Gerry Broome/Associated Press
Duke star freshman Zion Williamson has been named the 2019 Wooden Award winner as the top player in college basketball.
The forward topped a competitive field of candidates, including teammate RJ Barrett, Murray State guard Ja Morant, Tennessee forward Grant Williams and Texas Tech guard Jarrett Culver.
Williamson was the biggest story of 2018-19 in college basketball, coming into the year with tons of hype as a viral dunking star before showcasing his all-around skill set throughout the season.
He finished the regular season averaging 21.6 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.2 steals and 1.8 blocks per game, also ranking among the best in the nation with a 68.3 field-goal percentage.
His player efficiency rating of 40.83 not only led the country, but it was also the best for at least the past decade, per Basketball Reference.
At 6’7″, 285 pounds with elite athleticism, the freshman is an impossible matchup for anyone at this level but he also showed that he can contribute in a number of ways.
This allowed him to become the third player in ACC history to be named both Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year in the same season.
This was despite suffering a knee injury down the stretch, missing most of the final six games of the year. Duke was just 3-3 without him, including the first game against North Carolina when he went down in the first minute of the game.
He returned for the postseason, helping Duke win the ACC tournament and reach the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament while averaging 26.4 points over seven games.
Williamson could end up being the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NBA draft, but before that, he was honored as the top player in college basketball and one of the best we have seen in years.
from Update News Topic http://bit.ly/2Infjld
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