NABC Player of the Year

NABC Player of the YearAwarded for| the most outstanding men's basketball players in all levels of competition

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Country| United States
Presented by| NABC
State Farm Insurance
History
First award| 1975
Most recent| NCAA DI: Zach Edey, Purdue
NCAA DII: KJ Jones II, Emmanuel
NCAA DIII: Octavio Brito, Keene State
NAIA: Elijah Moore, Grace
Two-year schools: Jemel Jones, South Suburban
Website| Official website

The NABC Player of the Year is an award given annually by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) to recognize the top player in men's college basketball across the three largest college athletic associations in the United States. The award has been given since the 1974–75 season to National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I basketball players, and since the 1982–83 season to its Division II and Division III players. The award has been given since the 2007–08 season to National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and to two-year schools' players. The awards have previously been sponsored by State Farm Insurance.

At NCAA Division I, Duke has the most all-time awards with six and the most separate recipients with five. Their rival, North Carolina, as well as Kansas are tied for second in both awards and individual recipients, with four each. There have been three ties for NABC Player of the Year (2002, 2004, 2006), and only three players have won the award multiple times (Jason Williams, Ralph Sampson, and Zach Edey, with Sampson and Edey having been the sole winner of two awards).

At NCAA Division II, Virginia Union leads for most awards with four and individual recipients with three. It is followed by Florida Southern, Kentucky Wesleyan, Metro State, Northwest Missouri State, and Winona State with three awards each. Among these schools, Northwest Missouri and Winona State each have one two-time recipient. Only one tie has occurred (2006), while four players have won the award more than once (Stan Gouard, Earl Jones, John Smith, and Trevor Hudgins).

At NCAA Division III, three programs are tied for the most awards—Amherst, Cabrini, and Potsdam State. Each has had one two-time recipient. Four other programs have had two recipients—Calvin, Guilford, Otterbein, and Wittenberg. There have been two ties (2007, 2010) and four repeat winners (Leroy Witherspoon, Andrew Olson, Aaron Walton-Moss and Joey Flannery).

At the NAIA, the NABC presented a single award in the 2007–08 season, even though the NAIA had held separate Division I and Division II national championships since 1992. The following season, the NABC began presenting separate awards in Divisions I and II, and continued to do so through the 2019–20 season. After that season, the NAIA eliminated its basketball divisions, returning to a single championship for all members, and the NABC accordingly returned to a presenting a single NAIA award. During the divisional era, Division I member Georgetown (KY) received the most awards and had the most individual recipients, with three each. The only player to have won more than one Division I award is Dominique Rambo of SAGU, who shared the 2013 award and was sole recipient in 2014. The only other school with more than one D-I recipient is Oklahoma Baptist with two. The only player with more than one Division II award is Dominez Burnett, who received two awards with Davenport. Two other programs, Northwood (FL) (now Keiser) and Oklahoma Wesleyan, had two D-II recipients. One other player received the award in both the divisional and non-divisional eras: Kyle Mangas of Indiana Wesleyan received the final Division II award in 2020 and the single award in 2021.

At two-year schools, every winner has been a sophomore and had gone on to play at an NCAA Division I school after their community college careers ended until 2020. Jay Scrubb, that year's winner, hired an agent and declared for the 2020 NBA draft, thereby forgoing his remaining collegiate eligibility. He had committed to Louisville prior to renouncing that decision to enter the NBA draft pool.

## Key

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†  | Co-Players of the Year

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Player (X)  | Denotes the number of times the player has received the player of the year award

## NCAA

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### Division I

[edit]

David Thompson of North Carolina State won the first award in 1975. Danny Ainge of BYU won in 1981. Emeka Okafor shared the award in 2004, also leading UConn to the national title. Kevin Durant of Texas was the first freshman to win the award, in 2007. In 2022, Oscar Tshiebwe became the first player from Kentucky to win the award. Season  | Player  | School  | Position  | Class

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1974–75 | David Thompson | NC State | SG / SF | Senior
1975–76 | Scott May | Indiana | F | Senior
1976–77 | Marques Johnson | UCLA | G / F | Senior
1977–78 | Phil Ford | North Carolina | PG | Senior
1978–79 | Larry Bird | Indiana State | SF | Senior
1979–80 | Michael Brooks | La Salle | F | Senior
1980–81 | Danny Ainge | BYU | SG | Senior
1981–82 | Ralph Sampson | Virginia | C | Junior
1982–83 | Ralph Sampson (2)  | Virginia | C | Senior
1983–84 | Michael Jordan | North Carolina | SG | Junior
1984–85 | Patrick Ewing | Georgetown | C | Senior
1985–86 | Walter Berry | St. John's | PF | Senior
1986–87 | David Robinson | Navy | C | Senior
1987–88 | Danny Manning | Kansas | PF | Senior
1988–89 | Sean Elliott | Arizona | SF | Senior
1989–90 | Lionel Simmons | La Salle | SF | Senior
1990–91 | Larry Johnson | UNLV | PF | Senior
1991–92 | Christian Laettner | Duke | PF | Senior
1992–93 | Calbert Cheaney | Indiana | SF | Senior
1993–94 | Glenn Robinson | Purdue | SF / PF | Sophomore
1994–95 | Shawn Respert | Michigan State | SG | Senior
1995–96 | Marcus Camby | UMass | C | Junior
1996–97 | Tim Duncan | Wake Forest | C | Senior
1997–98 | Antawn Jamison | North Carolina | SF | Junior
1998–99 | Elton Brand | Duke | C | Sophomore
1999–00 | Kenyon Martin | Cincinnati | PF | Senior
2000–01 | Jay Williams | Duke | PG | Sophomore
2001–02† | Drew Gooden | Kansas | C | Junior
Jay Williams (2)  | Duke | PG | Junior
2002–03 | Nick Collison | Kansas | PF | Senior
2003–04† | Jameer Nelson | Saint Joseph's | PG | Senior
Emeka Okafor | UConn | C | Junior
2004–05 | Andrew Bogut | Utah | C | Sophomore
2005–06† | Adam Morrison | Gonzaga | SF | Junior
JJ Redick | Duke | SG | Senior
2006–07 | Kevin Durant | Texas | SF | Freshman
2007–08 | Tyler Hansbrough | North Carolina | PF | Junior
2008–09 | Blake Griffin | Oklahoma | PF | Sophomore
2009–10 | Evan Turner | Ohio State | SF | Junior
2010–11 | Jimmer Fredette | BYU | PG | Senior
2011–12 | Draymond Green | Michigan State | PF | Senior
2012–13 | Trey Burke | Michigan | PG | Sophomore
2013–14 | Doug McDermott | Creighton | SF | Senior
2014–15 | Frank Kaminsky | Wisconsin | PF / C | Senior
2015–16 | Denzel Valentine | Michigan State | SG | Senior
2016–17 | Frank Mason III | Kansas | PG | Senior
2017–18 | Jalen Brunson | Villanova | PG | Junior
2018–19 | Zion Williamson | Duke | SF / PF | Freshman
2019–20 | Obi Toppin | Dayton | PF | Sophomore
2020–21 | Luka Garza | Iowa | C | Senior
2021–22 | Oscar Tshiebwe | Kentucky | C | Junior
2022–23 | Zach Edey | Purdue | C | Junior
2023–24 | Zach Edey (2)  | Purdue | C | Senior

### Division II

[edit]

Charles Oakley won in 1985 and later became an NBA All-Star while playing for the New York Knicks. Braydon Hobbs won the award in 2012 with Bellarmine. Zach Hankins won the award in 2018 with Ferris State. Season  | Player  | School  | Position  | Class

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1982–83  | Earl Jones | District of Columbia | C | Junior
1983–84  | Earl Jones (2)  | District of Columbia | C | Senior
1984–85  | Charles Oakley | Virginia Union | PF | Senior
1985–86  | Todd Linder | Tampa | SF | Junior
1986–87  | Ralph Tally | Norfolk State | PG | Senior
1987–88  | Jerry Johnson | Florida Southern | PG | Senior
1988–89  | Kris Kearney | Florida Southern | F | Senior
1989–90  | A. J. English | Virginia Union | SG | Senior
1990–91  | Corey Crowder | Kentucky Wesleyan | SF / SG | Senior
1991–92  | Eric Manuel | Oklahoma City | SF | Senior
1992–93  | Alex Wright | Central Oklahoma | SG | Senior
1993–94  | Derrick Johnson | Virginia Union | C / PF | Senior
1994–95  | Stan Gouard | Southern Indiana | G | Junior
1995–96  | Stan Gouard (2)  | Southern Indiana | G | Senior
1996–97  | Kebu Stewart | Cal State Bakersfield | PF | Senior
1997–98  | Joe Newton | Central Oklahoma | PG / SG | Senior
1998–99  | Antonio García | Kentucky Wesleyan | F | Senior
1999–00  | Ajumu Gaines | Charleston (WV) | PG | Senior
2000–01  | Colin Ducharme | Longwood | PF | Senior
2001–02  | Ronald Murray | Shaw | SG / PG | Senior
2002–03  | Marlon Parmer | Kentucky Wesleyan | PG | Senior
2003–04  | Elad Inbar | UMass Lowell | F | Senior
2004–05  | Mark Worthington | Metro State | F | Senior
2005–06† | Darius Hargrove | Virginia Union | SG / SF | Senior
Turner Trofholz | South Dakota | PF | Senior
2006–07  | John Smith | Winona State | C | Junior
2007–08  | John Smith (2)  | Winona State | C | Senior
2008–09  | Josh Bostic | Findlay | SF | Senior
2009–10  | Jason Westrol | Bentley | PG | Senior
2010–11  | Darryl Webb | Indiana (PA) | F | Senior
2011–12  | Braydon Hobbs | Bellarmine | PG | Senior
2012–13  | Clayton Vette | Winona State | PF | Senior
2013–14  | Brandon Jefferson | Metro State | PG | Senior
2014–15  | Mitch McCarron | Metro State | SG | Senior
2015–16  | Dan Jansen | Augustana (SD) | PF | Senior
2016–17  | Justin Pitts | Northwest Missouri State | PG | Junior
2017–18  | Zach Hankins | Ferris State | C | Junior
2018–19  | Daulton Hommes | Point Loma Nazarene | G | Junior
2019–20  | Brett Hanson | Florida Southern | G | Senior
2020–21  | Trevor Hudgins | Northwest Missouri State | G | Junior
2021–22  | Trevor Hudgins (2)  | Northwest Missouri State | G | Senior
2022–23  | RJ Sunahara | Nova Southeastern | F | Junior
2023–24  | KJ Jones II | Emmanuel | PG | Senior

### Division III

[edit]

Jimmy Bartolotta was the first recipient to play for MIT. He was the Division III Player of the Year in 2008–09. Season  | Player  | School  | Position  | Class

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1982–83  | Leroy Witherspoon | Potsdam State | PG | Junior
1983–84  | Leroy Witherspoon (2)  | Potsdam State | PG | Senior
1984–85  | Tim Casey | Wittenberg | G | Senior
1985–86  | Dick Hempy | Otterbein | G | Junior
1986–87  | Brendan Mitchell | Potsdam State | SF | Senior
1987–88  | Scott Tedder | Ohio Wesleyan | SF / SG | Senior
1988–89  | Greg Grant | TCNJ | PG | Senior
1989–90  | Matt Hancock | Colby | SG | Senior
1990–91  | Brad Baldridge | Wittenberg | C | Senior
1991–92  | Andre Foreman | Salisbury State | PF | Senior
1992–93  | Steve Hondred | Calvin | C | Senior
1993–94  | Scott Fitch | SUNY Geneseo | G | Senior
1994–95  | D'Artis Jones | Ohio Northern | SG | Senior
1995–96  | David Benter | Hanover | F | Senior
1996–97  | Bryan Crabtree | Illinois Wesleyan | SF | Senior
1997–98  | Mike Nogelo | Williams | F | Senior
1998–99  | Merrill Brunson | Wisconsin–Platteville | PG / SG | Junior
1999–00  | Aaron Winkle | Calvin | PF | Senior
2000–01  | Horace Jenkins | William Paterson | PG | Senior
2001–02  | Jeff Gibbs | Otterbein | F | Senior
2002–03  | Bryan Nelson | Wooster | F | Senior
2003–04  | Richard Melzer | Wisconsin–River Falls | F | Senior
2004–05  | Jason Kalsow | Wisconsin–Stevens Point | PF | Junior
2005–06  | Brandon Adair | Virginia Wesleyan | SF | Junior
2006–07† | Andrew Olson | Amherst | PG | Junior
Ben Strong | Guilford | C | Junior
2007–08  | Andrew Olson (2)  | Amherst | PG | Senior
2008–09  | Jimmy Bartolotta | MIT | SG | Senior
2009–10  | Tyler Sanborn | Guilford | C | Senior
2010–11  | Michael Taylor | Whitworth | SG | Senior
2011–12  | Chris Davis | Wisconsin–Whitewater | PF | Senior
2012–13  | Aaron Toomey | Amherst | PG | Junior
2013–14  | Aaron Walton-Moss | Cabrini | PG | Junior
2014–15  | Aaron Walton-Moss (2)  | Cabrini | PG | Senior
2015–16  | Joey Flannery | Babson | PG | Junior
2016–17  | Joey Flannery (2)  | Babson | PG | Senior
2017–18  | Tyheim Monroe | Cabrini | PF | Senior
2018–19  | Booker Coplin | Augsburg | SG | Junior
2019–20  | Nate West | LeTourneau | PG | Senior
2020–21  | Not presented; no D-III championship was held due to COVID-19 disruptions
2021–22  | Ryan Turell | Yeshiva | SG | Senior
2022–23  | Tyson Cruickshank | Wheaton (IL) | PG | Graduate
2023–24  | Logan Pearson | Wisconsin–Platteville | F | Graduate
2024–25  | Octavio Brito | Keene State | G | Senior

## NAIA

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In 2008–09, the NABC began presenting separate awards for players of the year in NAIA Divisions I and II. In 2020–21, the NAIA removed its divisional classifications.

### Divisional era (2009–2020)

[edit]

Division I  | Season  | Player  | School  | Position  | Class

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2008–09  | Geoff Payne | Westminster | F | Senior
2009–10  | Nate Brumfield | Oklahoma Baptist | F | Senior
2010–11  | Justin Johnson | Concordia Irvine | G | Senior
2011–12  | Emmanuel Wilson | Oklahoma Baptist | G | Senior
2012–13† | Vic Moses | Georgetown (KY) | F | Senior
Dominique Rambo | SAGU | G | Junior
2013–14  | Dominique Rambo (2)  | SAGU | G | Senior
2014–15  | Kenny Manigault | Pikeville | SG / SF | Senior
2015–16  | Deondre McWhorter | Georgetown (KY) | PF | Senior
2016–17  | Delarian Williams | Life | F | Senior
2017–18  | Ryan Imhoff | Carroll (MT) | SG | Senior
2018–19  | Jeff Garrett | LSU–Shreveport | PF | Senior
2019–20  | Chris Coffey | Georgetown (KY) | PF | Senior
Division II  | Season  | Player  | School  | Position  | Class

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2008–09  | William Walker | Bethel (IN) | F | Senior
2009–10  | Steve Briggs | Oklahoma Wesleyan | G | Senior
2010–11  | Sadiel Rojas | Oklahoma Wesleyan | F | Senior
2011–12  | Jonathan Dunn | Northwood | G | Senior
2012–13  | Ra'Shad James | Northwood | G | Senior
2013–14  | Joe Mitchell | Friends | G | Senior
2014–15  | Dominez Burnett | Davenport | F | Junior
2015–16  | Dominez Burnett (2)  | Davenport | F | Senior
2016–17  | Warren Hall | Warner | PG | Senior
2017–18  | Kyle Steigenga | Cornerstone | F | Senior
2018–19  | Cameron Hunt | Southwestern (KA) | PG | Senior
2019–20  | Kyle Mangas | Indiana Wesleyan | G | Junior

### Non-divisional era (2008; 2021–present)

[edit]

Season  | Player  | School  | Position  | Class

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2007–08  | Ryan Fiegi | Oregon Tech | G | Senior
2020–21  | Kyle Mangas (2)  | Indiana Wesleyan | G | Senior
2021–22  | Zach Wrightsil | Loyola (LA) | SG / SF | Senior
2022–23  | Mason Walters | Jamestown (ND) | F | Senior
2023–24  | Elijah Moore | Grace | C | Senior

## Two-year schools

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Since community college players only attend for two years, these players are only either freshmen or sophomores. Afterwards, they move on to a four-year university to finish their last two seasons of NCAA eligibility. The University column reflects which team these players would play for following their junior college careers.

Season  | Player  | Two-year college  | Position  | Class  | University

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2007–08  | Jeremie Simmons | Mott | G | Sophomore | Ohio State
2008–09  | Nafis Ricks | Johnson County | G | Sophomore | Missouri State
2009–10  | Jae Crowder | Howard (TX) | F | Sophomore | Marquette
2010–11  | Kiel Turpin | Lincoln (IL) | C | Sophomore | Florida State
2011–12  | Cleanthony Early | SUNY Sullivan | PF | Sophomore | Wichita State
2012–13  | Chris Jones | Northwest Florida State | G | Sophomore | Louisville
2013–14  | Kadeem Allen | Hutchinson | G | Sophomore | Arizona
2014–15  | Brandon Brown | Phoenix | G | Sophomore | Loyola Marymount
2015–16  | Kavell Bigby-Williams | Gillette | F | Sophomore | Oregon
2016–17  | Shakur Juiston | Hutchinson | F | Sophomore | UNLV
2017–18  | Charles Jones Jr. | College of Southern Idaho | G | Sophomore | Utah
2018–19  | Chris Duarte | Northwest Florida State | G | Sophomore | Oregon
2019–20  | Jay Scrubb | John A. Logan | G | Sophomore | None[n 1]
2020–21  | Malevy Leons | Mineral Area | F | Sophomore | Bradley
2021–22  | Damarco Minor | South Suburban | G | Sophomore | SIU Edwardsville
2022–23  | Curt Lewis | John A. Logan | G | Sophomore | Missouri
2023–24  | Jemel Jones | South Suburban | G | Sophomore | Cal State Bakersfield

## See also

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* List of U.S. men's college basketball national player of the year awards

## Footnotes

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1. ^ On March 25, 2020, Scrubb declared for the 2020 NBA draft while maintaining his eligibility and did not immediately sign with an agent.[1] On April 9, he announced that he would sign with an agent and forgo his remaining college basketball eligibility.[2] Scrubb had previously committed to play for Louisville prior to changing his decision.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Daniels, Evan (March 25, 2020). "Louisville commit Jay Scrubb declares for the NBA Draft". 247Sports. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
2. ^ Daniels, Evan (April 9, 2020). "JUCO standout and Louisville commit Jay Scrubb signs with agent". 247Sports. Retrieved June 25, 2020.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website

* v
* t
* e

NABC Division I Player of the Year

* 1975: Thompson
* 1976: May
* 1977: M. Johnson
* 1978: Ford
* 1979: Bird
* 1980: Brooks
* 1981: Ainge
* 1982: Sampson
* 1983: Sampson
* 1984: Jordan
* 1985: Ewing
* 1986: Berry
* 1987: D. Robinson
* 1988: Manning
* 1989: Elliott
* 1990: Simmons
* 1991: L. Johnson
* 1992: Laettner
* 1993: Cheaney
* 1994: G. Robinson
* 1995: Respert
* 1996: Camby
* 1997: Duncan
* 1998: Jamison
* 1999: Brand
* 2000: Martin
* 2001: Williams
* 2002: Gooden & Williams
* 2003: Collison
* 2004: Nelson & Okafor
* 2005: Bogut
* 2006: Morrison & Redick
* 2007: Durant
* 2008: Hansbrough
* 2009: Griffin
* 2010: Turner
* 2011: Fredette
* 2012: Green
* 2013: Burke
* 2014: McDermott
* 2015: Kaminsky
* 2016: Valentine
* 2017: Mason
* 2018: Brunson
* 2019: Williamson
* 2020: Toppin
* 2021: Garza
* 2022: Tshiebwe
* 2023: Edey
* 2024: Edey

* v
* t
* e

NABC Division II Player of the Year

* 1983: E. Jones
* 1984: E. Jones
* 1985: Oakley
* 1986: Linder
* 1987: Talley
* 1988: J. Johnson
* 1989: Kearney
* 1990: English
* 1991: Crowder
* 1992: Manuel
* 1993: Wright
* 1994: D. Johnson
* 1995: Gouard
* 1996: Gouard
* 1997: Stewart
* 1998: Newton
* 1999: García
* 2000: Gaines
* 2001: Ducharme
* 2002: Murray
* 2003: Parmer
* 2004: Inbar
* 2005: Worthington
* 2006: Hargrove & Trofholz
* 2007: Smith
* 2008: Smith
* 2009: Bostic
* 2010: Westrol
* 2011: Webb
* 2012: Hobbs
* 2013: Vette
* 2014: Jefferson
* 2015: McCarron
* 2016: Jansen
* 2017: Pitts
* 2018: Hankins
* 2019: Hommes
* 2020: Hanson
* 2021: Hudgins
* 2022: Hudgins
* 2023: Sunahara
* 2024: K. Jones

* v
* t
* e

U.S. men's college basketball awards

* National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame
* Women's college basketball awards

Player awards|

| National
players of the year|

* Naismith
* Wooden
* AP
* NABC
* Oscar Robertson Trophy
* The Sporting News
* Academic All-America of the Year

* Discontinued – Adolph Rupp
* Helms
* UPI

|

Conference
players of the year|

* A-10
* ACC
* America East
* American
* ASUN
* Big 12
* Big East
* Big Sky
* Big South
* Big Ten
* Big West
* CAA
* CUSA
* Horizon
* Ivy
* MAAC
* MAC
* MEAC
* MVC
* Mountain West
* NEC
* OVC
* Patriot
* SEC
* SoCon
* Southland
* Summit
* Sun Belt
* SWAC
* WCC
* WAC

* On hiatus – Pac-12

* Discontinued – American South
* American West
* Big Eight
* East Coast
* Great Midwest
* Great West
* Gulf Star
* Metro
* Midwestern
* Southwest

* All-Americans (by year)
* Bob Cousy Award
* Jerry West Award
* Julius Erving Award
* Karl Malone Award
* Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award
* Haggerty Award
* Howell Trophy
* Lefty Driesell Award
* Lou Henson Award
* Lute Olson Award
* Pete Newell Big Man Award
* NABC Defensive Player of the Year
* NABC Freshman of the Year
* Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Award
* NCAA tournament Most Outstanding Player
* Robert V. Geasey Trophy
* USBWA National Freshman of the Year

* On hiatus – Senior CLASS Award

* Discontinued – Best Player ESPY Award
* Chicago Tribune Silver Basketball
* Chip Hilton Award
* Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award

Head coach awards|

| National
coaches of the year|

* Naismith
* AP
* NABC
* The Sporting News

* Discontinued – Adolph Rupp
* Clair Bee
* UPI

|

Conference
coaches of the year|

* ACC
* American
* ASUN
* Big East
* Big Ten
* Big 12
* Big West
* CAA
* MAAC
* MVC
* NEC

* On hiatus – Pac-12

* Ben Jobe Award
* Henry Iba Award
* Hugh Durham Award
* Jim Phelan Award
* Skip Prosser Man of the Year Award

Division awards|

* NABC Players of the Year – Division I
* Division II
* Division III
* NAIA
* Two-year schools

* NABC Coaches of the Year – Division I
* Division II
* Division II
* NAIA
* Two-year schools
NAIA tournament MVP
* Clarence Gaines Award
* Bevo Francis Award

Other awards|

* Players with retired numbers
* Perry Wallace Most Courageous Award
* Coach Wooden "Keys to Life" Award
* Legends of Coaching

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