{"id":79383,"date":"2026-04-05T09:26:49","date_gmt":"2026-04-05T09:26:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/isport.com.ng\/?p=79383"},"modified":"2026-04-05T09:26:49","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T09:26:49","slug":"cam-boozer-shares-career-news-after-freshman-season-at-duke","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/isport.com.ng\/?p=79383","title":{"rendered":"Cam Boozer Shares Career News After Freshman Season at Duke"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Cam Boozer Shares Career News After Freshman Season at Duke<\/h1>\n

For the second straight season, the\u00a0Duke\u00a0Blue Devils saw their season end in heartbreaking fashion as they fell 73-72 to the UConn Huskies in the Elite Eight.<\/p>\n

The loss came despite the Blue Devils leading by as much as 19 points, and star freshman Cam Boozer dropping a game-high 27 points. For those who have been watching Boozer play this year, his strong showing was no surprise.<\/p>\n

His strong showing this season saw him named\u00a0ACC\u00a0Player of the Year, win the Oscar Robertson Trophy and also be named first-team All-ACC, among countless other honors. The projected top pick in the 2026\u00a0NBA\u00a0Draft saw his laundry list of honors grow by one on Friday.<\/p>\n

Following a freshman season that saw him average 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game while shooting 55.6% from the field and 39.1% from deep, Boozer was named AP Player of the Year.<\/p>\n

The son of former NBA star Carlos Boozer took to Instagram along with his agency at Excel Basketball to share the news.<\/p>\n

Boozer has yet to declare for the draft, but the expectation is that he will fight with Kansas’ Darryn Peterson and BYU’s AJ Dybantsa for that top spot.<\/p>\n

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Duke freshman forward Cameron Boozer named The Associated Press men\u2019s national player of the year<\/h1>\n

Cameron Boozer was at the center of everything for Duke this season.<\/p>\n

The 6-foot-9, 250-pound forward proved tough enough to score through physical play. Rangy enough to space the floor and shoot from outside. Deft enough as a passer to find teammates, whether against constant double teams coming for him as the top name on every scouting report or while running the entire offense from up top.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou just want to affect winning in whatever way you can,\u201d Boozer said.<\/p>\n

The high-end NBA prospect did that all season for a team that won 35 games, reached No. 1 in the AP Top 25 poll, claimed the top overall seed for March Madness and reached the NCAA Tournament\u2019s Elite Eight. Now he\u2019s The Associated Press men\u2019s college basketball national player of the year, only the fifth freshman to earn the honor and the second in a row for a Duke program that keeps adding to the longest list of winners in the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt just goes to show more about what our team has done, just because I think that really helps awards like this, having great team success,\u201d Boozer told the AP. \u201cIt\u2019s really just not me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Boozer, named unanimous first-team AP all-American last month, received 59 of 61 votes from AP Top 25 voters in results. BYU freshman AJ Dybantsa, another potential top NBA pick, received the other two votes after averaging a national-best 25.5 points per game.<\/p>\n

A short list<\/h2>\n

Boozer, son of Duke and longtime NBA player Carlos Boozer, ranked averaged 22.5 points (ninth in Division I) and 10.2 rebounds (12th) while finishing tied for the national lead with 22 double-doubles. He also averaged 4.1 assists while posting efficient shooting numbers at 55.6% overall and 39.1% from 3-point range.<\/p>\n

He joins fellow Blue Devils star Cooper Flagg last year, another Duke player in Zion Williamson (2019), Kentucky\u2019s Anthony Davis (2012) and Texas star Kevin Durant (2007) as freshmen to win the AP award. Each went No. 1 or No. 2 in the NBA draft that year.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m very grateful just that I\u2019m even in those (NBA) conversations,\u201d Boozer said. \u201cI think a lot of people dream of being where I am. Sometimes you\u2019ve got to take a step back and just remember that once upon a time, you were a kid dreaming to be here. So I think it\u2019s very special.\u201d<\/p>\n

His coaches think the same of him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been fortunate enough the last two years to have two of the best freshmen to ever play in college basketball back to back,\u201d Duke associate head coach and former Blue Devils player Chris Carrawell said. \u201cAnd Cam is right up there.<\/p>\n

Boozer is Duke\u2019s ninth AP winner, each coming from a different player. UCLA is the next closest with five winners, though that included Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1967 and 1969) and Bill Walton (1972 and 1973) as two-time selections.<\/p>\n

UCLA, Ohio State and Duke rival North Carolina are the only other programs with as many as three different players to win the award.<\/p>\n

Big-game successes<\/h2>\n

Boozer arrived at Duke alongside twin brother Cayden after the two led Miami\u2019s Columbus High to four straight state championships. By late February, the Blue Devils were starting a four-week reign atop the AP Top 25 that would carry to March Madness. Boozer \u2014 who said he looks at winning as a skill \u2014 routinely posted top performances in Duke\u2019s biggest games, including during a rugged nonconference slate.<\/p>\n

He matched a season high with 35 points in a November win against Arkansas. He followed with 29 points against defending national champion Florida. He also had big performances at Michigan State (18 points, 15 rebounds) and flirted with a triple-double (18 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists) in a February win against Michigan.<\/p>\n

Along the way, he pushed through bumps and shoves. He closed the season-ending loss to UConn with 27 points and his right eye swollen from a first-half blow.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no agenda other than figuring out a way to win,\u201d Wolverines coach Dusty May said. \u201cI\u2019ve seen him play a number of times this year where there\u2019s six guys in the paint, and it\u2019s not as if he\u2019s jumping 40, 50 inches off the floor. His desire to rebound the ball, to set physical screens, to play to his advantages, is as impressive as any freshman that I can recall.\u201d<\/p>\n

Managing pressure<\/h2>\n

The other challenge was managing the scrutiny that comes from expectations for greatness. A missed shot. A turnover. The 3-for-17 shooting while battling rising frustration and Virginia shot-blocker Ugonna Onyenso in the ACC title game.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe does a great job of flushing it and not letting it dwell on him too much,\u201d Cayden said. \u201cThat\u2019s something he\u2019s always been able to do since we were younger. Obviously I talk to him when he needs me to. And I sometimes just understood that, hey, he\u2019s going through something, give him some space for a little bit and he\u2019ll figure it out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cameron said getting away for time alone and putting down the phone helps. He points to prayer and even a recent effort to read more.<\/p>\n

The rest of the time, though, he\u2019ll throw himself into becoming a better player. There\u2019s comfort in that routine, the results yet to fail him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think just being prepared alleviates pressure,\u201d Cameron said. \u201cBeing ready for a game, watching film, working out, knowing you put your time in, being confident in yourself \u2014 I think all that takes away a lot of the pressure that people talk about. At the end of the day, pressure really is what you put on yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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