Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus #7 UConn on March 29, 2026 , Loss , 72, to, 73
/
Final
Men's Basketball
72
vs #7 UConn
73
Photo by: Andrew Hancock
Boozer Wins Wooden Award, Becomes Duke’s Seventh Consensus National Player of the Year
4/11/2026 12:01:00 PM | Men's Basketball
LOS ANGELES – Duke men's basketball freshman Cameron Boozer has been named the winner of the John R. Wooden Award as the most outstanding player in men's college basketball, as selected by the Los Angeles Athletic Club and announced Friday, April 10.
Boozer is just the fifth freshman to win the award, joining former Blue Devils Cooper Flagg (2025) and Zion Williamson (2019), along with Anthony Davis (2012) and Kevin Durant (2007).
A native of Miami, Florida, Boozer becomes the eighth Blue Devil to win the Wooden Award, the most of any program, joining Flagg, Williamson, JJ Redick (2006), Jason Williams (2002), Shane Battier (2001), Elton Brand (1999) and Christian Laettner (1992).
With the Wooden Award, Boozer is now Duke's seventh consensus national player of the year and just the second Blue Devil to do so as a freshman, having secured all NCAA-recognized honors, including accolades from the Associated Press, U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA), National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), The Sporting News and the Naismith Trophy. He also swept ACC Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year honors and was named ACC Tournament Most Valuable Player. Boozer is Duke's 26th consensus first-team All-American since 1949, the most of any program in that span.
The freshman forward led Duke in scoring, rebounding and assists, averaging 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists while shooting 55.6% from the field. He started all 38 games, totaling 855 points, 389 rebounds and 157 assists.
Boozer's season was defined by remarkable consistency and historic production. He recorded at least 13 points, five rebounds and two assists in every game, the longest such streak by any Division I player (men's or women's) this century.
He is the first freshman or sophomore to average at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and four assists in a season since Larry Bird in 1976-77, and the only Division I player in the last 30 years to total 700 points, 300 rebounds and 100 assists while shooting at least 50% from the field in a single regular season.
Boozer's impact extended beyond traditional statistics. He finished atop the KenPom Player of the Year ratings with a 2.951 mark, the highest since the system's current format was introduced in 2013, and led the EvanMiya Player Performance Rankings with a 14.46 rating, the best recorded since 2010.
Boozer tied for the national lead with 22 double-doubles and became just the second Duke freshman to reach that total in a season. He ranked ninth nationally in scoring and 12th in rebounding, while setting Duke freshman records for rebounds (389) and free throws made (221). His 855 points rank second in program history for a freshman.
Boozer recorded 13 games of 25 or more points, including two 35-point efforts. He also led all players in points, rebounds and assists in seven games, the most by an ACC player in a season over the last 30 years.
Over the course of the season, Boozer earned ACC Player of the Week honors five times and ACC Rookie of the Week recognition 10 times, sweeping both awards on five occasions, a feat matched by only one other player in league history, fellow Blue Devil Flagg in 2024-25.
With his national honors, Boozer becomes the 13th different Blue Devil to earn National Player of the Year recognition and the 10th to do so from multiple outlets in the same season.
To stay up to date with Blue Devils men's basketball, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeMBB".
#GoDuke
MOST NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR HONORS (AP, Naismith, NABC, Sporting News, USBWA, Wooden)
Duke, 53
UCLA, 29
North Carolina, 23
Purdue, 18
Virginia, 14
Ohio State, 13
Cincinnati, 11
Indiana, 11
Kansas, 11
Kentucky, 11
Oklahoma, 11
MOST WINNERS OF THE WOODEN AWARD
Duke, 8
North Carolina, 4
Purdue, 3
DUKE'S CONSENSUS NATIONAL PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
(Swept all the NCAA-recognized awards in that season)
Art Heyman, 1963
Christian Laettner, 1992
Elton Brand, 1999
Jason Williams, 2002
J.J. Redick, 2006
Zion Williamson, 2019
Cameron Boozer, 2026
Boozer is just the fifth freshman to win the award, joining former Blue Devils Cooper Flagg (2025) and Zion Williamson (2019), along with Anthony Davis (2012) and Kevin Durant (2007).
A native of Miami, Florida, Boozer becomes the eighth Blue Devil to win the Wooden Award, the most of any program, joining Flagg, Williamson, JJ Redick (2006), Jason Williams (2002), Shane Battier (2001), Elton Brand (1999) and Christian Laettner (1992).
With the Wooden Award, Boozer is now Duke's seventh consensus national player of the year and just the second Blue Devil to do so as a freshman, having secured all NCAA-recognized honors, including accolades from the Associated Press, U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA), National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), The Sporting News and the Naismith Trophy. He also swept ACC Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year honors and was named ACC Tournament Most Valuable Player. Boozer is Duke's 26th consensus first-team All-American since 1949, the most of any program in that span.
The freshman forward led Duke in scoring, rebounding and assists, averaging 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists while shooting 55.6% from the field. He started all 38 games, totaling 855 points, 389 rebounds and 157 assists.
Boozer's season was defined by remarkable consistency and historic production. He recorded at least 13 points, five rebounds and two assists in every game, the longest such streak by any Division I player (men's or women's) this century.
He is the first freshman or sophomore to average at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and four assists in a season since Larry Bird in 1976-77, and the only Division I player in the last 30 years to total 700 points, 300 rebounds and 100 assists while shooting at least 50% from the field in a single regular season.
Boozer's impact extended beyond traditional statistics. He finished atop the KenPom Player of the Year ratings with a 2.951 mark, the highest since the system's current format was introduced in 2013, and led the EvanMiya Player Performance Rankings with a 14.46 rating, the best recorded since 2010.
Boozer tied for the national lead with 22 double-doubles and became just the second Duke freshman to reach that total in a season. He ranked ninth nationally in scoring and 12th in rebounding, while setting Duke freshman records for rebounds (389) and free throws made (221). His 855 points rank second in program history for a freshman.
Boozer recorded 13 games of 25 or more points, including two 35-point efforts. He also led all players in points, rebounds and assists in seven games, the most by an ACC player in a season over the last 30 years.
Over the course of the season, Boozer earned ACC Player of the Week honors five times and ACC Rookie of the Week recognition 10 times, sweeping both awards on five occasions, a feat matched by only one other player in league history, fellow Blue Devil Flagg in 2024-25.
With his national honors, Boozer becomes the 13th different Blue Devil to earn National Player of the Year recognition and the 10th to do so from multiple outlets in the same season.
To stay up to date with Blue Devils men's basketball, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeMBB".
#GoDuke
MOST NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR HONORS (AP, Naismith, NABC, Sporting News, USBWA, Wooden)
Duke, 53
UCLA, 29
North Carolina, 23
Purdue, 18
Virginia, 14
Ohio State, 13
Cincinnati, 11
Indiana, 11
Kansas, 11
Kentucky, 11
Oklahoma, 11
MOST WINNERS OF THE WOODEN AWARD
Duke, 8
North Carolina, 4
Purdue, 3
DUKE'S CONSENSUS NATIONAL PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
(Swept all the NCAA-recognized awards in that season)
Art Heyman, 1963
Christian Laettner, 1992
Elton Brand, 1999
Jason Williams, 2002
J.J. Redick, 2006
Zion Williamson, 2019
Cameron Boozer, 2026
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
G/F
/ Men's BasketballHall of Fame basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski with a game plan for the country's future
Tuesday, March 31
Maliq Brown - Humble Beast
Tuesday, March 31
Sebastian Wilkins Big Dance Exclusive: Greenville, SC
Tuesday, March 31
Duke Press Conference After Round of 64 (3-19-26)
Tuesday, March 31
