Pac-12 Men's Basketball Freshman of the Year | |
---|---|
Awarded for | The most outstanding freshman male basketball player in the Pac-12 |
Country | United States |
First awarded | 1979 |
Currently held by | Lonzo Ball, UCLA |
The Pac-12 Freshman of the Year is an annual award in the Pac-12 Conference presented to its top freshman player in men's basketball. The winner is chosen by the Pac-12 coaches. The honor began in 1979–80, when it was known as the Rookie of the Year and players in their first year in the conference, including transfers, were eligible. Junior guard Bryan Rison of Washington State was the first honoree and the only non-freshman to ever win. The candidates were limited to freshman starting in 1983–84, when the award was renamed to Freshman of the Year. The conference was known as the Pacific-10 before becoming the Pac-12 in 2011.