The National Association of Basketball Coaches has announced Duke freshman Paolo Banchero as one of 20 watch list candidates for the 2022 NABC Division I Player of the Year award.
The ACC’s Preseason Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year, Banchero enters his rookie campaign as a five-star forward out of Seattle, Wash. He was the No. 3 player in ESPN 100’s rankings for the class of 2021 after a four-year career at O’Dea High School. As a junior, he averaged 22.6 points, 11.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.6 blocks per game and was named the Washington Boys Basketball Gatorade Player of the Year.