Williamson adds to haul, wins Wooden Award

[April 13, 2019]  Zion Williamson's freshman season at Duke didn't end with a national championship, but he's won just about everything else he's been up for.

The likely No. 1 overall pick in June's NBA draft on Friday added to his postseason hardware haul with the John R. Wooden Award, given to the nation's top player.

The honor comes on the heels of Williams winning the AP and Naismith player of the year awards. He also earned first-team All-America honors from numerous outlets.

Williamson, 18, is the third freshman to win the Wooden Award, joining Kevin Durant (Texas, 2007) and Anthony Davis (Kentucky, 2012).

Williamson averaged 22.6 points and 8.9 rebounds per game with the Blue Devils, throwing down highlight-reel dunks seemingly every game, many of them ending up as viral sensations.

The Blue Devils went 32-6 this past season but lost to Michigan State in the regional final round of the NCAA Tournament.

During the awards show on ESPN on Friday night, Williamson drew laughter from the crowd when he replied, "Umm, who knows" when asked if he would join fellow Duke freshmen RJ Barrett and Cam Reddish in declaring for the draft.

Also during Friday's show, the national position player of the year awards were announced:

--Bob Cousy Award (point guard): Ja Morant, Murray State

Duke Blue Devils forward Zion Williamson accepts the Associated Press College Basketball Player of the Year award during a press conference for the 2019 men's Final Four at US Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY Sports

--Jerry West Award (best shooting guard): Barrett

--Julius Erving Award (small forward): Rui Hachimura, Gonzaga

--Karl Malone Award (power forward): Williamson

--Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award (center): Ethan Happ, Wisconsin

On the women's side, Oregon junior Sabrina Ionescu picked up the Wooden Award.

--Field Level Media

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