Duke’s Cameron Boozer wins Naismith Player of the Year Award
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Duke’s Cameron Boozer will almost certainly be one-and-done as he’ll be a lottery pick during June’s NBA Draft.
Although he won’t leave the college ranks with a national championship, Boozer has raked in a laundry list of personal accolades. He added to that list on Sunday as he was named the Naismith Player of the Year by the Atlanta Tipoff Club. That makes two in a row for Duke after Cooper Flagg won it in 2025.
Boozer received plenty of hype before his college career started. Needless to say, he lived up to it.
Boozer’s 22.5 points were fourth in Division 1, while his 10.2 rebounds ranked 12th. He posted 855 total points and 389 total rebounds, both third-best in program history. He scored at least 13 points in each game, with 20 or more points in 23 games and four 30+ point performances. His highest-scoring game came against Indiana State on Nov. 14, as he dropped in 35 in just his fourth collegiate game. During the Blue Devils’ four-game NCAA Tournament run, he averaged 22.5 points and 10.5 rebounds.
The 18-year-old made a little history by winning Naismith Player of the Year. According to CBS Sports’ Cameron Salerno, it’s the first time the winner of that award and the Heisman Trophy winner have come from the same high school. Boozer and Fernando Mendoza both attended Columbus High School in Miami.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
