Anthony Davis of the Kentucky Wildcats has just been awarded the NCAA Player of the Year Award from the Associated Press. Davis is the first Kentucky player to ever win the award and the second true freshman.
The Chicago Tribune reports that Davis has 14.3 points and 10 rebounds per game for the Wildcats this season. Davis has also had an incredible 4.6 blocks per game this season, which is a new school record. The only other freshman to win the award was Kevin Durant, who took home the AP Player of the Year Award in 2007.
The Associated Press reports that Davis took in 43 of 65 votes to claim the award. Thomas Robinson, a forward for Kansas, took in 20 votes to claim second place.
Davis said:
“There were a lot of awards yesterday and today. It’s a great feeling, especially as a freshman. I’ve been working hard and now it’s rewarding… It’s great to be here and hopefully we can win the national championship and accomplish our goal. Even if we come up short we still had a great season.”
Davis left Kentucky’s last game against Baylor with a knee injury but is expected to be at full force for the Final Four this weekend.
Davis hasn’t announced any plans to enter the NBA draft but many suspect that he will once the NCAA tournament is over.
Davis said:
“My expectations were nothing like this; I wasn’t planning on any awards. I have to thank my teammates for those lob passes for easy baskets and for them getting beat off the dribble for all those blocked shots. Without them there are no awards.”