Duke’s Cameron Boozer Joins Cooper Flagg On List Of Freshmen To Win Player Of The Year

The 6ft 9in guardant proved reliable capable to people done beingness play. Rangy capable to abstraction nan level and sprout from outside. Deft capable arsenic a passer to find teammates, whether against changeless double teams coming for him arsenic nan apical sanction connected each scouting study aliases while moving nan full discourtesy from up top.

“You conscionable want to impact winning successful immoderate measurement you can,” Boozer said.

The high-end NBA imaginable did that each play for a squad who won 35 games, reached No 1 successful nan Associated Press Top 25 poll, claimed nan apical wide seed for March Madness and reached nan NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight. Now he’s nan AP’s men’s assemblage hoops nationalist subordinate of nan year, only nan 5th freshman to gain nan grant and nan 2nd successful a statement for a Duke programme that keeps adding to nan longest database of winners successful nan country. Sarah Strong of UConn was named nan women’s subordinate of nan year.

He joins chap Blue Devils prima Cooper Flagg past year, different Duke subordinate successful Zion Williamson (2019), Kentucky’s Anthony Davis (2012) and Texas prima Kevin Durant (2007) arsenic freshmen to triumph nan AP award. Each went No 1 aliases No 2 successful nan NBA draught that year.

“I’m very grateful conscionable that I’m moreover successful those [NBA] conversations,” Boozer said. “I deliberation a batch of group dream of being wherever I am. Sometimes you’ve sewage to return a measurement backmost and conscionable retrieve that erstwhile upon a time, you were a kid dreaming to beryllium here. So I deliberation it’s very special.”

“We’ve been fortunate capable nan past 2 years to person 2 of nan champion freshmen to ever play successful assemblage hoops backmost to back,” Duke subordinate caput coach and erstwhile Blue Devils subordinate Chris Carrawell said. “And Cam is correct up there.

Boozer arrived astatine Duke alongside copy relative Cayden aft nan 2 led Miami’s Columbus High to 4 consecutive authorities championships. By precocious February, nan Blue Devils were starting a four-week reign atop nan AP Top 25 that would transportation to March Madness. Boozer routinely posted apical performances successful Duke’s biggest games, including during a rugged nonconference slate.

He matched a play precocious pinch 35 points successful a November triumph against Arkansas. He followed pinch 29 points against defending nationalist champion Florida. He besides had large performances astatine Michigan State (18 points, 15 rebounds) and flirted pinch a triple-double (18 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists) successful a February triumph against Michigan.

Along nan way, he pushed done bumps and shoves. He closed Sunday’s season-ending nonaccomplishment to UConn pinch 27 points and his correct oculus swollen from a first-half blow.

“There’s nary schedule different than figuring retired a measurement to win,” Wolverines coach Dusty May said. “I’ve seen him play a number of times this twelvemonth wherever there’s six guys successful nan paint, and it’s not arsenic if he’s jumping 40, 50 inches disconnected nan floor. His desire to rebound nan ball, to group beingness screens, to play to his advantages, is arsenic awesome arsenic immoderate freshman that I tin recall.”