Zion Williamson named AP player of the year

Duke big man Zion Williamson might not win a national championship, but he’s going to end the year with plenty of awards. In a not-so-shocking decision, Williamson was named the men’s basketball player of the year by the Associated Press on Friday.

The voting was not particularly close. In fact, in its tweet announcing the news, the Associated Press called Williamson’s win a landslide.

Williamson claimed 59 of 64 possible votes from AP Top-25 voters. His teammate, R.J. Barrett, earned two votes. D’Andre Hunter, Cassius Winston and Ja Morant each received one vote.

The decision should come as no surprise considering the 18-year-old Williamson dominated college basketball throughout the season. He averaged 22.6 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game during his freshman year at Duke.

Williamson isn’t expected to remain at Duke for long. He’s considered the consensus No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft.

Despite Williamson’s strong season, Duke came up short in the NCAA tournament. The team made it to the Elite 8 before dropping a tight 68-67 game against Michigan State.