Small Named Oscar Roberston Player of the Week

West Virginia University guard Javon Small had one of the performances of the week

Nov 28, 2024; Paradise Island, Bahamas, BHS; West Virginia Mountaineers guard Javon Small (7) reacts after scoring during the second half against the Louisville Cardinals at Imperial Arena at the Atlantis resort. / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

On Tuesday, the U.S Basketball Writers Association named West Virginia University guard Javon Small as on of five Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week.

Small had an All-American performance at the Battle 4 Atlantis midseason tournament where he averaged 23.7 points and 5.7 assists in the three games.

The senior put up as season-high 31 points in the overtime upset win against third-ranked Gonzaga with a season-best seven rebounds.

Small followed his output with 26 points in the semifinal overtime loss to Louisville and showed his poise against No. 24 Arizona, dishing eight assists and tallied 14 points, including hitting 7-8 from the free throw line in the extra period to solidify the upset over the Wildcats.

Oscar Roberson Nation Players of the Week (Press Release)

Johni Broome, Auburn (Southeastern Conference)

The 6-10, 240-pound senior from Plant City, Fla., averaged 21.7 points, 15 rebounds, 4.3 assists and three blocks in wins over No. 5 Iowa State, No. 12 North Carolina and Memphis as he was named the MVP of the Maui Invitational in leading the Tigers to the tournament title. He recorded his fifth straight double-double with 21 points and 16 rebounds to go with six assists, four blocks and a steal versus Memphis in the championship game.

Chucky Hepburn, Louisville (Atlantic Coast Conference)

Hepburn had a big week at the Battle 4 Atlantis, averaging 20.0 ppg over the three contests and shooting 20 for 32 (62.5%) from the field. He also racked up a tournament-record 16 steals as well as 19 assists. In Louisville's 89-61 victory over No. 14 Indiana, he finished with 16 points, a career-high 10 assists and seven steals, becoming the first Division I player in almost two years to accumulate at least those numbers in a game. In an overtime win over West Virginia, Hepburn dropped a career-high 32 points and piled up six steals. In Louisville's 69-64 championship-game loss to undefeated Oklahoma, Hepburn totaled 12 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals.

Tyrese Hunter, Memphis (American Athletic Conference)

Hunter averaged 20.0 points and 3.0 assists while being named to the all-tournament team at the Maui Invitational. The senior guard scored 26 points in the Tigers' opening-round overtime victory over defending national champion UConn before recording 23 points in Memphis' semifinal win over Michigan State. He also recorded 11 points, five rebounds and five assists in the final against Auburn.

Trey Kaufman-Renn, Purdue (Big Ten Conference)

Named MVP of the Rady Children's Invitational after leading No. 8 Purdue to a pair of wins, scoring 23.5 points on 61.5 percent shooting and 10.5 rebounds. He

recorded his first career double-double with 25 points and a career best 13 rebounds in a win over then-No. 23 Ole Miss.

Javon Small, West Virginia (Big 12 Conference)

Small was the tournament's leading scorer with 23.7 points per game at the Battle 4 Atlantis, helping West Virginia to a pair of ranked wins in The Bahamas. The senior guard had 31 points in the win against No. 3 Gonzaga, including a team-leading five in overtime. The South Bend, Ind., product had 26 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in the loss against Louisville, then had a 14-point, eight-assist performance against No. 24 Arizona, once again leading the Mountaineers in scoring during overtime to secure a victory.