Martelli was chosen by the USBWA as winner of the Henry Iba Coach of the Year Award and Nelson was selected as recipient of the Oscar Robertson Trophy as the nation's top college player. Nelson was also named the Player of the Year by The Sporting News.

``All the awards and honors that he receives, I tthink they are appropriate,'' Martelli said. ``The right choice has been made. But to know that kid took a chance on June 19 (and withdraw from the NBA draft) and to see him rewarded for it, it's really one of the best decisions a kid has ever made. Hopefully, others will follow his path. It's a great tribute to him and to the program.''

Martelli guided Saint Joseph's to a 27-1 regular season record a and a No. 1 seed in the East Rutherford Region of the 2004 NCAA tournament. Nelson, a senior guard for the Hawks, led the team in scoring with a 20.0 average and assists with a 5.4 mark.

"A Coach of the Year award is really a statement about the team and about the staff that doesn't get enough attention. Everyone can revel in it," said Martelli. "I honored but see it as a team award.

Nelson was also named to the USBWA all-America first team. Others selected were Emeka Okafor, Connecticut; Lawrence Roberts, Mississippi State; Ryan Gomes, Providence; and Andre Emmett, Texas Tech.

Named to the USBWA second team were Josh Childress, Stanford; Devin Harris, Wisconsin; John Lucas, Oklahoma State; and Julius Hodge, North Carolina State.

The USBWA awards will be presented to Martelli and Nelson on April 5 in San Antonio.