The 2018-19 college basketball season culminated with the College Basketball Awards presented by Wendy’s tonight in Los Angeles, where top coaches and players gathered for one more momentous evening. The 90-minute show, hosted by Maria Taylor with Chiney Ogwumike and Jay Williams from The Novo by Microsoft, saw the nation’s top players recognized for their season-long achievements.
Awards were presented for the John R. Wooden Award presented by Wendy’s (Player of the Year – Men), John R. Wooden Award presented by Wendy’s (Player of the Year – Women) and John R. Wooden Award (Legends of Coaching), as well as the Basketball Hall of Fame’s Naismith Starting Five – the Bob Cousy Award (Point Guard of the Year), Jerry West Award (Shooting Guard of the Year), Julius Erving Award Presented by Daltile (Small Forward of the Year), Karl Malone Award (Power Forward of the Year) and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award (Center of the Year).
Hall of Famers Abdul-Jabbar, Erving, Malone and West presented their named awards, while Cousy recorded a personal video message for his award recipient. In addition, this year’s John R. Wooden Legends of Coaching Award recipient, Oklahoma head coach Lon Kruger, took the stage after an introduction by his former player and current UTSA head coach Steve Henson.
The winners:
- Duke phenom Zion Williamson captured both the ACC and AP Player of the Year, as well as ACC Rookie of the Year; he averaged 22.6 points per game, and his field goal percentage (68%) was the best by any freshman in Division I history
- Sabrina Ionescu from Oregon set the record for most triple-doubles in NCAA history this season, leading the Ducks to the Final Four; she averaged 19.9 points this season, with 51 steals
- Lon Kruger has taken five different teams to the NCAA Tournament, including two Final Four appearances
- Murray State’s Ja Morant is the first player to average 25 points and 10 assists per game; last month, he became the first men’s player to record a triple-double in the NCAA Tournament since 2012
- Duke’s RJ Barrett scored 860 points this season, surpassing Jay Williams for the second-most points in a single season at Duke; an AP first-team All America pick, he averaged 22.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game
- Gonzaga’s Rui Hachimura claimed the WCC Player of the Year Award for his consistent play contributing to shooting 61.3 percent from the field, 46.7 on 3-pointers and 75.3 at the free-throw line
- Ethan Happ of Wisconsin finds himself in an elite club. Happ is one of just five Big Ten players owning at least 1,500 career points, 800 rebounds and 250 assist over the last 20 years
College Basketball Awards Presented by Wendy’s Winners
| AWARD | NOMINEES (winner in bold) |
| John R. Wooden – Men’s Player of the Year | RJ Barrett (Duke) Ja Morant (Murray State) Grant Williams (Tennessee) Zion Williamson (Duke) Cassius Winston (Michigan State) |
| John R. Wooden – Women’s Player of the Year | Napheesa Collier (UConn) Asia Durr (Louisville) Megan Gustafson (Iowa) Sabrina Ionescu (Oregon) Teaira McCowan (Mississippi State). |
| John R. Wooden Legends of Coaching | Lon Kruger (Oklahoma) |
| Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year | Markus Howard (Marquette) Ja Morant (Murray State) Josh Perkins (Gonzaga) Tremont Waters (LSU) Cassius Winston (Michigan State) |
| Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year | RJ Barrett (Duke) Jarrett Culver (Texas Tech) Carsen Edwards (Purdue) Kyle Guy (Virginia) Justin Wright-Foreman (Hofstra) |
| Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year | Rui Hachimura (Gonzaga) De’Andre Hunter (Virginia) Caleb Martin (Nevada) Marial Shayok (Iowa State) Admiral Schofield (Tennessee) |
| Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year | Mike Daum (South Dakota State) Dedric Lawson (Kansas) PJ Washington (Kentucky) Grant Williams (Tennessee) Zion Williamson (Duke) |
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year | Charles Bassey (Western Kentucky) Bruno Fernando (Maryland) Jessie Govan (Georgetown) Ethan Happ (Wisconsin) Nathan Knight (William & Mary) |
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