VUU’s Osborne is HBCU Player of the Year

Robert Osborne is going to need to expand his trophy case to handle all of his awards from the most recent season.

The Virginia Union University senior forward out of Hermitage High has been named HBCU Player of the Year by BoxtoRow.

Joining Osborne on the AllAmerican first team is teammate Raemaad Wright, a senior from Suffolk. Osborne also was named CIAA and Atlantic Region Player of Year. He led the Panthers this season with 20.2 points per game, while adding 8.8 rebounds per contest, 3.3 assists and 1.4 steals.

Wright averaged 11.3 points and 9.8 rebounds as VUU won the Northern Division title and later claimed their first NCAA tournament win in 17 years.

Led by Most Outstanding Player Adama Sanogo, UConn won its six games by an average of 20 points.

From the West Africa nation of Mali, the 6-foot-9, 245-pound junior had 17 points and 10 rebounds against the Aztecs, and averaged 20 points and 10 boards for the six games.

Tristen Newton added 19 points and 10 rebounds against San Diego, with Jordan Hawkins scoring 16 and Alex Karaban scoring five points, snagging five rebounds and blocking three shots.

This marks UConn’s fifth NCAA crown, following triumphs in 1999 (defeating Duke in final), 2004 (Georgia Tech), 2011 (Butler) and 2014 (Kentucky). UCLA is the all-time NCAA champ and Indiana with five each.

With most of the headliners returning, the Huskies loom as a main contender in 2024 when the Final Four moves to State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.