Payton II Selected To USBWA Midseason Watch List
January 25, 2016 | Men's Basketball
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Gary Payton II was one of 20 players selected to the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) Midseason Watch List for the Oscar Robertson Trophy, which is given to the men's national player of the year.
The senior guard is the only player from the Pac-12 on the list.
Grayson Allen, Duke
Kris Dunn, Providence
Kahlil Felder, Oakland
Yogi Ferrell, Indiana
Buddy Hield, Oklahoma
Demetrius Jackson, Notre Dame
Brice Johnson, North Carolina
Jalen Jones, Texas A&M
Sheldon McClellan, Miami
Monte Morris, Iowa State
Georges Niang, Iowa State
Gary Payton II, Oregon State
Wayne Selden Jr., Kansas
Ben Simmons, LSU
Melo Trimble, Maryland
Tyler Ulis, Kentucky
Jarrod Uthoff, Iowa
Denzel Valentine, Michigan State
Fred VanVleet, Wichita State
Kyle Wiltjer, Gonzaga
The award will be presented at the College Basketball Awards gala in Oklahoma City on April 11, 2016, at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. Access Sports, a non-profit organization committed to supporting various charitable causes, will serve as host for the gala. Funds from the gala are used to support youth basketball programs in Oklahoma that allow disadvantaged youth the opportunity to participate in leagues and training.
The USBWA, comprised of nearly 1,000 sports journalists covering college basketball for newspapers, magazines and websites, will select the recipients of the awards.
A native of Seattle, Wash., Payton II has done everything for the Beavers this season. He leads the team in scoring (17.5), rebounding (8.4), assists (5.3) and steals (2.4) and is the only player in the Pac-12 among the top 10 in all four categories.
The 6-foot-3 guard has scored in double figures in 17 of the 18 games this season, including six contests with 20-plus points, and has six posted double-doubles. He also broke his father's Oregon State record with at least one steal in 38 consecutive games.
