ST. LOUIS (USBWA) – The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has selected Iowa State’s DeAndre Kane as itsOscar Robertson National Player of the Week for games ending the week of Sunday, Dec. 29. The USBWA’s weekly honor is presented by Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook and is announced exclusively on SiriusXM Radio’s “Inside College Basketball,” which returns to the air on Jan. 7, 2014.

As the Big 12 Conference Player of the Week, Kane was nominated for the weekly award, which was chosen by a representative of the USBWA board of directors from a list of Division I conference players of the week.

Kane, a 6-4 senior from Pittsburgh, Pa., is the second Iowa State player to earn the USBWA’s National Player of the Week honor this season. Three weeks ago, Dustin Hogue was honored by the USBWA.

Kane averaged 19.0 points and 8.0 rebounds in the final two games of the Diamond Head Classic, earning MVP honors after leading the Cyclones to the tournament title and the best start (11-0) in school history. He had a 15-point effort in the semifinals against Akron, grabbing 11 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season. He then added a 23-point, five rebound performance vs. Boise State.

This is the fifth season that the USBWA has selected a national player of the week. The weekly Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week will be considered for the Oscar Robertson Trophy watch list, which will be released at mid-season.

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 Oscar Robertson Trophy presented by Aflac will be presented by its namesake, Oscar Robertson, at the Devon Energy College Basketball Awards on April 15, 2013, at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. TheHenry Iba Coach of the Year Award and the Integris Wayman Tisdale Freshman of the Year Award will also be presented at the gala to be held annually the Monday following the NCAA Men’s Final Four.

The U.S. Basketball Writers Association was formed in 1956 at the urging of then-NCAA Executive Director Walter Byers. With some 900 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 Joe Mitch at 314-795-6821.

Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook, the most comprehensive college basketball publication in the world, returns for its 33rd season, bigger and better in 2013-14. Blue Ribbon – long-known as “The Bible of College Basketball” – gives its readers the most thorough, up-to-date and timely evaluations of every Division I team in the country. For more information about Blue Ribbon Yearbooks, visit blueribbonyearbookonline.com.

2013-14 Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week

• Week of Dec. 8: Dustin Hogue, Iowa State (Big 12 Conference)

• Week of Dec. 15: Marcus Paige, North Carolina (Atlantic Coast Conference)

• Week of Dec. 22: Aaric Murray, Texas Southern (Southwestern Athletic Conference)

• Week of Dec. 29: DeAndre Kane, Iowa State (Big 12 Conference)