Freshman Kevin Durant named NCAA player of year, Bennett wins coach award
ATLANTA (AP) - A couple of rookies swept the national college basketball awards.
Freshman Kevin Durant of Texas and first-year coach Tony Bennett of Washington State were named player and coach of the year Friday by The Associated Press. Kevin Durant, the smooth six-foot-nine swingman who finished fourth in the country in scoring (25.8) and rebounding (11.1), is the first freshman to win the award since it was created in 1961.
Bennett, who succeeded his father at Washington State for his first head coaching job, led the Cougars to a 26-8 record, matching the most wins in school history, and to their first NCAA tournament bid since 1994.
"I just hope I'm paving the way for other freshmen, to let them know you can compete," Kevin Durant said.
Kevin Durant was a unanimous pick for the AP All-America team, and he and Ohio State center Greg Oden were just the third and fourth freshmen to be selected first-team.
Kevin Durant was jealous of Oden, who will play Saturday against Georgetown.
"This is a great honour, but I'd rather be in the Final Four," Kevin Durant said.
Kevin Durant, the Big 12 player and freshman of the year, shot 47 per cent from the field, 40 per cent from three-point range and 82 per cent from the free-throw line. He averaged 36 minutes per game and also led the Longhorns in steals and blocked shots. He had 20 double-doubles and scored at least 30 points a Big 12-record 11 times.
In Texas' five post-season games, he averaged 28.5 points and 9.6 rebounds.
Kevin Durant received all but two votes for player of the year from the 72-member national media panel that selects the weekly Top 25. Senior forward Alando Tucker of Wisconsin, the Big Ten player of the year, got the other two votes.
Kevin Durant was one of three freshmen to start for the Longhorns, who finished with a 25-10 record and reached the Big 12 tournament championship game and the second round of the NCAA tournament.
"He carried a very young team but never looked at it that way," Texas coach Rick Barnes said. "He has such a great feel for the game. He knows what he has to do to get better. He knows he has to get stronger. He is a real person. I truly believe he will make his mark not just on college basketball but on basketball."
The 37-year-old Bennett laughed when asked what it meant to be selected coach of the year after his first season in that position.
"What do you do from here?" he asked. "Having grown up with a father who was a coach and spending my life in this game, I know how fleeting things can be. So I will enjoy this and remember that it is a privilege to coach."
The Cougars, who were picked ninth or 10th in Pac-10 preseason polls, finished second to UCLA in the conference and lost in the second round of the NCAA tournament. It was the fifth tournament appearance in school history.
Bennett, who agreed to a seven-year contract extension earlier this week, received 40 votes. Thad Matta of Ohio State and Billy Gillispie of Texas A&M each got 10 votes and Bo Ryan of Wisconsin seven.
The Cougars reached as high as ninth in the rankings this season and were 13th in the final poll.
Bennett is the second coach to win the award after his first season as a head coach, joining Bill Hodges of Indiana State in 1979. The award was first presented in 1967.
"When they picked Kevin for the award, maybe they felt sorry for me and decided to give it to another freshman," Bennett said. "It is such a tremendous honor to win this with so many guys who are deserving of it, and to share this with another first-year guy is neat."
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