Duke's Cameron Boozer has been handed the Associated Press (AP) Player of the Year award, marking him as the fifth freshman to claim this particular distinction.
Boozer, a Duke freshman, secured the AP Player of the Year award, an honor previously bestowed upon only four other freshmen in the sport's history. He has now joined an exclusive fraternity of players, including names like Kevin Durant and Anthony Davis. This recognition comes after Boozer's standout season, where he averaged 22.5 points and 10.2 rebounds per game, leading his team in scoring and finishing among the top national performers in both categories. He also recorded 22 double-doubles, tying for the national lead.
The award, decided by a significant majority of AP voters (59 out of 61), places Boozer at the forefront of college basketball for the 2025-26 season. His impressive statistics were complemented by remarkable efficiency, with shooting percentages exceeding 55 percent from the field and 39 percent from three-point range.
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Boozer's freshman season was not without its triumphs, including a 35-point performance against Arkansas and a 29-point outing against the then-defending national champion Florida. Despite the team's season not concluding as hoped, Boozer's individual achievements have set a high bar for future college players.
The recognition is not Boozer's only accolade this season. He was also named Freshman of the Year, and his coach, Jon Scheyer, received the Coach of the Year award. Boozer also set new freshman records at Duke for rebounds (389) and free throws made (221), while his 855 points rank second in program history for a freshman.
Boozer is the latest in a line of Duke players to receive significant individual honors, and his award continues the program's rich history with the AP Player of the Year award. He joins Duke's Cooper Flagg and Zion Williamson as freshmen from the university to have won this award.
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While Boozer garnered the majority of the votes, freshman AJ Dybantsa of BYU, another anticipated top NBA prospect, received the remaining two votes after averaging a national-best 25.5 points per game.
