Jahlil Okafor wins ACC Player of the Year

Source: Grant Halverson/Getty Images

Source: Grant Halverson/Getty Images

Duke freshman sensation Jahlil Okafor has been awarded and announced as the ACC Player of the Year, now the only freshman ever to win the ACC honors. Okafor received 44 of the 61 possible votes for the award, Notre Dame’s Jerian Grant received 14 votes and Virginia’s Michael Brogdon received the other three.

Okafor put up fantastic numbers in his stellar rookie season for the Blue Devils. The ACC’s second-leading scorer with a 17.6-point average and field-goal percentage leader at 66 percent, also with just under ten rebounds a game. Okafor has led Duke to a likely one-seed in the NCAA tournament with a 26-3 record, and is up there with Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky for National Player of the Year. Okafor is also the favorite along with Kentucky’s Karl-Anthony Towns to be the first overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft.

At 6’11” and 270 pounds, Okafor has been torturing opposing front courts all season long. His footwork and post-moves are amongst the best we’ve seen in a prospect in quite some time. His monstrous frame makes him a menace down low, and has used his finesse and size to his advantage in his remarkable college campaign. Even when he’s been dealing with an ankle injury since the first UNC game, Okafor has been able to dominate in all aspects. For sure, a worthy winner of the prosperous award.