Duke Hands Out 2017 Season Awards

unnamed (4)DURHAM, N.C. – Duke stars Luke Kennard and Jayson Tatum were named co-recipients of the 2017 Swett-Baylin Most Valuable Player Award at the Duke men’s basketball program’s annual banquet and awards ceremony, held Thursday evening at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Kennard was named was a consensus second-team All-American in 2017 after leading Duke in scoring (19.5) and three-point shooting (.438). He was named the MVP of the ACC Tournament and was a finalist for numerous major national awards.

The Franklin, Ohio, native also took home the award for the team’s best free throw percentage (.856) – his second consecutive season claiming that honor – and the Iron Duke Award for most minutes played (1,314).

Tatum is the fifth freshman – and fourth in as many years – to receive at least a share of team MVP honors under head coach Mike Krzyzewski, joining Johnny Dawkins (1983), Jabari Parker (2014), Jahlil Okafor (2015) and Brandon Ingram (2016).

A third-team All-ACC selection and a finalist for the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award, Tatum averaged 16.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.1 blocks per game. He was also named to the All-ACC Tournament first team and the ACC All-Freshman Team.

The Bill Krzyzewski Captains’ Award was again bestowed upon Amile Jefferson and Matt Jones. Jefferson also took home awards for the team’s best field goal percentage (.613) and rebound average (8.4), while sharing the Dr. Deryl Hart Award as the team’s top scholar-athlete with Grayson Allen. Jones earned the award for Best Defensive Player for the 2016-17 campaign.

In addition to sharing the Dr. Deryl Hart Award with Jefferson, Allen also collected the award for the team’s highest assist total (119) for the second year in a row.

Freshman Frank Jackson was the recipient of the Pagliuca Family Coach’s Award, which is presented to the player exemplifying the commitment and values of Duke Basketball while displaying overall improvement.

Sophomore Antonio Vrankovic and freshman Harry Giles were co-recipients of the Glenn E. “Ted” Mann Award, given to the reserve who most contributed to team morale throughout the season.

Receiving the Gopal Varadhan Senior Manager Award were Alex Blutman, Drew Goldstein and Jon Payne. Andrew Greenfield was the recipient of the Harry Rainey Spirit Award, while Shannon Roivas was named the recipient of the Charles Hogan Memorial Band Award.

 

2016-17 Duke Men’s Basketball Award Winners

Swett-Baylin Award (Most Valuable Player): Luke Kennard, Jayson Tatum

Dr. Deryl Hart Award (Top Scholar-Athlete): Grayson Allen, Amile Jefferson

Pagliuca Family Coach’s Award (Commitment and Values): Frank Jackson

Glenn E. “Ted” Mann Award (Contribution to Team Morale): Antonio Vrankovic, Harry Giles

Iron Duke Award (Most Minutes Played): Luke Kennard

Bill Krzyzewski Captains’ Award: Amile Jefferson, Matt Jones

Best Field Goal Percentage: Amile Jefferson

Best Free Throw Percentage: Luke Kennard

Best Rebound Average: Amile Jefferson

Most Assists Award: Grayson Allen

Best Defensive Player: Matt Jones

Gopal Varadhan Senior Manager Award: Alex Blutman, Drew Goldstein, Jon Payne

Harry Rainey Spirit Award: Andrew Greenfield

Charles Hogan Memorial Band Award: Shannon Roivas