DURHAM, N.C. – Duke’s Vernon Carey Jr., has been named the National Freshman of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).
Carey becomes the third consecutive Blue Devil to be honored as the NABC Freshman of the Year, joining Marvin Bagley III in 2018 and Zion Williamson in 2019. Duke has accounted for three of the four winners of the award since its inception in 2017. The Miami, Fla., native was also selected to receive the Wayman Tisdale Award as the USBWA Freshman of the Year.
The consensus second-team All-American and ACC Freshman of the Year, Carey was the only player ranked in the ACC’s top 10 in scoring (third, 17.8), rebounding (fourth, 8.8), field goal percentage (first, .577) and blocked shots (sixth, 1.6). He posted 15 double-doubles on the season, which ranked second among NCAA freshmen and second in the ACC. Ten of his double-doubles were 20-10 performances, while 14 came as 15-10 games. Carey was second nationally among freshmen in scoring, third in field goal percentage and fourth in rebounds.
The NABC Freshman of the Year honor comes as the latest postseason recognition for the Duke big man. In addition to receiving the Wayman Tisdale Award, Carey was named the USBWA District III Player of the Year and a consensus second-team All-America selection. He is a finalist for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award. Carey helped lead the Blue Devils to a 25-6 overall record and 15-5 mark in the ACC.
Dayton boasted the 2020 NABC Player (Obi Toppin) and Coach (Anthony Grant) of the Year. Iowa’s Luka Garza earned honors as the NABC Pete Newell Big Man of the Year, while Udoka Azubuike of Kansas was named the NABC Defensive Player of the Year.
