Barrett, Williamson Named on Naismith Midseason Team

DURHAM, N.C. – Duke freshmen RJ Barrett and Zion Williamson have been selected to the 2019 Citizen Naismith Trophy Midseason Team, which was announced this week by the Atlanta Tipoff Club.

Duke holds the record for most Naismith trophies with seven. Barrett, who took home the Naismith High School Trophy, is looking to become the second men's player to win both the high school and college trophies, joining former Blue Devil Shane Battier. Battier won the Naismith High School trophy in 1997 and Naismith College Player of the Year in 2001.

Barrett and Williamson are the ACC's two leading scorers, with Barrett averaging 22.7 and Williamson 22.0 points per game. They are looking to become the first freshman duo in NCAA history to each average 20.0 points for a season.

Williamson leads the ACC in steals (2.25) and field goal percentage (.680), and is third in the conference in rebounds per contest with 9.3. The ACC's leading scorer, Barrett is also 12th in the conference in rebounds (7.2), 14^th in field goal percentage (.447) and 12^th in assists (3.7) per contest. He and Williamson are the third and fourth leading freshman scorers in the country this season.

The Duke duo are two of the 30 named to the Naismith midseason team. The list narrows to 10 semifinalists in early March, with the four finalist being announced in mid-March. The 2019 Citizen Naismith Trophy will be awarded at the Naismith Awards Brunch presented by Mortenson on April 7, 2019, during the Final Four in Minneapolis. Only players on the midseason team are eligible to advance to the next round.

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