Updated Jan. 21, 2026, 8:56 p.m. ET
The U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USWBA) named Florida junior center Rueben Chinyelu an Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week on Wednesday.
The USWBA recognizes five standouts from the 31 Division I conference players of the week each Tuesday, with this week being postponed one day by the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Wisconsin’s John Blakwell, Maryland’s Diggy Colt, Kennesaw State’s RJ Johnson and Stony Brook’s Erik Platt join Chinyelu this week.
“A 6-10, 265-pound junior from Enugwu-Agidi, Nigeria, Chinyelu averaged 19.5 points, 11.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in wins at Oklahoma and at No. 10 Vanderbilt,” wrote Malcom Moran of the USBWA. “He posted back-to-back double-doubles, highlighted by a 20-point double-double at No. 10 Vanderbilt.
“Chinyelu came up big when it mattered most with 16 points in the second half in the back-and-forth battle in Nashville. He shot .700 from the field (14-20) and a perfect 11-for-11 from the free throw line to average 19.5 points per game on the week.”
The award covers the week ending Jan. 18, which doesn’t include Florida’s win over LSU on Tuesday, when Chinyelu recorded a fourth-straight double-double with 15 points and 21 rebounds. Should he earn back-to-back SEC Player of the Week honors, Chinyelu would be in the running for a second straight Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week nod.
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