just one player each week.

Each Tuesday during the regular season, designated USBWA board members will select five standouts from the 31 Division I conference players of the week to be recognized. This week’s selections were chosen from a list of the conferences that named a player of the week on Monday.

Following are the five players selected for performances this past week:

Mason Falslev, Utah State (Mountain West Conference)
The sophomore guard led Utah State to a 2-0 record with wins over Montana (95-83) and Iowa (77-69) on a neutral court by averaging 25 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.5 steals per game, while connecting on 62.5 percent of attempts from the floor. He
recorded a double-double against Iowa with 25 points and 12 boards, both career-highs and also registered 25 points, five steals and three rebounds against Montana.

Cooper Flagg, Duke (Atlantic Coast Conference)
The Duke guard/forward was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Player and Rookie of the Week, leading Duke to a 69-55 road victory over No. 17 Arizona on Friday, scoring a game-high 24 points with team highs of seven rebounds and three blocked shots, along with three assists and a steal. The 6-9 freshman posted 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field in the second half to hold off a Wildcats comeback effort.

Chaz Lanier, Tennessee (Southeastern Conference)
A 6-5, fifth-year player from Nashville, Tenn., had 25.5 points, four rebounds and 1.5 steals in wins over Virginia and No. 13 Baylor last week. He shot 59.1 percent (13-of-22) from 3-point range on his way to earning Baha Mar Championship MVP honors. In the victory over Baylor, he set a career high with seven 3-pointers, which tied for the fifth-most in a single game in program history.

Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa, Columbia (Ivy League)
The senior guard from Santiago, Dominican Republic, averaged 29 points per game, shooting 73.1 percent (19-of-26) from the field, 61.1 percent (11-of-18) from three-point range and 90 percent (9-of-10) at the charity stripe. He dropped a career-high 37 points against Stony Brook, shooting 9-of-13 from beyond the arc, setting a Levien Gym record for three-pointers. He then recorded a team-high 21 points adding three assists, three steals and block in Columbia’s win over LIU. His only missed field goal attempts last week came from three-point range.

John Tonje, Wisconsin (Big Ten Conference)
The 6-7 grad student for Omaha averaged 22.3 points on .526 shooting from the field and .958 from the free throw line to lead the Badgers to a 3-0 week and earn this honor for a second straight week. He earned Greenbrier Tip-Off MVP honors after tallying 33 points and seven rebounds in an 81-75 win over Pitt in the title game, becoming the first Division I player to score 33 or more against two high major opponents in the month of November over the last 15 years. For the second straight week he was named the Big Ten Player of the 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 2025 Men’s Final Four in San Antonio, Texas, 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. For more information on the USBWA and the Oscar Robertson Trophy, contact executive director Malcolm Moran at 814-574-1485.

2024-25 USBWA Men’s Weekly Honors
• Week ending Nov. 10: JaKobe Coles, Grand Canyon; Tyson Dunn, Buffalo; TY Johnson, UC Davis; Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton; Justice Shoats, Siena.
• Week ending Nov. 17: Abdi Bashir, Monmouth; Jaron Pierre, Jax State; Maxine Raynaud, Stanford; John Tonje, Wisconsin; Sonny Wilson, Toledo.
• Week ending Nov. 24: Mason Falslev, Utah State; Cooper Flagg, Duke; Chaz Lanier, Tennessee; Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa, Columbia; John Tonje, Wisconsin.