Duke’s Boozer earns 2025-26 Oscar Robertson Trophy and Wayman Tisdale Award

Duke’s Boozer earns 2025-26 Oscar Robertson Trophy and Wayman Tisdale Award

 

INDIANAPOLIS (USBWA) – Duke forward Cameron Boozer met his opportunity and his hype this season as yet another outstanding freshman who became a consensus First Team All-American and the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year. Boozer, who has guided the Blue Devils into the Sweet 16 this weekend, has been selected as the winner of both the 2025-26 Oscar Robertson Trophy as the Men’s National Player of the Year and the 2025-26 Wayman Tisdale Award as the National Freshman Player of the Year by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association.

Boozer will be honored at the Men’s Final Four in Indianapolis and will formally receive the award at the upcoming USBWA College Basketball Awards Banquet on April 13 in St. Louis, hosted by the Missouri Athletic Club, along with the Henry Iba Award winner, Michigan coach Dusty May.

The USBWA Women’s National Coach of Year, Vanderbilt’s Shea Ralph, will also be honored there along with the winners of the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award (Women’s National Player of the Year) and the Tamika Catchings Award (Women’s National Freshman Player of the Year), to be announced tomorrow by the association.

“Leave it to quite literally one of the most reliable winners of any prospect in the past couple of generations to sap all the drama out of this year’s Oscar Robertson Trophy voting. Cameron Boozer took the lead in this race in mid-November and never looked back,” said USBWA President MAtt Norlander of CBS Sports. “He was comfortably the frontrunner for national player of the year since Thanksgiving, and thanks to his game-over-game dependability as a stat monster for the No. 1 overall seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament, nobody had a shot at catching him. What makes this achievement even more notable: Boozer was the best player this season while competing against what’s increasingly regarded as the deepest class of one-and-done prospects ever. The USBWA sends its congratulations to Boozer, his family, his teammates and Duke on a special, sensational five-month journey.”

In leading the Blue Devils to the ACC regular season and tournament championships, the nation’s ninth-leading scorer at 22.4 points per game currently lists third nationally with 21 double-doubles. Boozer also led the ACC in rebounding (10.3 rpg), was 12th in assists (and also led Duke at 4.2 apg), 15th in steals (1.4 spg) and fifth in field goal percentage (.560) during the regular season. Boozer is Duke’s 40th all-time USBWA All-American – announced last week – and the fifth player in ACC history to win the league’s player and rookie of the year awards in the same season. He recorded at least 13 points, five rebounds and two assists in all 35 games this season, the longest such streak by any player (men’s or women’s) at any point in a Division I career this century.

The Blue Devils (34-2), the top seed in the East Regional, take the nation’s longest win streak at 13 games into the regional semifinal to face fifth-seeded St. John’s at 7:30 p.m. ET Friday at Washington, D.C.’s Capital One Arena.

In Saturday’s NCAA Tournament win over TCU, Boozer scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half and grabbed 11 rebounds for the 21st double-double. He also added four assists and three steals, becoming just the second freshman over the last 10 seasons to have at least 10 rebounds, four assists and three steals in an NCAA Tournament game. He’s the first Duke player to post a double-double in each of his first two NCAA Tournament games since Gene Banks (four straight) and Mike Gminski (three straight) both did so in 1978. Boozer also led the team in steals with three.

Duke now has two pairs of back-to-back Oscar Robertson Trophy winners, as Boozer and Flagg join Jason Williams (2001-02) and Shane Battier (2000-01) as consecutive winners. The Blue Devils have earned four of the past eight Wayman Tisdale Awards with now three pairs of back-to-back winners (Williamson in 2018-19 and Vernon Carey Jr. in 2019-20; Jabari Parker in 2013-14 and Jahlil Okafor in 2014-15).

Since the 1958-59 season, the USBWA has named a National Player of the Year. In 1998, the award was named in honor of the University of Cincinnati Hall of Famer and two-time USBWA Player of the Year Oscar Robertson. It is the nation’s oldest award and the only one named after a former player.

The USBWA has presented a men’s National Freshman Player of the Year Award since the 1998-99 season. This is the 16th season for the award to be named for the late Tisdale, a three-time USBWA All-American at Oklahoma and a 12-year NBA veteran before retiring in 1997 to focus on a blossoming jazz music career.

Both awards are selected by a vote from the entire USBWA membership and its board and are based on regular-season performance.

The U.S. Basketball Writers Association was formed in 1956 at the urging of then-NCAA Executive Director Walter Byers. With some 900 members worldwide, it is one of the most influential organizations in college basketball. It has selected an All-America team since the 1956-57 season. For more information on the USBWA and the Oscar Robertson Trophy, contact executive director Malcolm Moran at 814-574-1485.

ALL-TIME USBWA MEN’S PLAYERS OF THE YEAR

2025-26    Cameron Boozer, Duke
2024-25    Cooper Flagg, Duke
2023-24    Zach Edey, Purdue
2022-23    Zach Edey, Purdue
2021-22    Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky
2020-21    Luka Garza, Iowa
2019-20    Obi Toppin, Dayton
2018-19    Zion Williamson, Duke
2017-18    Jalen Brunson, Villanova
2016-17    Frank Mason III, Kansas
2015-16    Buddy Hield, Oklahoma
2014-15    Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin
2013-14    Doug McDermott, Creighton
2012-13    Trey Burke, Michigan
2011-12    Anthony Davis, Kentucky
2010-11    Jimmer Fredette, BYU
2009-10    Evan Turner, Ohio State
2008-09    Blake Griffin, Oklahoma
2007-08    Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina
2006-07    Kevin Durant, Texas
2005-06    Adam Morrison, Gonzaga; J.J. Redick, Duke
2004-05    Andrew Bogut, Utah
2003-04    Jameer Nelson, St. Joseph’s
2002-03    David West, Xavier
2001-02    Jay Williams, Duke
2000-01    Shane Battier, Duke
1999-00    Kenyon Martin, Cincinnati
1998-99    Elton Brand, Duke
1997-98    Antawn Jamison, North Carolina
1996-97    Tim Duncan, Wake Forest
1995-96    Marcus Camby, Massachusetts
1994-95    Ed O’Bannon, UCLA
1993-94    Glenn Robinson, Purdue
1992-93    Calbert Cheaney, Indiana
1991-92    Christian Laettner, Duke
1990-91    Larry Johnson, UNLV
1989-90    Lionel Simmons, La Salle
1988-89    Danny Ferry, Duke
1987-88    Hersey Hawkins, Bradley
1986-87    David Robinson, Navy
1985-86    Walter Berry, St. John’s
1984-85    Chris Mullin, St. John’s
1983-84    Michael Jordan, North Carolina
1982-83    Ralph Sampson, Virginia
1981-82    Ralph Sampson, Virginia
1980-81    Ralph Sampson, Virginia
1979-80    Mark Aguirre, DePaul
1978-79    Larry Bird, Indiana State
1977-78    Phil Ford, North Carolina
1976-77    Marques Johnson, UCLA
1975-76    Adrian Dantley, Notre Dame
1974-75    David Thompson, N.C. State
1973-74    Bill Walton, UCLA
1972-73    Bill Walton, UCLA
1971-72    Bill Walton, UCLA
1970-71    Sidney Wicks, UCLA
1969-70    Pete Maravich, LSU
1968-69    Pete Maravich, LSU
1967-68    Lew Alcindor, UCLA
1966-67    Lew Alcindor, UCLA
1965-66    Cazzie Russell, Michigan
1964-65    Bill Bradley, Princeton
1963-64    Walt Hazzard, UCLA
1962-63    Art Heyman, Duke
1961-62    Jerry Lucas, Ohio State
1960-61    Jerry Lucas, Ohio State
1959-60    Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati
1958-59    Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati

ALL-TIME USBWA MEN’S FRESHMAN PLAYERS OF THE YEAR

2025-26    Cameron Boozer, Duke
2024-25    Cooper Flagg, Duke
2023-24    Reed Sheppard, Kentucky
2022-23    Brandon Miller, Alabama
2021-22    Jabari Smith, Auburn
2020-21    Cade Cunningham, Oklahoma State
2019-20    Vernon Carey Jr., Duke
2018-19    Zion Williamson, Duke
2017-18    Trae Young, Oklahoma
2016-17    Lonzo Ball, UCLA
2015-16    Ben Simmons, LSU
2014-15    Jahlil Okafor, Duke
2013-14    Jabari Parker, Duke
2012-13    Marcus Smart, Oklahoma State
2011-12    Anthony Davis, Kentucky
2010-11    Jared Sullinger, Ohio State
2009-10    John Wall, Kentucky
2008-09    Tyreke Evans, Memphis
2007-08    Michael Beasley, Kansas State
2006-07    Kevin Durant, Texas
2005-06    Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina
2004-05    Marvin Williams, North Carolina
2003-04    Luol Deng, Duke
2002-03    Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse
2001-02    T.J. Ford, Texas
2000-01    Eddie Griffin, Seton Hall
1999-00    Jason Gardner, Arizona
1998-99    Quentin Richardson, DePaul
1997-98    Larry Hughes, Saint Louis
1996-97    None selected
1995-96    None selected
1994-95    None selected
1993-94    Joe Smith, Maryland
1992-93    Jason Kidd, California
1991-92    Chris Webber, Michigan
1990-91    Rodney Rogers, Wake Forest
1989-90    Kenny Anderson, Georgia Tech
1988-89    Chris Jackson, LSU