Doug McDermott Wins Player of the Year Honor From Associated Press
4/3/2014 3:05:00 PM | Men's Basketball
DALLAS, Texas -- Creighton senior forward Doug McDermott opened a busy week in Dallas by being named National Player of the Year by the Associated Press on Thursday afternoon. The announcement was made at a news conference at AT&T Stadium, site of this weekend's NCAA Men's Final Four.
He is the first BIG EAST Player to win the AP's top individual award since St. John's Walter Berry in 1985-86, and the AP reported at the press conference he was the first player on record to earn 64 or more (of 65) votes in history. Russ Smith of Louisville earned the other vote.
McDermott leads the nation in scoring (26.7 ppg.) and points (934) while also ranking second in field goals made (330) and ninth in three-point percentage (.449) through games of April 2nd. He scored a career-high 45 points on Senior Night on March 8th to become the eighth man in NCAA history to surpass 3,000 carer points, eventually finishing fifth all-time in scoring with 3,150 career points.
On Monday, McDermott joined some elite company while becoming the 11th man to earn three straight first team honors from the Associated Press since the awards started in 1947-48, In addition to McDermott, Patrick Ewing and Wayman Tisdale, the only other men to earn three straight First Team accolades from the Associated Press included Tom Gola, Oscar Robertson, Jerry Lucas, Lew Alcindor, Pete Maravich, Bill Walton, David Thompson and Ralph Sampson.
The AP began handing out a National Player of the Year Award in 1960-61.
The Associated Press is the ninth different organization to honor McDermott as its National Player of the Year this season, joining the CBSSports.com, Sporting News, USA Today, NBCSports.com, BleacherReport.com, Basketball Times and Dick Vitale. McDermott also won the Senior CLASS Award earlier on Thursday, which takes into account his work on the court and in the classroom and community.
Creighton finished the 2013-14 season with a 27-8 record while reaching the third round of the NCAA Tournament for a third straight season.
AP College Basketball Players of the Year
2014 — Doug McDermott, Creighton
2013 — Trey Burke, Michigan
2012 — Anthony Davis, Kentucky
2011 — Jimmer Fredette, BYU
2010 — Evan Turner, Ohio State
2009 — Blake Griffin, Oklahoma
2008 — Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina
2007 — Kevin Durant, Texas
2006 — J.J. Redick, Duke
2005 — Andrew Bogut, Utah
2004 — Jameer Nelson, Saint Joseph's
2003 — David West, Xavier
2002 — Jason Williams, Duke
2001 — Shane Battier, Duke
2000 — Kenyon Martin, Cincinnati
1999 — Elton Brand, Duke
1998 — Antawn Jamison, North Carolina
1997 — Tim Duncan, Wake Forest
1996 — Marcus Camby, Massachusetts
1995 — Joe Smith, Maryland
1994 — Glenn Robinson, Purdue
1993 — Calbert Cheaney, Indiana
1992 — Christian Laettner, Duke
1991 — Shaquille O'Neal, LSU
1990 — Lionel Simmons, La Salle
1989 — Sean Elliott, Arizona
1988 — Hersey Hawkins, Bradley
1987 — David Robinson, Navy
1986 — Walter Berry, St. John's
1985 — Patrick Ewing, Georgetown
1984 — Michael Jordan, North Carolina
1983 — Ralph Sampson, Virginia
1982 — Ralph Sampson, Virginia
1981 — Ralph Sampson, Virginia
1980 — Mark Aguirre, DePaul
1979 — Larry Bird, Indiana State
1978 — Butch Lee, Marquette
1977 — Marques Johnson, UCLA
1976 — Scott May, Indiana
1975 — David Thompson, North Carolina State
1974 — David Thompson, North Carolina State
1973 — Bill Walton, UCLA
1972 — Bill Walton, UCLA
1971 — Austin Carr, Notre Dame
1970 — Pete Maravich, Louisiana State
1969 — Lew Alcindor, UCLA
1968 — Elvin Hayes, Houston
1967 — Lew Alcindor, UCLA
1966 — Cazzie Russell, Michigan
1965 — Bill Bradley, Princeton
1964 — Gary Bradds, Ohio State
1963 — Art Heyman, Duke
1962 — Jerry Lucas, Ohio State
1961 — Jerry Lucas, Ohio State
