Per Duke Comms:
After a memorable 2021-22 regular season that saw him earn ACC Freshman of the Year and first-team All-ACC accolades, Duke freshman Paolo Banchero has collected three All-America honors.
Banchero was named to the second team by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and was a third-team pick by both the Associated Press and Sporting News. He becomes the 75th All-America selection in Duke program history and the 52nd under head coach Mike Krzyzewski. Coach K has had at least one All-American in 33 of his 42 seasons at Duke, including 14 of the last 15.
The Seattle, Wash., native leads all power conference true freshmen in field goal percentage (.474) while ranking second in scoring (17.0), rebounding (7.8) and double-doubles (10). He has scored 20+ points in 13 contests, the third-most by an ACC player and tied for the most among true freshmen nationally. Banchero enters the NCAA Tournament averaging 18.8 points, 5.5 boards and 4.8 assists on .537 shooting over his last six games.
At last week’s ACC Tournament in Brooklyn, N.Y, Banchero followed up consecutive double-doubles with a 20-point performance in the title game to earn All-Tournament First Team honors. He is also on the Wooden Award National Ballot and is a finalist for the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award.
Banchero’s selections mark the 50th AP, 56th NABC and 41st Sporting News All-America honors in program history. The USBWA All-America Teams will be announced Thursday.
Banchero and the Blue Devils (28-6) begin the NCAA Tournament on Friday as the No. 2-seed in the West Region against Cal State Fullerton. The game tips at 7:10 p.m. ET on CBS at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C.
