USBWA News from Malcolm Moran News

Mike “Mex” Carey, the associate director of athletic communications for men’s basketball at Michigan State University whose timeless advocacy for reporters has made him an essential resource for more than a quarter century, has been named the U.S. Basketball Writers Association’s Katha Quinn Award winner for 2026. Carey will receive the award on April 6 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse at a luncheon before the national championship game of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

Freshman guard Jazzy Davidson of USC has been named the winner of the Tamika Catchings Award, presented annually by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association to the nation’s top freshman in women’s college basketball. Davidson, a 6-1 guard from Clackamas, Ore., delivered one of the most complete freshman seasons in the country while emerging as the centerpiece of USC’s lineup during the 2025-26 campaign.

UConn sophomore forward Sarah Strong has been named the winner of the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award, presented annually by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association to the national women’s college basketball player of the year. Strong becomes the 12th selection from UConn to earn the USBWA’s national player of the year honor, extending the Huskies’ record for the most winners from any program. She is the first Husky to win the award since Paige Bueckers in 2021, joining an elite lineage that includes Breanna Stewart, Maya Moore, Tina Charles, Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird and Rebecca Lobo.

Duke forward Cameron Boozer met his opportunity and his hype this season as yet another outstanding freshman who became a consensus First Team All-American and the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year. Boozer, who has guided the Blue Devils into the Sweet 16 this weekend, has been selected as the winner of both the 2025-26 Oscar Robertson Trophy as the Men's National Player of the Year and the 2025-26 Wayman Tisdale Award as the National Freshman Player of the Year by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association.

Kevin Sweeney of Sports Illustrated, who has quickly established himself as a respected voice across platforms in an evolving industry, has been named a winner of the 2026 Rising Star Award by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. Sweeney will be honored on Monday, April 6 during the USBWA Awards Luncheon at Xiber Square in Gainbridge Fieldhouse at 11:30 a.m.

Gene Wang, whose versatility for more than three decades made his reporting an essential part of college basketball coverage in The Washington Post, has been named recipient of the Jim O’Connell Award for excellence in beat reporting by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. Wang will be honored at the annual awards luncheon at Xiber Square at Gainbridge Fieldhouse at 11:30 a.m. on Monday, April 6.

Three freshmen, guard Darius Acuff Jr. of Arkansas and forwards Cameron Boozer of Duke and AJ Dybansta of BYU, plus graduate forward Yaxel Lendeborg of Michigan and senior guard Braden Smith of Purdue, headline the 2025-26 U.S. Basketball Writers Association Men’s All-America First Team. Freshmen dominate the complete 15-man All-America team with six selections, a record since the USBWA expanded to add a third team to its All-America selections following the 2018-19 season.

In his second season in Ann Arbor, Michigan’s Dusty May has been named the 2025-26 recipient of the Henry Iba Award as the U.S. Basketball Writers Association’s Men's National Coach of the Year.

Vanderbilt head coach Shea Ralph has been named the 2025-26 U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) Women’s National Coach of the Year, recognizing a historic season in which she has led the Commodores to unprecedented success and national prominence.

In recognition of her long and distinguished service to collegiate women’s basketball, Diana Koval, Associate Athletics Director/Communications and Public Relations at the University of South Carolina, has been named the U.S. Basketball Writers Association’s Mary Jo Haverbeck Award recipient for 2026.

The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has named five Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week for games of the week ending Sunday, March 8.

The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has named five Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week for games of the week ending Sunday, March 1.

The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has named five Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week for games of the week ending Sunday, Feb. 22.

The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has named five Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week for games of the week ending Sunday, Feb. 15.

The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has named five Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week for games of the week ending Sunday, Feb. 8.

The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has named five Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week for games of the week ending Sunday, Feb. 1.

The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has named five Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week for games of the week ending Sunday, Jan. 25.

The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has named five Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week for games of the week ending Sunday, Jan. 18.

Three past U.S. Basketball Writers Association presidents, two columnists who informed readers in football states about the achievements of basketball programs, and writers with a range of audiences from a national reach to a devoted local following make up the U.S. Basketball Writers Association's Joe Mitch Hall of Fame Class of 2026 for coverage of men’s basketball.

The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has named five Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week for games of the week ending Sunday, Jan. 11.