Vernon Carey Sweeps ACC Weekly Awards

Freshman center wins Player and Rookie of Week

Vernon Carey swept both ACC weekly awards for the week ending Feb. 3. Carey, who scored 26 points in back-to-back wins over Pittsburgh and Syracuse, was named ACC Player of the Week for the second time this season. He shared the honor with Georgia Tech’s Michael Devoe on Nov. 25. Carey joins Tre Jones as two time winners for the Blue Devils this season. It’s the first time Duke has had a pair of multiple player of the week award winners since 2017-18, when Grayson Allen and Marvin Bagley II each won twice. This is the third year in a row a Duke freshman has won the Player of the Week award twice in a season. In addition to Bagley and Carey, Zion Williamson won it twice last year.

Carey was also named ACC Rookie of the Week for the fourth time this year. He previously won on Nov. 25, Dec. 9 and Dec. 23. Duke’s Matthew Hurt also won the honor once.

It’s the third year in a row and sixth time in the last seven years a Blue Devil has won four or more Rookie of the Week honors. Carey joins Williamson (4 in 2018-19), Bagley (7 in 2017-18), Brandon Ingram (4 in 2015-16), Jahlil Okafor (8 in 2014-15) and Jabari Parker (10 in 2013-14). Prior to that streak, Duke only had four four-time winners: Austin Rivers (9), Luol Deng (6), Chris Duhon and Kyle Singler (4 each).

Carey averaged 15.0 rpg and shot 64.5% from the field last week. Carey shot 11-of-17 from the field with 13 rebounds and a career-high four assists against Pitt. At Syracuse, he grabbed a career-best 17 boards and was 9-of-14 from the field and 8-of-10 at the free throw line. Carey’s 17 rebounds against Syracuse matched Adonal Foyle and Patrick Ewing as the most by a visiting player at the Carrier Dome.

Carey now owns 10 double-doubles this season – each have been 15-10 games, and eight have been 20-10 efforts. Carey’s eight 20-10 games trail only the 10 by Iowa’s Luka Garza for the most by major conference players. Carey leads the ACC in field goal percentage and is the league’s only player ranked in the top five in scoring (third, 17.8), rebounding (fourth, 8.9) and field goal percentage (first, .597).