Duke's Flagg 4th freshman to win Wooden Award

Duke's Cooper Flagg is the victor of the 2025 Wooden Award, becoming conscionable the 4th freshman successful the award's past to gain the award.

The Wooden Award, fixed annually to the champion assemblage hoops successful the country, was announced Saturday connected ESPN's College GameDay. Flagg edged retired Auburn's Johni Broome, portion Florida's Walter Clayton Jr., Alabama's Mark Sears and Purdue's Braden Smith were the different finalists.

Flagg has been considered the favourite for the grant during the 2nd fractional of the season, erstwhile helium emerged arsenic the astir consistently ascendant subordinate successful the athletics successful starring Duke to the ACC regular-season and league tourney championships and the program's archetypal Final Four quality since Mike Krzyzewski retired. He won some ACC Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year and is the clear-cut person to beryllium selected No. 1 successful June's NBA draft.

He's averaging 18.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists heading into Saturday's nationalist semifinal showdown against Houston.

Flagg's connection show came against Notre Dame successful January, erstwhile helium acceptable the ACC freshman grounds for points successful a crippled aft going for 42 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists successful a triumph implicit the Fighting Irish. That outing highlighted 1 of the champion statistical months we've seen successful caller years, arsenic Flagg averaged 25.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.9 assists successful the period of January, portion shooting 57.9% from the tract and 42.9% from 3-point range.

After suffering an ankle wounded successful the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament, Flagg missed the semifinal and title games -- but has regained his apical signifier successful the NCAA tournament. He had a terrific show against Arizona successful the Sweet 16, finishing with 30 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists successful a triumph implicit the Wildcats.

Flagg is the archetypal freshman to triumph the Wooden Award since Duke's Zion Williamson successful 2019. The different freshmen to triumph the grant are Kentucky's Anthony Davis successful 2012 and Texas' Kevin Durant successful 2007.

The men's John R. Wooden Award has been fixed retired each twelvemonth since 1977, starting with UCLA prima Marques Johnson. Purdue's Zach Edey won it successful each of the past 2 years, becoming lone the 2nd men's subordinate to triumph the grant twice, joining Ralph Sampson, who won it successful 1982 and 1983.