Duke basketball center Kyle Filipowski has been named to the midseason watchlist of the John R. Wooden Award, the team announced on its website on Monday night. The 7-footer is now a step closer to joining a couple of distinct Duke alums in Christian Laettner and Zion Williamson, who wound up winning the award in 1992 and 2019, respectively.
Apart from Williamson and Laettner, four other Duke basketball standouts have brought home the John R. Wooden Award. Those are Elton Brand (1999), Shane Battier (2001), Jay Williams (2002), and JJ Redick (2006).
Filipowski was included in the list of 25 student-athletes recognized as the front-runners for the award. A poll of national college basketball experts selects the finalists based on their performances during the 2023-24 season so far.
The Wooden Award All-American Team will be revealed during the week of the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight round. Meanwhile, the winner of 2024 John R. Wooden Award will be announced following the NCAA Tournament in April.
Filipowski was projected to be a first-round pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. But the 20-year-old opted to remain in Duke for his sophomore season, and so far, it has proven to be the right choice. The Blue Devils center's numbers have improved drastically from his freshman season.
Through 15 games so far, Filipowski is averaging 17.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 2.9 assists. He has blocked 29 shots, already surpassing his total of 26 from his freshman season, where he played 36 games. The 7-footer is also shooting 53.0 percent from the field and has converted 17 of his 46 attempts from beyond the arc.
With his strong sophomore campaign, will Kyle Filipowski become the seventh Duke Blue Devil to win the John R. Wooden Award?
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