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SALT LAKE CITY -- Let the national accolades begin.
A day after being named the Mountain West Conference Player of the Year, BYU point guard Jimmer Fredette was named the National Player of the Year by CBS Sports.
Fredette leads the country in scoring averaging 27.9 points per game. He also averages 4.3 assists.
Writer Gary Parrish said Fredette deserved the award for "routinely tearing apart defenses designed to stop him and only him.
"The 6-foot-2 guard made people care about college basketball who wouldn't otherwise care and made me spend more time on the Mountain West Sports Network than I ever would've imagined. In fact, I watched multiple games in normal definition, which is something I rarely do anymore because I'm spoiled by HD. But I did it for Jimmer. And I'd do it again."
Parrish also noted BYU's loss of Brandon Davies to an honor code violation likely cost BYU a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and limited what the Cougars can do in the tournament, but "a teammate having premarital sex shouldn't cost Fredette the individual honors he spent months earning."
Fredette is also one of five First Team All-Americans named by CBS Sports, joined by Duke's Nolan Smith, JaJuan Johnson from Purdue, Derrick Williams of Arizona and Ohio State's Jared Sullinger, who was also named Freshman of the Year.
San Diego State's Kawhi Leonard was named to the second team.
Notre Dame's Mike Breay received Coach of the Year honors.
