Duke freshman forward Cameron Boozer just turned a monster first year in Durham into one of college basketball's biggest individual prizes, grabbing The Associated Press men's national player of the year award after averaging 22.5 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-9, 250-pound standout shot 55.6 percent from the field and 39.1 percent from three, tied for the national lead with 22 double-doubles, and powered the Blue Devils to 35 wins, a stint at No. 1 in the rankings and an NCAA Tournament run that ended in the Elite Eight.
According to The Associated Press, voters did not exactly agonize over this one. Boozer received 59 of 61 votes from the AP Top 25 panel. BYU freshman AJ Dybantsa, who averaged a national-best 25.5 points per game, picked up the other two. Boozer told the AP, "You just want to affect winning in whatever way you can," adding that he sees the award as a reflection of what Duke accomplished as a team.
Numbers That Moved Voters
Per Duke Athletics, Boozer did just about everything for the Blue Devils. He led the team in scoring, rebounding and assists, averaging 22.5 points, 10.2 boards and 4.1 assists, while starting all 38 games and piling up 855 total points on the season. The Duke report highlights a 35-point explosion in a November win over Arkansas, a 29-point outing against Florida and a 27-point performance in the season-ending loss to UConn, noting a steady drumbeat of production that rewrote multiple freshman records. That consistency helped make his case irresistible, as he finished among the nation's most efficient scorers and ended the year tied for the NCAA lead with 22 double-doubles.
Freshman Dominance Continues At Duke
The AP noted that Boozer is only the fifth freshman ever to win its national player of the year trophy and the second straight Duke newcomer to claim it after Cooper Flagg last season, extending a recent pipeline of one-and-done level talent in Durham. The AP also reported that Duke now boasts nine different players who have earned AP national player of the year honors, the most of any program in the country. "We have been fortunate enough the last two years to have two of the best freshmen to ever play in college basketball back to back," associate head coach Chris Carrawell said, according to the AP.
What Comes Next
Duke Athletics reports that Boozer will be recognized at national award events during Final Four week and will formally receive USBWA honors at the College Basketball Awards Banquet on April 13 in St. Louis. Local coverage from Spectrum News Charlotte has underscored how Boozer effectively ran Duke's offense as a freshman and how his two-way skill set forced opponents to rethink how they defended the Blue Devils. For Durham, the award is one more sign that Duke's current run of impact freshmen is reshaping the program in real time.
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