Stanford Basketball Star Named to Oscar Robertson Trophy Watchlist

Stanford men's basketball's biggest star this season is starting to earn some well deserved recognition. On Monday, it was revealed that center Maxime Raynaud was named to the Oscar Robertson Trophy watchlist, one of 50 players to receiver the honor.

The award, which is named after NBA Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson, is awarded to the best men's college basketball player via the United States Basketball Writers Association. Awarded since 1959, it is considered the oldest award for college player of the year. Not only does the USBWA award the trophy to the best college player overall, but they also name All-American teams as well.

Raynaud, who currently leads the nation in double-doubles, has put together a career campaign. Averaging 20.4 points and 11.8 rebounds per game, Raynaud leads the ACC in both scoring and rebounding.

Overall, he is currently the No. 9 scorer in all of college basketball while being No. 3 in rebounding. His performance this season has also helped his NBA draft stock rise significantly, with SI's scouting report projecting him to be a second round pick with first round potential.

After winning the Pac-12's Most Improved Player Award at the end of last season, Raynaud then put his name in the transfer portal following the firing of Cardinal head coach, Jerod Haase.

But once the program brought in Kyle Smith, who led Washington State to its first NCAA tournament berth in well over a decade last season, he was able to be recruited back to Stanford, therefore withdrawing his name from the portal and opting to return for his senior year.

Now, thanks in large part to Raynaud, the Cardinal sit at 15-7 and have already surpassed their win total from the previous two seasons. With an eye on their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2014, Raynaud and the Cardinal will look to keep their promising season going and be one of the surprise programs that earn a bid to March Madness.

Most recently, the former Purdue center Zach Edey won the Oscar Robertson award, taking it home both in 2022-23 and 2023-24. That made him the first player since Ralph Sampson back in 1981-82 and 1982-83 to win the award in consecutive seasons.

Other notable players out of the 50 who earned a spot on the watchlist this season include Caleb Love (Arizona), Cooper Flagg (Duke), Dylan Harper (Rutgers), Hunter Dickinson (Kansas), Ryan Nembhard (Gonzaga) and Ace Bailey (Rutgers).

After a final list is announced in March, the winner will be announced at the NCAA Men's Final Four in San Antonio, which will occur from April 5-7. A formal presentation will happen at the annual USBWA award luncheon in St. Louis.