And the awards just continue to pile up for Kentucky freshman, Anthony Davis. The Wildacts big man was announced the Naismith Player of the Year.
He becomes the first player out of the school to win the award and the second freshman since Kevin Durant in 2007. Davis had a strong year, leading Kentucky as the No. 1 ranked team and onto the National Championship.
Second place for the award votes was forward Thomas Robinson, whom Davis will face Monday night as Kentucky battles Kansas. The other finalists that came close were Creighton’s Doug McDermott and Michigan State’s Draymond Green.
“All four of our Naismith Trophy finalists put together a compelling campaign to win the award this season, but in the end, Anthony’s stellar play for the Wildcats was simply too much for voters to ignore,” said Atlanta Tipoff Club executive director Eric Oberman in a statement. “Congratulations to Anthony, the University of Kentucky and all the finalists for achieving tremendous success. They are all wonderful ambassadors of this sport, and we wish each of them the best of luck in their future basketball careers.”
Davis, who is expected to be the No. 1 pick of this summer’s NBA Draft, has come off a strong season with 14 points, ten rebounds, nearly five blocks averaged per game.
“I’m so proud of Anthony. Here’s a guy who’s taken the fourth-most shots on our team and yet he’s the best player in college basketball. He defers to his teammates,” Kentucky head coach John Calipari said. “He bought into our system and basically said, ‘Tell me how you want me to play.’ He’s been the ultimate team player and I couldn’t be happier for him.”
This award comes right after the 6’10″ center won the the Wooden Award.
Congrats on an amazing year, Anthony! Hopefully you can cap it off tomorrow against Kansas!
Original Story:
http://www.footbasket.com/2012/04/01/...
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April 02, 2012
