April, 2, 2026

DUKE’S CAMERON BOOZER RECIPIENT OF 2026 LUTE OLSON AWARD
The top player in division I college basketball

INDIANAPOLIS, IN -- Duke’s Cameron Boozer is the recipient of the 2026 Lute Olson award, which is presented annually to the top player in division I college basketball.

Boozer finished the season, ranked 9th in the country with 22.5 point per game, and 13th in rebounding with 10.2, while shooting 55.6% from the field. The 6-foot-9 freshman also averaged 4.1 assists per game, becoming the first rookie to average at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists since Larry Bird in 1976-77.

“In one of the best freshmen classes in history, Cameron Boozer was head and shoulders above the rest,” said Angela Lento, Vice President of College Insider, Inc. and member of the Kyle Macy award voting panel. “The statistics are impressive, but his pension for making winning plays and doing whatever the team needs to be successful are what make him the best player in college basketball.”

Boozer began his collegiate experience with a bang. Through his first five games he had 108 points, 52 rebounds, and 23 assists becoming the first ACC player with at least 100 points, 50 rebounds and 20 assists in a five-game span since Craig Smith of Boston College in March 2006.

In his fourth game against Indiana State (Nov. 14), he finished with 35 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, three steals and three blocks, becoming the first major conference freshman to reach 30 points, 10 rebounds and five assists with no more than one turnover since Syracuse’s Carmelo Anthony in 2003. He scored 35 against Arkansas (Nov. 27), becoming the first Duke freshman to score 35 points or more twice in a season.
He is the only Division I player in the last 30 seasons to record at least 700 points, 300 rebounds and 100 assists while shooting better than 50% from the field in a single regular season.

He has had at least 13 points, five rebounds and two assists in all 38 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.

Boozer finished with 22 total double-doubles and 15 with at least 20 points.

He is the highest rated player in the history of the KenPom Player of the Year Standings (since 2011) with a rating of 3.253, eclipsing Frank Kaminsky of Wisconsin in 2015 (2.794). He is also the top-rated player by EvanMiya with a combined offensive and defensive performance rating of 15.09.

He became just the fifth player in ACC history to earn the Player and Rookie of the Year awards in the same season, joining former Duke standouts Cooper Flagg (2025), Zion Williamson (2019), Marvin Bagley III (2018), and Jahlil Okafor (2015).

Boozer is the second player to win the Lute Olson National Player of the Year and the Kyle Macy National Freshman of the Year awards in the same season. Duke’s Cooper Flagg did is last season.

The award is named in honor of Hall of Fame coach Lute Olson, who won 776 games in 34 seasons, 24 of which were spent at the University of Arizona. During that stretch he led the Wildcats to 11 Pac-10 Conference titles, 23 consecutive NCAA Tournaments, four Final Four appearances and a National Championship in 1997.

Olson is one of just 25 head coaches in NCAA history to win 700 or more games (all divisions) and ranks ninth on the Division I career victories list. He finished with a winning percentage of .731 and is the all-time winningest coach in Arizona history with a 587-190 record (.755). He was named Pac-10 Coach of the Year seven times.

Olson also guided Arizona to 20 consecutive 20-win seasons and is one of only three coaches in NCAA history to record 29 or more 20-win seasons.

In 2002, Olson was enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Coach Olson passed away on August 27, 2020.

  LUTE OLSON AWARD FINALISTS

PREVIOUS AWARD WINNERS
Cooper Flagg, Duke (2025); Zach Edey, Purdue (2024); Jaime Jaquez Jr., UCLA (2023); Johnny Davis, Wisconsin (2022); Luka Garza, Iowa (2021); Payton Pritchard, Oregon (2020); Ja Morant, Murray State (2019); Jalen Brunson, Villanova (2018); Caleb Swanigan, Purdue (2017); Denzel Valentine, Michigan State (2016); Cameron Payne, Murray State (2015); Doug McDermott, Creighton (2014); Shane Larkin, Miami (2013); Doug McDermott, Creighton (2012); Kemba Walker, Connecticut (2011); Sherron Collins, Kansas (2010).

ABOUT COLLEGEINSIDER.COM
Established in 1996, CollegeInsider.com has been at the forefront of promoting college basketball online. In the July 27, 1998, issue of ESPN the Magazine, College Insider was ranked No. 24 on the magazine’s list of 99 Things to do Before you Die. College Insider created the Mid-Major Top 25®, the measuring stick for men’s and women’s programs outside of the proverbial power leagues, and has 18 national awards presented annually, including the Lute Olson Award, Lou Henson Award, and the John McLendon Award. The CollegeInsider.com All-Access series has been nominated for 5 Emmy Awards and won 2013 Emmy, for its’ feature on New York City Basketball (Iona, LIU-Brooklyn and Manhattan). CI also created This Game No Secret, which debuted during the 2016 CIT and now has become an annual event, which has included programs like Duke, Houston, Miami, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Texas and Virginia.

NOTE: Portions of the press release came from Duke University releases.